Newcrest has introduced the FAST (Fixed Activated Sludge Treatment), a high efficiency and low-maintenance waste water treatment system, at its flagship Cadia Valley Operations to purify human and other waste water and enable it to be recycled on-site.
The fast system was completely supplied and installed by CST Wastewater Solutions.
According to CST, the FAST system can be built into shipping containers and is designed to handle between 40 and 120 cubic metres a day of sewage and other effluent from Cadia.
The FAST system features modular design and construction, as well as low sludge production.
The system also has no moving parts, with the exception of an air blower that provides oxygen while circulating the liquid.
CST said that the lack of moving parts means that FAST requires little to no maintenance, with no daily operator requirements and very little annual plant maintenance.
The fixed media through which the wastewater circulates is designed to provide a high surface area to volume ratio, protecting against hydraulic shock loads.