VOORHEES, NJ Oct. 18, 2013 -- The WateReuse Research Foundation awarded American Water, (NYSE: AWK), the nation's largest publicly traded water and wastewater utility company, a research grant to investigate the impacts of low dissolved oxygen conditions at a full-scale membrane bioreactor (MBR) water reuse plant.
The project will focus on the operation of advanced MBRs under low dissolved oxygen (DO) conditions to maximize nitrogen removal. Further, researchers will monitor the process using continuous online analyzers. The study will be conducted at the Fillmore Water Recycling Facility, an award-winning zero-discharge water reuse plant that is designed, built and operated by American Water's Contract Services Group for the city of Fillmore, Calif.
"The goal of this research is to produce high quality reclaimed water through a process that saves energy and reduces chemicals, while improving the treatment of emerging contaminants," said Dr. Helen Littleton, technical manager for Commercial Wastewater Projects, American Water. "In addition, the project will examine whether these conditions will also improve the removal of pharmaceuticals and nitrosamine precursors. These are all issues faced by the reclaimed water industry."
The American Water project team will consist of Dr. Helen Littleton as the principal investigator and Dr. Zia Bukhari, Senior Environmental Scientist, serving as a co-principal investigator. Dr. Mark LeChevallier will be serving as internal advisor.
About the WateReuse Research Foundation
The WateReuse Research Foundation is an educational, non-profit public benefit corporation that serves as a centralized organization for the water and wastewater community to advance the science of water reuse, recycling, reclamation and desalination. The Foundation sponsors applied research which addresses the full range of scientific, technical, policy, and social science issues related to water reuse and desalination. For more information, visit www.watereuse.org.
About American Water
Founded in 1886, American Water is the largest publicly traded U.S. water and wastewater utility company. With headquarters in Voorhees, N.J., the company employs approximately 6,700 dedicated professionals who provide drinking water, wastewater and other related services to an estimated 14 million people in more than 30 states and parts of Canada. More information can be found at www.amwater.com.
###
