Cullompton WWTW

The Problem

At Cullompton, a growing town of nearly 10,000 people, South West Water Ltd was looking ahead.

Existing treatment - based on trickling filter beds - was reliable, but the question was clear: Could a more advanced process significantly improve ammonia and BOD removal, especially under increasing demand?

Rather than commit to a full upgrade straight away, SWW needed real-world performance data. They wanted proof - not promises - that a Moving Bed Bio-Reactor (MBBR) could deliver measurable gains.

The Solution

Cullompton became the testing ground.

A mobile MBBR unit was installed and operated in tertiary mode, taking influent directly from the site’s final settlement tanks. This setup allowed a direct, like-for-like comparison between:

Existing trickling filter performance
The MBBR’s enhanced treatment capability

After a short 4-week start-up period to establish the biological film, the unit was put through its paces - handling increasing flows and varying conditions while being closely monitored.

The Result

The data told a compelling story:

Ammonia reduced by over 90%, consistently
Performance maintained even as flow increased from 3.5 l/s to 6 l/s
BOD reduced by ~40% without settlement, and over 55% with settlement

In further trials focusing specifically on carbonaceous removal:

BOD reduction reached an average of 86%
Ammonia removal remained above 90%

In short, the MBBR didn’t just match expectations - it exceeded them across multiple operating conditions.

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Cullompton WWTW

The Problem

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The Result

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