DC Water awarded Patent for Blue Plains process

Photo courtesy of
‘DC Water’
courtesy of ‘erin m’

DC Water, along with the help of a patent database search solution, yesterday announced that they have received a patent on the new method of treating wastewater with aerobic and anaerobic processed, titled “Method for Treating Raw Sludge Including Simultaneous or Pulsed Aerobic/Anoxic Digestion.”  The method produces low odor compost-like biosolids, degrades microconstituents within biosolids and removes nitrogen from the recycle streams, all of which allow the city to claim the largest advanced wastewater treatment plant in the world.

While today’s news cycle will likely focus on the CDC study that showed lead is still problematic in the DC Water system, that study was based primarily on data from 1998-2006 and doesn’t reflect current practices at DC Water.  This new patent will allow DC Water to license their unique treatment system to other municipalities around the world and provide a proven solution to a unique problem.

We toured Blue Plains in October and got a longer look at the new process, and all of the bacteria involved, and found it a fascinating place.

I live and work in the District of Columbia. I write at We Love DC, a blog I helped start, I work at Technolutionary, a company I helped start, and I’m happy doing both. I enjoy watching baseball, cooking, and gardening. I grow a mean pepper, keep a clean scorebook, and wash the dishes when I’m done. Read Why I Love DC.

Facebook Twitter Flickr 

Comments are closed.