A COMPARISON OF BIO-SCRUBBER SYSTEMS

The JEA (formally “Jacksonville Electric Authority", a full service municipal utility located in Jacksonville, Florida) operates fifteen wastewater treatment plants and an extensive collection system for the City of Jacksonville and outlying areas. As part of a comprehensive odor and corrosion control program, JEA began investigating low cost biological treatment systems for treating high H2S and became one of the first utilities in the U.S. to apply Bioway America, Inc. bio-scrubber technology. Based on the success of their initial installation, additional Bioway systems were installed at several locations in the collection system and at a treatment plant. The Bioway systems have established a track record of effective performance and easy operation. As new bio-scrubber technologies have been introduced to the market, JEA has given selected bio-scrubber vendors the opportunity to run 6 month trials at various sites on the collection system. If the systems provide effective treatment at a reasonable cost, then JEA considers purchasing the systems and leaving them in place.Due to their active research, JEA is in the unique position to compare several different types of bio-scrubbers operating under similar conditions. Performance data from the installations are presented along with projected capital and operating cost information. Non-economic issues are discussed including operation and maintenance requirements.