ANGLO Coal is using a Fixed Activated Sludge Treatment (FAST) wastewater treatment system at its Lake Lindsay coal mine in central Queensland to treat and denitrify wastewater.
The FAST process is a two zone design which consists of a primary anaerobic settling zone and an aerobic biological treatment zone.
Solids are trapped in the primary zone, while the aerobic zone consists of a submerged media bed that contains nitrifying bacteria. Wastewater is recirculated between the two zones allowing both nitrification and denitrification to occur.
The treatment system, available from CST Wastewater Solutions , is built into a standard six metre shipping container and is able to handle 20 cubic metres of sewage each day.
According to Anglo Coal, treated effluent waste water from the plant is mixed with mine and runoff water and sprayed on the mine’s coal haul roads for dust suppression.
CST says the FAST system delivers low sludge production and requires little maintenance with no moving parts. The system is said to provide a simple, efficient system that offers safety and flexibility for the operator.