SBR vs. Continuous Flow: A Cost Comparison of Waste Treatment Technologies

摘要

Treatment of municipal wastewater in the United States has undergone major advancements in recent years. Two technologies have emerged prominently in today's construction environment. The original Continuous Flow Method, utilizing multiple basins for the basic treatment processes, is still popular, due to its simplicity as well as its versatility. More recently, the Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) system has become popular for its single-basin approach that makes optimum use of small land areas for the treatment process. This study compares two similarly-sized wastewater treatment plants, one using each type of treatment technology, the cost differences between the two types of process were verified and analyzed through the application of a variety of financial analysis techniques. Life cycle costs, cost/benefit comparisons, and initial cost comparisons were used in conjunction with estimation of intangible benefits to arrive at the final conclusion. As expected, this study indicated that the SBR systems have both lower initial costs and reduced maintenance and monitoring required over the project life when compared to continuous flow treatment systems. Presented with the opportunity to compare two plants similar in size, location, and date of construction is not common. It also appears likely that without completing a comprehensive scientific study involving many more plants and a variety of additional statistical analyses, example projects such as these two provide what is probably the best opportunity to examine the costs associated with municipal wastewater treatment facilities.