Gravel recycling for sustainable
wastewater autonomy

Iftach Council is responsible for the local community, including villages and Kibbutz and agricultural communities, in the upper galilee district of Israel. TRIPLE-T by WFI Group was approached as a technology provider, in order to take part in establishing a municipal wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) with primary and secondary treatment for high-quality effluent. TRIPLE-T was selected due to its proprietary TAYA technology with the extraordinary ability to handle the wastewater locally, eliminating the need for sludge haulage. And the extra bonus – a sustainable method of recycling the rock from the mountain to create the gravel used for the biological wastewater treatment process, preserving the environment while saving transportation hassle and cost.

The plant aims to provide the local communities with higher-quality reused water for irrigation. It also enables the council to achieve wastewater autonomy with no need for skilled labor, as well as materials, energy and cost savings.

The Galil Elyon Council wanted to enhance the quality of wastewater for irrigation, maximize its’ resources and reduce costs, so it decided to change its approach to wastewater treatment. It aimed to provide local communities with sufficient clean water for irrigation of deciduous fruit, without the costs of transporting the wastewater to a central WWTP and then purchasing the clean effluent back from that same central plant.

The wastewater from villages as well as police and military camps, will be treated in a process comprising an anaerobic treatment in an earth basin, and an aerobic-anoxic treatment based on TAYA’s technology.

Each village has a local septic tank which eliminates the need for a common 6 mm screen. Therefore, the wastewater flows straight into the anaerobic basin, where COD, BOD and TSS reduction as well as flow equalization take place. The wastewater then flows into TAYA aerobic-anoxic basins, which handle the remaining organic material. The unique design enables the aerobic-anoxic treatment to take place in one reactor, reducing labor and OPEX. This unique, well-proven method based on passive aeration reduces the energy needed to operate the plant.

In the final stage the clean effluent flows out for irrigation. The entire process is monitored online and is fully automated and controlled for high-quality effluent.

The council will be able to optimize natural resources,  due to recycling the gravel from the mountain rock, eliminating the need to purchase the gravel from an external source, or transport it up the mountainous curved road –  reducing time, hassle and cost.

Based on TRIPLE-T’s proprietary, game-changing TAYA technology, together with TOXSORB’s self-constructed cost-effective pumping chamber equipment, we designed a unique configuration of the TAYA ECO solution that combines passive aeration extensive elements with intensive biochemical processes. The robust and flexible local solution is optimal, and will provide the council, farmers and residents with a sufficient amount of clean water for irrigation per year.

All this will be achieved with minimal labor, near-zero sludge, no noise or stench, reduced eco-footprint and massive wastewater reuse. Importantly, the safe and efficient wastewater treatment process will meet regulatory requirements while enabling local gravel production and agricultural irrigation.

With TAYA ECO solution comprising the industry first gravel recycling, The Galil Elyon Regional Council will gain continuous worry-free wastewater autonomy, along with significant economic and ecological savings.