A liquid waste disposal contractor in Cornwall, UK that has worked with South West Water, has seen its investment in a new receiving station rewarded with an increased throughput of more than 30%.
The turnaround is due to ‘The Beast,’ made by SAVECO, that with an integrated 5mm screen, conveyor and compactor, all in one unit, removes harmful debris and dewaters it prior to discharge. It can handle 200m3/h and up to 6-8% solids as a plug-and-play system.
Pellows has helped South West Water move material to and from different sites in order to assist with capacity limits and help protect assets, especially during periods of heavy rainfall. The closure in April 2022 of what turned out to be two large disposal sites that were trading illegally, had forced contractors into sending their vehicles long distances away to discharge their collected waste.
Payback for the SAVECO Beast is expected in four months. Pellows director James Martin said, “The Beast injects water to accelerate the process, and is more robust than our previous system. Investing in The Beast is part of a major upgrade to address the changes that have happened in Cornwall’s collection and disposal of liquid waste.”
The upgrade at Pellows, which includes a centrifuge, aeration, and larger tanks, has enabled the company to expand its customer-base by offering a complete in-house service. It will also provide a potential lifeline to other contractors who collect liquid waste from the holiday parks, factories, hotels and many thousands of homeowners in Cornwall that are not connected to the sewer network.
“We had to act to protect and grow our business, so first contacted Centri-Force, who make good decanter centrifuges. They gave us advice about how we could become independent by treating the collected waste ourselves, which included a recommendation of The Beast from SAVECO,” he added.
The pneumatic press with de-stoner that had been in operation at Pellows took longer to receive incoming waste, but, according to Richard Montanaro, managing director of Centri-Force, was small and less sturdy, with many areas where the process would require costly maintenance or be likely to slow or fail.
He said, “The Beast integrates well with other parts of a plant to provide a front-end pre-screen. With a centrifuge as part of a process, it gives us what we are looking for, and take this step to becoming a liquid waste contractor with its own treatment facility. Environmental wet waste is a big issue, and Cornwall, with far less infrastructure and sewer connections than many counties, faces challenges, so Pellows play a part in reducing the environmental impact of septic tank liquids.”
Suitable for wastewater treatment plants, as well as waste handling sites, The Beast’s cylindrical filter conveys screenings into a loading hopper placed in the centre, whilst a set of spray nozzles washes the filter during operation. A screw, placed inside the conveying pipe with its top inside the discharge hopper, conveys the screenings towards the treatment stages, during which organic substances are washed out.
Despite septic tank contents often containing solidified calcium, rocks, stones, and sanitary products, installation of The Beast sees Pellows’ 27-tonne discharge waste in less than 13mins, compared previously to 45mins-1hr.
Craig Webb, SAVECO municipal sales engineer, said, “We have worked with Pellows and Centri-Force to improve in treating liquid waste. Allowing effluent to be put through The Beast, which avoids placing stress on an existing plant, is a benefit to water companies. Liquid waste contractors and the water industry can see that by screening, washing, conveying and dewatering — all in one unit —a reduction in risk, and the opportunity to make savings by removing the need for multiple pieces of equipment.”
