Aquatron® is a patented, non-mechanical, and non-electrical marvel from Sweden. This innovative product is dedicated to the pretreatment or primary treatment phase of sewage management. Integrated into the blackwater line (soil line), it performs an immediate separation of solids and liquids, employing a natural vortex generated by the flushing momentum. Gravity pulls the solids down the vortex’s center, guiding them into a dry composting chamber (bio-chamber) situated beneath the Aquatron®. Meanwhile, 98% of the water is separated, propelled by surface tension principles, and it gets redirected into the waste line for subsequent grey water filtration and treatment.

The sewage, propelled by the flush and accelerated by gravity, enters Aquatron® through the blackwater line (soil line). The unique shape of Aquatron® encourages a vortex-like circular motion of water (centrifugal force) directing the liquids towards the product’s walls. Importantly, this force is sufficiently robust to guide liquids but gentle enough to enable solids to fall down through the center of Aquatron into the bio-chamber below. To prevent solids from fragmenting or getting stuck within the pipe during horizontal travel, Aquatron requires DIN110 PVC pipes and a slope of 1:100 with a maximum distance of about 60 m between the furthest toilets and Aquatron.

It is made of high-grade recyclable polyethlene.

Aquatron has been in existence since 1986 as a product and it is globally recognized with over 15 000 installations worldwide and 200+ in India. The oldest private installation in India has been in operation since 2012 and Indian commercial clients have been using Aquatron since 2018. Aquatron is now an established solution in the STP market and in the 2020s it is able to shine because developers, plumbing consultants and other stakeholders in the STP industry are changing their mindsets towards more sustainable practices and better plumbing standards as well as more emphasis on following building codes and STP regulations.

The separated water can join the grey water line on its way to the central STP location. This has to be taken into account in plumbing design and is generally client scope.

Swedish Technical Approval European Technical Approval CE-certified IGBC GreenPro-certified 1st prize in the category "Early Decomposition of Faecal matter" in the Swachhathon 1.0 competition 2017, conducted by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation

We provide complete solutions starting from soil line (black water line) plumbing design, Aquatron® and bio-chamber design, STP space and tanks design to installation, commissioning and handover. We also provide maintenance services. We do not provide civil work services per se but assign our team to guide the client’s civil team as and when required.

An Aquatron® STP resembles an SBR (Sequential Batch Reactor) STP system with a modification at the primary or pre-STP stage. Before any water or solids go into the STP tanks from the soil line, the non-mechanical and non-electrical hydrocyclone Aquatron instantly separates all faecal and other solids. The separated solids go into a dry, odorless bio-chamber where they are naturally composted. The separated yellow water goes to the STP tanks where it is combined with grey water from the waste line. Thus, sludge is not generated and treatment can be done for water only using standard processes like aeration/ozonation, filtration and disinfection. This innovative approach eliminates the laborious task of managing mixed sludge at the collection/equalization tank stage.

It is before the collection of water in the first tank of the centralized STP. Basically, it can be seen as a pretreatment to the STP that enhances the whole process. Please see the flowchart below.

In conventional STPs with sludge, a natural by-product of anaerobic digestion is hydrogen sulphide (H2S), which gives off a strong, nauseating smell. Due to its low solubility in wastewater, it is released into the atmosphere, producing an offensive odour. Aquatron completely eliminates sludge from the system and there is close to zero production of such gases from the dry, decomposing solids. The odourless water vapour and carbon dioxide produced by the mostly aerobic composting process in the bio-chamber is also ventilated by the natural top ventilation.

Electricity-free primary treatment instead of having to use sludge pumps, sludge presses etc. Odourless operation No sludge No external bacteria needed Chemical-free process Tailored solutions to site-specific requirements using decentralized and modular primary treatment Aquatron has a life span of more than 50 years. The system’s efficiency is enhanced by the reduced capacity mechanical equipment required, attributed to the lower levels of Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) at the inlet. Using the GreenPro-certified Aquatron contributes toward points required for IGBC certification. In comparison to conventional STPs, an Aquatron STP reduces the STP space requirement by 50-70% reduces electricity consumption by 50-65% lowers capital expenditure by 30-40% minimizes maintenance and operational costs by 70-50% mechanical ventilation can be avoided has no requirement for minimum occupancy does away with inspection chambers suits locations where it’s impossible to set up traditional STPs

In a conventional STP, the entire sewage gets mixed into sludge at a single collection point. Thus, the starting point for treatment is sludge, which makes the process much more tedious, requiring hired operators as well as a lot of maintenance and high electricity consumption. The biggest disadvantage from a developer’s point of view is that the total STP tank volume is a minimum of 2.5-4 times the water volume of the site. There may have to be multiple tanks to hold and treat the sludge alone. Construction of such tanks is costly and they take up more space than necessary. Due to the septic smell of sludge, traditional STPs need mechanical ventilation which means additional setup and operating costs. From an O&M point of view, conventional STPs have complex management and maintenance requirements and a high cost of manpower. Mechanical equipment like screw pumps, sludge press, flocculator, tube settler, plastic media, bio membranes etc. and compulsory chemical dosing by hired chemical engineers add up to a complex system.

It can be placed anywhere below the lowest toilet of a particular downtake, within 60 meters of the furthest WC. We generally place them at the level where the client plans to redirect their downtakes to the STP by finding suitable dead spaces at that level. Aquatron is decentralized and modular in nature and the exact setups are always customized according to the site. Since there is no smell, the Aquatron units do not have to be placed in the STP area only. Bio-chambers can be placed aboveground or underground.

Separate soil line only for WCs and separate waste line (only grey water) 4-inch or DIN110 PVC pipe for the blackwater or soil line 1:100 slopes in soil pipes leading to Aquatron®, maximum horizontal distance 60 meters from furthest WC to Aquatron. 1:20 slope in the last 1 meter of soil pipe before Aquatron® No 90-degree bends. ONLY 45-degree bends in the soil line. No T-bends. ONLY Y-bends in the soil line. No exposure to direct sunlight. No Manhole inspection chambers. Cleanouts recommended instead. One Aquatron unit can be fitted for up to 25 toilets in normal circumstances and can scale up to 40-45 in highrise buildings (40+ floors). The size of Aquatron® is 480mm in diameter and 570mm in height.

1:1 to the water output of the site. This is 50-70% less volume in comparison to conventional STPs.

With Aquatron® instantly separating and giving the STP only grey water to treat, means that the inlet BOD at the secondary treatment can be as low as 100-110 BOD and containing much lower levels of TSS. In conventional STPs, the BOD is 300-350 at secondary treatment and the water contains much higher levels of TSS.

Solids get transported seamlessly from the 90 mm toilet outlet into the 110 mm soil line at 1:100 slope as per Aquatron’s plumbing specifications, and continuous flush vortex along the soil line is preserved up to Aquatron. This inherent fluidity might only be disrupted if the flushing water encounters impediments such as manhole chambers, 90-degree bends, or T bends. However, to keep solids from disintegrating, Aquatron’s plumbing specifications advise the use of 45-degree bends and Y bends and cleanouts instead of manhole chambers. The hydrocyclone effect and sufficient natural velocity ensure that the solid component behaves as a passenger within the liquid medium. Consequently, the integrity of the solid is largely preserved, and mixing is deferred until the flow is intercepted, allowing for excellent separation in Aquatron® within a span of 60 meters from the toilet. Even if some disintegration of the solid occurs, Aquatron separates particles of up to 5 mm diameter.

Very simple and no specialist operator is needed. In most cases, the absence of sludge management means that the entire STP can be automated to save operator costs. The sludge-free STP operation saves up to 75% on power consumption compared to conventional systems and up to 70% on O&M expenditure. The lower levels of BOD and TSS to be treated also reduce the rate of filter soiling and hence consumables for the filters and blowers can be changed less frequently.