Infilco Degremont Announces The iBIO Process, A Patented Cost-Effective Biological Wastewater Treatment Process

Infilco Degremont, Inc. (IDI) has developed a patented cost-effective biological wastewater treatment process, called the iBIO Process, that removes heavy metals from Flue Gas Desulfurization (FGD) wastewaters generated from coal-fired power plants. The use of conventional physical/chemical precipitation techniques do not reliably eliminate the soluble portion of heavy metal contaminants such as selenium, mercury, and hexavalent chromium below the target levels established by the more stringent regulatory requirements for coal-fired power plants.

The iBIO biological process uses a unique three-stage anoxic/anaerobic /aerobic reactor system that has been seeded with activated sludge microorganisms that are acclimated to treat the unique FGD wastewater. The uniqueness of the iBIO process relies in the adaptation of commonly occurring microorganisms to perform the biochemical reactions required in a non-conventional and difficult to treat wastewater streams. IDI discovered the “optimum environmental conditions” for these types of bacteria to transform contaminants into their insoluble form that precipitates out of solution; key attributes of the U.S. Patent issued to IDI in 2011. In this process, for example, selenium can be reduced to well under 50 ìg/L in the wastewater stream.

The iBIO process is also a robust biological treatment system designed with sound chemical engineering principles that can utilize inexpensive commercially available chemicals for bacterial growth without reliance on proprietary formulations of bacteria or chemicals. This key design approach offers a much more cost-effective solution to industrial users. In 2011, IDI initiated the start-up of the iBIO system for FGD wastewater treatment at the GenOn, Conemaugh Generating Station in New Florence, Pennsylvania, USA, which went into commercial operation early in 2012. The iBio system is meeting all specified requirements.