Shute Harbour


			Marine Wastewater Management

	Australian Designer Revolutionises treatment of marine waste.

	Australian technology designer Micheal Atkinson has revolutionised the concept of recreational marine wastewater treatment, thanks to a fully integrated treatment system known as “AquaViro”. The system, which has been over two years in the design and planning stages, is the only fully compliant wastewater treatment system currently available in Australia, which exceeds Grade A water discharge standards and is perhaps the first of its type in the world. Thanks to the employment of highly sophisticated patented technology, the state of the art AquaVrio system uses no chemicals or chlorine and is able to treat any mix of salt, brackish or fresh wastewater, resulting in Grade A sparkling clear water, which is ready to return to the sea. After many years spent harboring a healthy respect for one of the planets most precious resources as a technologist and farmer, Mr Atkinson turned his talents away from the land to concentrate on marine environmental engineering. Mr Atkinson and his family’s ‘sea change’ (from Sydney to Queensland’s Sunshine Coast) provided the impetus to devote his energy to a system that significantly improves upon previous methods of treating and discharging marine wastewater by providing a workable, practical, sustainable and environmentally superior solution to the issue. “The current regime of holding tanks and few and far between pump-out stations is not a sustainable solution,” Mr Atkinson said, “nor is it well received and naturally observed by recreational boating enthusiasts”. “No boatie takes pleasure in pumping out human waste after an idyllic day on the water. AquaViro is a practical solution with an automated and structured approach to the issue of treating marine wastewater, whilst putting the pleasure back into recreational boating time.” Mr Atkinson said. The AquaViro range features a number of wastewater treatment solutions including onboard treatment, serviced holding tanks with mobile pump-out barges and marina mounted systems. Each system boasts integrated mobile GPRS communications and GPS monitoring and is designed to automatically monitor the boat’s position with respect to discharge zones, and alert service staff to maintenance requirements. These systems offer the added bonus of theft, fire, and bilge level alert monitoring capabilities, resulting in total peace of mind for the boat owner. “AquaViro offers a convenient, cost effective wastewater treatment solution for the recreational boat owner, with the added benefit of protecting the boat, the boat owner and most importantly, the marine environment,” Mr Atkinson said. “Thanks to AquaViro’s integrated GPS and GPRS functionally, the system automatically monitors the boat’s position in relation to discharge zones whilst allowing real-time monitoring of any AquaViro system statuses for maintenance requirements. The end result is a wastewater treatment solution that is very simple to operate, kind to the environment and fully compliant with local regulations,” he said. AquaViro onboard systems are currently available for boats from 34-80+ feet or for smaller boats, the option of holding tanks being GPRS monitored and emptied on demand by mobile barge operators or marina mounted systems. There are also a full range of marine friendly detergent, soap, cleaning and paper products to complement all AquaViro systems. The last word goes to Mr Atkinson, “ AquaViro is a win-win-win solution when dealing with wastewater,” he said, “it’s a win for the boat owners, as win for the regulators, and a win for the environment”.

	AquaViro Frequently Asked Questions

	General Questions 1. How does the system work? The wastewater treatment process is performed in 3 stages – Primary, Secondary and Tertiary. The Primary process destructs the solids and kills viruses and bacteria using an advanced ozonation technique. The Secondary process uses a micro filtration membrane to screen the Primary treated water to 0.5microns. The Tertiary process removes any residual dissolved organics using an advanced oxidisation process. The whole process is entirely non biological and results in very clean discharge water. 2. Can AquaViro treat salt or fresh wastewater? The answer is both. It can treat any mix of salt or fresh water. For instance you may have a salt water flush toilet and fresh shower water mixed together. 3. Does the system use chemicals? No - there are no chemicals or additives required. The principal process uses ozone, which is generated from oxygen in the air by electricity. 4. Can I re use the water? Yes you can. If you run an entirely fresh water toilet and shower system, the water can be recycled for flushing toilets again or hosing down decks. 5. Can you drink the water? The AquaViro system is designed to treat water to a very high standard for environmental discharge or non potable reuse. 6. Does the system smell? The system uses Ozone to treat the wastewater and Ozone is one of the best anti deodorants there is, therefore the odour level is very low. 7. Does AquaViro desalinate the water? No – the membrane used in the system does not treat the water to reverse osmosis levels. Technically an AquaViro system could be used to provide high quality feed-water to reverse osmosis systems. 8. What happens to all the solids? The majority of the solids are destructed to water and gases by the primary treatment process, with the exception of things like passionfruit pips and the like. These will remain as sludge inside the system. 9. How often will the system need to be desludged? Since not all solids can be destructed, periodic desludging is needed. The system will announce when this is required. An AquaViro Barge operator can attend, or the system may be pumped-out at a marina pump-out station. How often this is required really depends on how frequently the system is used, but typically would not be required for several months. 10. I have a large boat, how many AquaViro systems can I run? You can run four AquaViro double cartridge systems with surge tanks all controlled and monitored from one Master Telemetry Controller. 11. If I don’t use the system for a long time, is that OK? Yes – because the AquaViro process is non biological, which means it will produce consistent results no matter what the frequency of use is. 12. Can I dedicate some of the systems to grey or black water treatment? Yes. For larger boat we recommend that grey and black water streams be kept separate, as grey water can be treated about 4 – 5 times faster than black water (because of the solids loading). 13. What is a ‘Surge Tank’ and how does it work? The purpose of a Surge Tank is to even out any high rate intermittent flows that occur during heavy toilet use. The Surge Tank is connected to receive the initial flow and pre treat with primary ozonation. A level probe and agitator pump, controlled by the AquaViro system, will determine when a batch is transferred. This allows a smaller AquaViro system to cope with higher loads, by spreading out the processing volumes throughout the day and night. 14. How will I know if I need a surge tank or to increase the capacity? The system monitors its own operational behaviour and can determine when either a surge tank or increased processing capacity is required. A message will be displayed on the Master Telemetry Controller and an SMS message will be sent to the system owner and maintenance support engineer. 15. Is there a smaller system? The current size of the system is as small as it can be made without comprising the functionality or treatment capacity of the system, which is designed for boats approximately 35ft and upwards. 16. Is there a cheaper option? Yes, there is. AquaViro produces a remotely monitored holding tank system that automatically alerts the nearest AquaViro Barge operator to come to your boat and empty the holding tank for you. 17. Is there a larger system? A larger system, capable of 1200 litres per day will be available mid 2007. The design uses the same water treatment process and modular design. 18. How can I increase the treatment capacity of my system? A single cartridge system can be upgraded to double cartridge system, which can in turn be upgraded to incorporate a controlled surge tank. The maximum capacity would be 4 double cartridge systems, each with surge tanks. 19. What is a mobile barge system? This product is a turn-key barge with a large treatment system mounted on the deck, which enables operators to offer a mobile holding tank pump out service, with the wastewater being treated onboard and discharged. 20. What is the marina mounted version? This product is principally the same system as the barge mounted version, but intended for static mounting on a marina, such that boats may come alongside and pump-out holding tanks, with the wastewater being treated insitu and discharged back to the environment. Installation & Maintenance Questions 21. What voltage supply options are available? 12 & 24Vdc. 240/415Vac & solar powered systems are available on request. 22. What circuit breaker size does it need? Single cartridge systems: 12Vdc 10 amps; 24Vdc – 5amps Double cartridge systems: 12Vdc 15 amps; 24Vdc – 10amps 23. How much power does the system use? Very little indeed. The AquaViro system is an on-demand system designed to be powered on full-time (even when away from the boat). In stand-by mode at 12Vdc the system draws 0.25amps. Whilst processing wastewater the system uses around 4amps. 24. Does the system need to be powered on all the time? Yes, in order for the system to maintained effectively it does need to be powered on permanently for the GPRS communications, but it should be noted that the system works on an ‘on demand’ basis and only draws a very small amount of power (250ma @ 12vdc) in standby mode. 25. How long does it take to process the waste? 25. How long does it take to process the waste? A single cartridge system processes about 80 litres of black water in 24 hours and a double cartridge system will process approx. 160 litres per 24 hours. Grey water throughput is 4-5 times the above. 26. What are the dimensions of the system? 660mm long; 430mm wide; 560mm highm 27. Can the tank system be split up so it can be fitted in to small spaces? Yes – the system consists of three entirely separable tank compartments which can fit through small access hatches. As a general rule, an AquaViro system can be fitted in any area a person can physically get to. 28. Can the system be installed and operated as separated tanks? Yes, it can. Nominally the tank compartment can be separated around 1m apart. Special consideration needs to be given to larger separations. 29. Can I install the system myself? Only approved AquaViro Support Engineers are authorised to install AquaViro systems. This is to ensure the regulations will be met and that the system warranty is not invalidated. 30. How easy is the system maintenance? System maintenance is very simple. Each process is entirely contained within one of three cartridge types, which can simply be replaced. 31. How long do the cartridges last? Each primary, secondary or tertiary cartridge has a lifetime of 2000 run-time hours, which is around 3 – 4 years use in a typical recreational boat. Each cartridge’s cumulative run-time is monitored and reported for maintenance. 32. Does the system need much head room to be serviceable? Ideally there should be around 400mm headroom above the unit so that maintenance staff can periodically replace the cartridges. If this is not feasible, each tank compartment may be tilted to permit cartridge replacement. 33. Can I build my own tanks and just install the cartridge system? If you are a boat builder and wish to integrate the AquaViro system in to the boat tankage design and OEM cartridge kit is available for approved boat builders. 34. I go blue water cruising – can I get spares for the voyage? Yes, of course. Contact your dealer for the recommended spares. 35. How does the AquaViro Secure Monitoring work and why do I need it? AquaViro Secure Monitoring (ASM) uses Telstra’s GSM GPRS network to provide system owners with an automatically monitored and maintained system, with the added optional benefit of being able to monitor your boat for fire, theft, bilge level and other environmental inputs. The system monitors its own operation and alerts support staff when maintenance is required. Overall, ASM takes away any system management concerns away from owners so you can enjoy your boating experience without having to think about wastewater issues. 36. If I go outside of Telstra’s GPRS coverage what happens then? The system will continue to operate its wastewater processing functions as normal. The MTC display will indicate that no ASM coverage is available. Any alerts will be announced on the MTC display. When the system returns to a coverage area any stored messages will be sent to the ASM network. 37. How does the fire, theft and bilge monitoring work? An optional module allows a variety of fire, theft and level sensors to be integrated for real-time monitoring, with back-to-base security reporting. For more information visit www.aquaviro.com.au or speak with your dealer. 38. Why does using the right sort of toilet paper make such a difference? The biggest cause of sludge build up and processing issues is the cellulose in toilet paper. This is difficult to process, so only toilet paper that is approved for septic systems should be used, which is available from AquaViro. 39. Do I need to be careful what sort of bathroom cleaner I use? Yes. AquaViro has formulated a special cleaner for both toilets and bathrooms/showers, which is actually a lot better then retail cleaning products. Your AquaViro system is supplied with a starter pack of cleaners and toilet paper. 40. What warranties do you give? AquaViro offers a comprehensive warranty of: Control Systems – 2 years, Cartridges – 3 months, Tanks – 5 years