CST Fast system installed in Australia
The Smith and Loveless FAST system available from CST Wastewater Solutions is being installed across Australia by environmentally-concerned companies, especially on remote sites for wastewater treatment.
The patented portable wastewater treatment solution is a plug-and-play system built into standard shipping containers for easy transport and installation. Operated with minimal engineering and maintenance, the FAST system is ideal for worksite and population centres, especially in remote locations.
The modular Fixed Activated Sludge Treatment (FAST) process is available in individual unit capacities of hundreds of cubic metres a day, which can be increased through interconnected multiple units. The environmentally-sensitive system is built to achieve higher loading rates within a smaller footprint, while the effluent produced can be recycled into suitable industrial, public facility and commercial processes.
The FAST system achieves nutrient removal for applications containing high levels of nitrogen, a water pollutant that has increased significantly in industrial, commercial and municipal applications and is an environmental concern particularly to resources, engineering, construction, hospitality, marine, agribusiness, public facility and water and wastewater infrastructure organisations.
The FAST process involves a fixed-film, aerobic treatment system designed for tackling variable load and flow conditions. The system’s tankage is packed with completely submerged media to create a high surface area-to-volume ratio, which, when combined with internal settling zones, maintains constant bacterial growth during low-flow and peak usage periods typical of many remote installations.
CST Wastewater Solutions Managing Director Mr Mike Bambridge explains that the system, which is proven in thousands of installations worldwide, has been shown to be highly reliable in Australia because its stable process withstands hydraulic shock loads and prevents bacterial washouts.
The FAST system’s simple operation eliminates the need for daily operator involvement, and also minimises annual plant maintenance.
CST is the exclusive national distributor for the FAST system with installations completed for Alcoa, BHP-Billiton, Bechtel Pacific, Blair Athol Coal, Blue Circle Southern Cement, Cadia Gold, Dampier Salt and Wakefield Colliery. Installations have also been completed for the Central Coast Grammar School, CSIRO, Hunter District Water Kiama Municipal Council, Lakeside Leisure Park and Berowra Waters Marina.
Built into standard 20- or 40-foot shipping containers or concrete or fibreglass units, FAST arrives at the job site as a complete, factory-built system or in the form of large components for easy field assembly. FAST can also be retrofitted into existing aeration tankage to boost capacity and performance without expanding the plant.
A major FAST project being installed by CST Wastewater Solutions and scheduled to be completed this year, involves combination units with total capacities from 100 to more than 300 cubic metres a day.
Key features and benefits of the FAST system include modular design and construction; low sludge production; no moving parts, except for an air blower that provides oxygen while circulating the liquid; minimal maintenance requirement; and robust and reliable performance.
The FAST system and the complementary Smith and Loveless Titan MBR (Membrane Biological Reactor) systems are packaged aerobic wastewater plants that form part of CST Wastewater Solutions’ broad range of proprietary wastewater treatment equipment. The company is a premier supplier of innovative wastewater treatment solutions throughout Australia and New Zealand, with projects also completed in Europe, Asia, Africa and America.
