Headworks wins sludge plant upgrade contract in Saudi Arabia

US-based advanced wastewater treatment system manufacturer Headworks has won a contract from Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Water and Electricity to design a moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) system to upgrade an activated sludge plant.

Located in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, the upgrade will increase the sludge plant’s treatment capacity and produce effluent quality that is suitable for reuse.

Under the contract, Headworks will design and supply the core components for the MBBR system, including aeration grids, media and media retentions screens.

The company will also provide its proprietary media, ActiveCell 920, which offers 680m²/m³ of protected surface area.

The MBBR system will achieve biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) reduction and nitrification, and produce effluent for reuse and irrigation.

It will consist of four trains each with a capacity of 7,000m³/day, and allow the upgraded plant to treat 28,000m³/day of effluent, instead of its current capacity of 20,000m³/day.

Headworks Gulf Region vice president and process manger Afnan Din said the project will increase the plant’s capacity and improve effluent quality.

"After the plant is commissioned mid-year, this installation will be a showcase for maximizing the use of existing assets for utilities and end users in the region," Din added.

The ministry is expecting that the upgraded sludge plant will be fully commissioned by mid-2013, after which the treatment capacity of the plant will be enhanced by 40%.

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Image: Headworks will provide design and equipment for the upgrade of sludge treatment plant in Saudi Arabia. Photo: US Fish and Wildlife Service.