1. Influent wastewater is pumped, trucked, or dumped to the receiving vessel of the plant.
2. A pump draws the feed wastewater through basket strainers to remove large particles. The filtrate flows to the feed tanks.
3. Free oil (that which separates by gravity) is removed from the feed tanks by surface skimmers or coalescing plate filters.
4. The wastewater, now with the free oil removed, is pumped to an electrocoagulation cell. EC uses an electrical current to coagulate, precipitate, and/or oxidize contaminants in wastewater.
5. Liquid/solid separation separates the treated wastewater stream into two streams: (1) a stream that is substantially free of suspended solids, and (2) a second stream which contains a high concentration of contaminants.
6. Treated water from the first stream is filtered for discharge to the sewer, the ground or reuse. 
7. Coagulated contaminants in the second stream are de-watered by means of a pressure filter and disposed of. Filtrate from the pressure filter is returned to the feed tank to be treated again.  

Click here to view a graphical illustration of our process

Note that not all plants require the same unit operations as are used at Vancouver Shipyards. While there are common elements between plants, each application is different.