Effluent Tank mixing with a difference – WEARS provide effective and efficient solutions to support new technology

WEARS provides an alternative to gantry mixers in new ‘State of the Art’ effluent treatment process.

WEARS Australia (WEARS) have commissioned Two ResMix 1000 systems deployed into tannery effluent treatment plant for use in an innovative, fully integrated biological and physical treatment plant.

Tannery operations traditionally use high amounts of water and chemicals in producing hides and skins for manufacturing or export.  This iterative production cycle means that Tanneries keep producing wastewater that is highly Alkaline and requires intensive and special treatment before it can be safely released or re-used. This poses a significant risk to the natural environment if not treated and then released appropriately. 

WEARS have partnered with a NSW company to provide an Australian First in tannery effluent treatment.  The treatment process happens in two effluent tanks through electrical reaction using their proprietary treatment methods.  Typically this wastewater is highly viscous and full of solids (mostly organic) and other by-products with a pH of ~12-13. The treatment process is heavily reliant on keeping these solids in suspension and not dropping out to the bottom of the treatment tanks. 

Traditional gantry mounted stirrers are not able to cope with the viscosity of the solids in the wastewater and are very expensive to build, install and maintain.  They are also very ineffective and inefficient and use lots of electrical energy.  This is the first time a WEARS mixer has been used in this application.  By using the ResMix 1000 in the 500kl tanks, the mixers are producing enough flow velocity to keep the wastewater in the tanks fully mixed and the keep the solids in suspension to allow for their treatment. 

WEARS General Manager Cameron Meizer said “This project presented some unique challenges for us. Firstly the viscosity of the solution is like an oil or light syrup, but also the high pH required some redesign of some of the componentry to ensure that the ResMix 1000 systems would meet our high expectations of operating effectiveness and operating life. Having achieved these modifications and having the full drive train made from Stainless Steel, we look forward to seeing how this provides more alternatives to traditional mixing of large effluent tanks’. 

The mixers have been installed and commissioned into this Australian Tannery and this project is another example of how WEARS top-down mixing technology can be adapted to replace inefficient and ineffective traditional methods while saving ~90% of operational costs. 

WEARS was founded as a solutions based company and for the last 20 years have been contracted to resolve issues that conventional interventions and responses can’t. WEARS are industry-leading water engineering and research consultants providing specialist engineering consulting and innovative product solutions for managing and maintaining water resources in Australia and internationally.

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