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Aqwise's proprietary carriers.
Aqwise’s Contributions to MBBR Technology
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qwise—Wise Water Technologies Ltd. is a global company, based in Israel, that specializes in moving bed bioreactor (MBBR) technology, a wastewater treatment technology that holds strong advantages over competing technologies in certain applications. In addition to creating its own carriers—small, ingeniously designed plastic cylinders with nooks and crannies that provide large amounts of surface area for bacteria and biomass to attach to during the wastewater treatment process—Aqwise has the expertise to help design and operate plants that use these carriers in the best way possible. The company has offices in Europe, Asia, and the Americas and has delivered projects in 55 countries worldwide. In this interview, Marc Krieger, Aqwise’s vice president of sales, tells Municipal Water Leader about Aqwise’s technology and the advantages it can bring to appropriate applications. Municipal Water Leader: Please tell us about your background and how you came to be in your current position. Marc Krieger: I have a background in geology and earth sciences and have a master’s degree in what today is called environmental engineering, then called sanitary engineering, from the University of California, Berkeley. I’ve been in this field for over 30 years. I’ve worked for private consultants and for an Israel-based company that specialized in membrane-technology water treatment systems, and I’ve been with Aqwise now for 8½ years. While my background is in engineering, today I do sales.
Marc Krieger: Aqwise is a global company with its headquarters in Israel. We’ve been around for 20½ years. We
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Municipal Water Leader: How does Aqwise’s technology differ from other wastewater technology that people may be familiar with? Marc Krieger: Aqwise’s in-house technology is MBBR. The world of aerobic biological treatment is divided between what are known as suspended growth technologies, the most common types being activated sludge and sequence batch reactors, and attached growth technologies, including trickling filters and MBBR. MBBR uses biomass carriers that are characterized by a high surface-area-to-volume ratio. They provide large surface areas on which bacteria and biomass can attach and grow in order to clean up the wastewater. MBBR technology has many advantages: It allows for smaller reactors and a treatment plant with a smaller footprint; it is also more efficient, more robust processwise, and better at sustaining hydraulic and toxic shocks in the waste stream. If you are treating wastewater that varies in its flow or quality, fixedfilm technologies, MBBR in particular, are more adaptable
PHOTOS COURTESY OF AQWISE.
Municipal Water Leader: Please tell us about Aqwise as a company.
started as a small startup company in the field of wastewater treatment, developing MBBR technology, a specific kind of biological treatment technology for municipal and industrial wastewater. Over the years, we’ve expanded from being a specialist in MBBR technology and all its diverse applications to developing and implementing anaerobic wastewater treatment solutions utilizing carriers. We’ve also moved into the project-execution field. Today, Aqwise has a full range of expertise both as a technology provider and as a turnkey contractor for executing wastewater projects. We have offices in Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, the Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom and have partners spread around the world whom we support from afar. The company has about 80 employees worldwide.
