The Natural Way To Clean Wastewater

John Todd developed a process in the 1980s that mimicked natural ways to purify wastewater. Today, his Eco Machines and Restorers are used for a wide range of municipal and industrial applications.

JOHN Todd founded Ocean Arks International in the 1980s, where he started to experiment with processes that mimic natural ways to purify wastewater. He built a greenhouse and ran sewage through a series of tanks, with plants suspended in the flowing waters, and constructed marshes made of sand and gravel. No chemicals were added, but plenty of aquatic creatures from snails to small fish were brought in at different stages to clean the waters.

Todd regarded his concept of Eco Machines - using ecological engineering to mimic natural processes to treat wastewater - as a start to “embracing a new relationship to the natural world which can sustain us all.” Over the years he refined his ideas and broadened the scope of his thinking. Now he calls for “ecological and economic integration” where the whole concept of waste literally disappears, and is replaced by supplying materials as inputs to processes that create value for society.

One of the first Eco Machines was installed adjacent to the wastewater treatment plant in Providence Rhode Island. There, for five years, Todd demonstrated that natural systems could “successfully remove nutrients, toxic chemicals and heavy metals from city sewage.”

He argued that Eco Machines were capable of achieving tertiary treatment at a lower cost than conventional technologies without the use of toxic chemicals that harmed the environment. Furthermore, Todd maintained that flowers and fish could be grown, not only for aesthetic purposes but to offset the costs of running wastewater treatment facilities.

In the world of natural systems, each situation is truly unique. Designs for wastewater treatment depend not only on the amount and strength of the wastewater, but on climatic conditions at the site and the types of plants and organisms adapted to thrive on the contaminants in the flowing stream.

With that in mind we visited two different AEES applications in New England. At New England BioLabs in the Boston area, the Eco Machine “takes waste from lab enzyme production, treats it and releases it into a wetland environment.” The influent varies by season - in the winter it is mostly from production (plus rest rooms, kitchen, etc.), whereas in the summer, HVAC cooling tower water comprises a large amount of the flow. The system is designed to handle 27,500 gallons/day. It came on line in January 2005, and ramped up to full scale in June of that year.

The Natural Way To Clean Wastewater :: BioCycle, Advancing Composting, Organics Recycling & Renewable Energy