Offshore work applications generate sewage that can contain contaminants which have a detrimental effect on water quality and the overall marine environment. As a result, marine sewage treatment systems are required to lessen the environmental impact. The new MEPC.159(55) effluent standards, adopted by the International Maritime Organization’s Marine Environment Protection Committee, apply to all sewage treatment systems installed on board on or after January 1, 2010.
Meeting the stringent standards require more robust treatment effectiveness, often using larger, heavier marine sewage treatment equipment. Users, meanwhile, are motivated to minimize system footprint and weight from a cost-efficiency standpoint. The new effluent standards will make the already challenging job of cleaning up global waterways even more difficult.
With this challenge in mind, Severn Trent De Nora worked to develop a light weight system, designed with a small footprint, to provide effective electrolytic treatment of both black and gray water through a patented and certified treatment process. As a result, the company introduced the new OMNIPURE™ Series 55 marine sewage treatment systems in 2009. The systems have received Type Certification Approval from Bureau Veritas for IMO Resolution MEPC.159(55) regulation and USCG Certificate of Approval to MEPC.159(55).
Like the original OMNIPURE marine sewage treatment systems, the OMNIPURE Series 55 systems are the only marine sewage treatment devices that oxidize sewage in an electrochemical cell as well as generate sodium hypochlorite from natural seawater for the disinfection of sewage streams. Electrolytic treatment of marine sewage eliminates chemical storage issues, dosing equipment and costs associated with the use of hazardous chemicals since the disinfection solution is produced on site while the unit is in operation.