Stockholm-based SurfCleaner is officially launching the world’s first automatic floating sludge skimmer-separator.
The company unveiled its latest product at the Elmia Water and Wastewater Fair in Sweden. Marking the first public display of the SCW 6000, the event provides a springboard to showcase a new approach for the management of floating sludge, affecting wastewater treatment plants worldwide.
Floating sludge in particular is costly, time-intensive, and energy-draining to manage, with operators traditionally resorting to manual flushing and pumping with vast quantities of water. The surface-level sludge rots after around 15-days, releasing noxious odors.
SurfCleaner is now presenting a fully automated solution with the SCW 6000, relieving the labor-intensive process while improving working conditions. In addition to sludge collection, the system also crucially separates the material presenting an opportunity for re-use in the form of biogas or fertilizer, contributing to the circular economy.
“We are thrilled to officially launch the SCW 6000 at VA-mässan, which is widely recognized as one of the water industry's premier meeting places,” he said. “The product has been developed in response to industry demand, specifically addressing the challenges presented by floating sludge. It offers several core benefits, eliminating manual work and heavy pumping which boosts environmental standards and general working conditions.”
As part of the special launch event at VA-mässan, SurfCleaner is also offering free one-week trials to wastewater operators keen to test the technology. The firm is currently finalizing pilot stage testing with three separate machines installed in live working environments across Sweden.
Estimations from one wastewater operator, based on initial findings, show the SCW 6000 has separation capacity to process around 66 tons of liquid sludge per year. This could be converted into 5 percent dry matter content, and could further used to produce biochar / biogas corresponding to 370MWh of renewable energy per annum.
