Removal of Suspended Solids and Phosphorus with MITA Filter Cloths: a Thesis from the University of Pavia

Manufacturers of wastewater treatment technologies have had a vision for years now: that of making water use totally circular. And of course, the exchange of research and resources with academic institutions are a unique and effective opportunity to pursue this goal effectively and efficiently.

This is why we are pleased to announce the brilliant results of Dr. Paola Maria Rossi’s master’s thesis, discussed at the University of Pavia.

Her work, titled “Evaluation of the performance of new filter media applied in tertiary filtration at a municipal wastewater treatment plant” (as part of the Master’s degree course in Environmental Engineering), focused on the performance of new filter cloths from MITA Water Technologies, mounted on the filter cloths of a local public wastewater treatment plant. The research was conducted under the supervision of Prof. Arianna Callegari and MITA Water Technologies engineers Andrea Ponzano and Francesca Caccamo.

The data collected during Paola’s experimentation once again demonstrate the quality of free-fiber cloth filtration in the removal of both suspended solids and phosphorus: the result is treated water of very high quality, useful for a “noble” purpose such as reuse in industrial processes and agriculture.

1. Not just suspended solids: pile cloth filters for phosphorus removal

The new filter cloths analyzed, demonstrated high removal efficiencies of two of the main wastewater pollutants: the numerous results collected by Paola Maria Rossi demonstrate this. The removal efficiencies obtained during the months of testing averaged more than 90 percent for total suspended solids and 70 percent for phosphorus in particulate form.

The removal of both pollutants has a decisive impact in a field increasingly explored by production and agricultural realities for the conservation of resources, land and the environment: the reuse of treated wastewater.

2. The importance of phosphorus removal in wastewater reuse

Reusing treated water, within industrial processes or for irrigation, is the best possible way to manage an increasingly scarce commodity: also at stake is the possibility of reducing extreme natural phenomena such as droughts and floods. All this, however, provided that a very high quality of the water resource is achieved, especially for its reuse in agriculture.

In this circular process, pile cloth media filters are a natural ally.

Indeed, it is well known that they have a high capacity to remove suspended solids, thanks mainly to effective gravity filtration: less than 10 mg/l for outgoing water. Often forgotten, however, is their contribution to phosphorus removal, which Dr. Paola Maria Rossi’s thesis emphasized instead.

3. MITA Water Technologies' findings

“The results obtained by Paola are excellent and confirm the validity of our cloth filtration technology”, say Andrea Ponzano and Francesca Caccamo, process specialists at MITA Water Technologies, “That’s why we are happy to have collaborated with her on her thesis project”.

MITA Team 07/05/2024