The Simple Truth: You Can Reduce Phosphorus Levels Without Adding Capital Equipment

A better method for lowering P levels and reducing sludge has been proven effective in more than 50 wastewater treatment plants — and you don’t need to add capital equipment

Reducing phosphorus to legal limits is not always easy or inexpensive, but it is key to a wastewater treatment plant’s success. Thanks to innovative chemistry from Neo Water Treatment, achieving lower phosphorus can be now be achieved economically and without expensive capital equipment additions. Neo’s chemical solution — Neo WaterFX₃₀₀ (formerly RE300) — is based on rare earth elements and is proving to be a better way for lowering P levels than iron- or aluminum-based products. More than 50 wastewater treatment plants around the world can now attest to the success of this approach.

The Key to Removing Phosphorus: A Strong Chemical Bond

Neo Water Treatment’s Neo WaterFX₃₀₀ (formerly RE300) product uses rare earth elements to remove phosphorus. Rare earths form a strong crystalline ionic bond with phosphates, unlike the chemical approach of iron- and aluminum-based coagulants, which do not bind to phosphorus as efficiently. Compared to traditional coagulants, a much lower volume of Neo WaterFX₃₀₀ (formerly RE300) is therefore needed to achieve superior results.

In addition to the stronger bond that rare earth elements deliver, these naturally occurring elements offer other benefits. First, the two active ingredients in Neo WaterFX₃₀₀ (formerly RE300) are the most common of all rare earth elements: cerium and lanthanum, elements 57 and 58. Both elements have a high molecular weight. As a result, Neo WaterFX₃₀₀ (formerly RE300) forms an insoluble rhabdophane precipitate with phosphates that is dense and heavy, and it settles rapidly during clarification.

Keeping Costs Low: No New Infrastructure

The approach is straightforward, cost-effective, and requires no changes to plant infrastructure. Using a rare earth chloride solution like Neo WaterFX₃₀₀ (formerly RE300) can deliver <0.07 ppm-P without having to add tertiary filters or any other capital equipment. Because of this advantage, smaller treatment plants with limited resources can benefit as much as larger facilities with big budgets.

Neo WaterFX₃₀₀ (formerly RE300) can be added to early, middle and/or late stages of the treatment process. The rare earth chloride solution has successfully removed phosphorus in trickling filters, rotating batch contactors, sequencing batch reactors, clarifiers, lagoons, MBRs, and media filters.

Reducing Sludge Volume

For smaller plants without the means to perform on-site sludge management, Neo WaterFX₃₀₀ (formerly RE300) offers a unique and important benefit: it reduces sludge volume. Compared to traditional iron- and aluminum-based products, Neo WaterFX₃₀₀ (formerly RE300) produces less chemical byproduct that must be handled and disposed of. Neo WaterFX₃₀₀ (formerly RE300) also enables plants to meet discharge limits for aluminum and chloride.

Many Additional Benefits

Neo WaterFX₃₀₀ (formerly RE300) offers many additional benefits, such as improved dewatering in filter presses and centrifuges, and better clarifier solids coagulation. The chemical solution inhibits struvite buildup and won’t stain or corrode equipment. Also, it doesn’t require heated storage and pipe tracing: these rare earth solutions have a freezing point of -40 degrees F.

To read more about the benefits of Neo Water Treatment products in action, see our case studies on Albion, PA, and Harford, WI: https://neowatertreatment.com/case-studies/.

Innovative chemistry is helping today’s wastewater treatment facilities improve results, increase efficiencies, and contain costs. Neo WaterFX₃₀₀ (formerly RE300) is a proven approach that works for plants large and small. In fact, rare earth compounds developed by Neo Water Treatment have been deployed in more than 50 wastewater treatment facilities around the world, including at plants in Wisconsin, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, Minnesota, Vermont, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Texas, and Washington.

Phosphorus Removal From Wastewater

Learn more about Phosphorus Removal From Wastewater.