An Exeter-based specialist plastic recycling company DCW Polymers has teamed up with South West Water to deliver a pioneering recycling partnership to reprocess over 320 tonnes of tiny waste bio-beads used in waste water treatment otherwise destined for landfill, into new water filtration media.
With the first innovation of its kind, DCW Polymers has piloted a new circular process for the water company, which will ensure its bio-bead products, which would otherwise have been discarded, are now instead being used in a circular way to create new, valuable and useful water treatment filtration media.
South West Water has a small number of BAFF (biological aerated flooded filter) plants installed across its estate. The BAFF plant is a secondary or tertiary treatment stage for wastewater effluent that utilises plastic ‘bio-beads’ as a media for bacteria to colonise. Air bubbles are blown upwards through the bio-bead filter media, and this provides a steady stream of oxygen for the biomass to support the oxidation process, which reduces the levels of organic matter and unwanted elements in the effluent such as ammonia.
In June 2021, DCW Polymers collected the first batch, just over 80 tonnes of used bio-beads, from South West Water. The used bio-beads were reprocessed back in to newer, larger filter media product and delivered back to South West Water for re-purposing in their BAFF plants.
After a successful trial at one of the water company’s waste water treatment works, to ensure that the performance of the BAFF plant was maintained, a second, larger batch of approximately 240 tonnes of obsolete bio-beads was collected by DCW Polymers in August 2023 and reprocessed in the same way.
Simon Almond, from DCW Polymers said:
“We are delighted that there are some significant benefits being achieved by this innovative new solution, beyond the obvious diversion of the product to landfill.”
Gavin Lincoln from South West Water commented:
“This is a long-term solution for us and provides a sustainable and secure on-going supply for our replacement filter media. We really appreciate the DCW Polymers team’s expert knowledge and their perseverance in finding a circular solution for us that really works.”
