Research & Development

Moores Creek Living Machine cells
Rivanna Water and Sewer District, Charlottesville, VA

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Intensive Living Machine research and development has been ongoing for over 10 years. Our commitment to research continues to distinguish our technology in the onsite wastewater treatment market.

Over the last seven years, continuing research has resulted in five patents on new ecological wastewater treatment processes. Current research is being conducted in association with Dr. Aaron Mills at the University of Virginia Microbial Ecology Laboratory. Recent highlights of our program include:

1. Establishment of a Living Machine Research Laboratory and column study at the WWT facility in Ruckersville, VA.
2. Construction of a 5,000 gpd Tidal Wetland Living Machine demonstration facility in conjunction with the Rivanna Water and Sewer District, Charlottesville, VA.
3. Construction of an 8,000 gpd Hybrid Wetland Living Machine demonstration for a small community in Ghana, West Africa.
4. Development of a 15,000 gpd Tidal Wetland Living Machine demonstration facility at the USFWS National Conservation Training Center, Shepherdstown, WV. Construction to begin Spring‑Summer 2008.

Current Research & Development Goals

1. Optimize the tidal oxidation process occurring in the Living Machine systems to reduce the cost, energy requirements, and footprint of our treatment systems.
2. Further elucidate the microbial ecology of this process.
3. Expand the application of the Living Machine systems for high‑strength applications, including swine and dairy wastewater.

Recent Technical Papers

Austin D.C. 2006. Influence of cation exchange capacity (CEC) in a tidal flow, flood and drain wastewater treatment wetland, Ecological Engineering Volume 28:35‑43.

Austin D.C., Maciolek D., Davis B.M., Wallace S.D. 2006. Damkohler number design method to avoid plugging of tidal flow constructed wetlands by heterotrophic nitrification. Dias, V. (ed.). Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Wetland Systems for Water Pollution Control, 23‑29 September 2006; IWA Publishing: Lisbon, Portugal.

Maciolek D.J., Austin D.C. 2006. Low energy biological nitrogen removal by cation exchange, thin film oxygen transfer, and heterotrophic nitrification in sequencing–batch, packed–bed reactor. WEFTEC 79th Annual Technical Exhibition and Conference, 21‑25 October 2006; Water Environment Federation: Dallas, Texas.

Austin, D.; Lohan, E.; Verson, E. 2003. Nitrification and Denitrification in a Tidal Vertical Flow Wetland Pilot. Proceedings: Water Environment Federation Technical Conference, Los Angeles, California 2003. Water Environment Federation.