Whitley Burchett

Where the Rubber Hits the Road:
Bench and Pilot-Scale Testing of the Cloth Disk Filter

(Presented at the California WateReuse Annual Conference
February 2003 - San Francisco, California)

Paul Friedlander, Whitley Burchett & Associate
Larry Olson, Dublin San Ramon Services District

ABSTRACT

The Cloth Media Disk Filter is a technology which has recently been approved by the Department of Health Services for use to produce tertiary recycled water in California. The filter has several promising aspects, including small footprint, reduced backwash water, reduced chemical use, and low cost. There is, however, little experience with the cloth filter to produce Title 22 tertiary recycled water. This paper presents the results of bench- and pilot-scale testing of this new technology conducted in northern California. Filter performance using coagulant aids was also investigated, since most existing facilities in other states do not require chemical addition. The results provide important information to those considering use of the cloth filter as an alternative to sand filtration for the production of recycled water.