PORTABLE WASTEWATER TREATMENT SYSTEMS: INTEGRATION INTO ARMY

MISSIONS
Jessica Gonzales
Student, United States Military Academy Class 2012
P.O. Box 1613, West Point NY 10997
+1-973-568-0704, Jessica.S.Gonzales@us.army.mil

Abstract

This project’s main focus is to perform a feasibility study of existing wastewater treatment
technologies and methods which can be minimally altered in order to be integrated into the Army
Force Provider system (1). The United States Army is the most accomplished fighting force in
the world and the key to its successes are the soldiers who risk their lives every day for their
country. There is a constant push for innovation and improvement on technologies that would
help protect the men and women serving at home and overseas. Base camps now have the ability
to be almost completely self sustainable for extended periods of time. One of aspects that
prevent base camp self sustainability is the challenge of disposing of wastewater. The
integration of portable wastewater treatment technologies into the Army Force Provider system
would greatly increase the sustainability of base camps and the security of military missions at
home and abroad.

Problem Statement

Wastewater management is of great concern to the United States Army today because of its
direct correlation to many of its missions: force protection, sustainment operations, disaster relief
and stability operations (1). In recent years there have been great advances in portable
wastewater technologies. There are multiple commercial off the shelf (COTS) wastewater
treatment systems already available for use. The purpose of this project is to perform a
feasibility study of existing COTS systems and wastewater treatment methods in order to be
integrated into the Army Force Provider (FP) system. The Army FP system is a forward
deployable system that can increase combat capabilities, essentially a “base in a box” (2). This
essay aims to increase the interest in the matter of wastewater management within Army
missions in order to provide a catalyst for further research and development of portable
wastewater treatment systems.
This paper will first explain components of the Army FP system and address the problem at hand
with wastewater treatment and its affect on current military missions. Key requirements for the
portable wastewater treatment system will then be addressed; this includes wastewater volume
demands and dimensional limitations. Next, the feasibility of several prominent existing COTS
wastewater treatment systems will be discussed and then evaluated. A decision matrix of the
systems will be presented and then concluded with final recommendations.
The Army Force Provider system’s main objective is to rapidly deploy military forces around the
world and efficiently sustain them throughout their mission. The Force Provider system can be
altered to furnish 150 to 600 soldiers. Its components include controlled billeting, latrines,
showers, kitchen, power distribution unit, recreation facilities, and water treatment system, the
Reverse Osmosis Water Purification Unit (ROWPU) (3). Note that the Force Provider system

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already has the ability to make water clean for potable purposes but has no means of dealing with
the dirty water. With no wastewater treatment systems Army camp bases must rely on lagoons
or outside contractors to remove the wastewater on site. This means that vacuum trucks must be
allowed on camp bases at least once a week. There is no quick and efficient way to check
vacuum trucks for improvised explosive devices allowing for vulnerability in security. If a
vacuum truck were to bring an IED on base this of course could be catastrophic, not only by
losing personnel but also by disturbing the whole functionality and infrastructure of the base
itself. This is where a portable wastewater treatment system can be essential for creating a base
camp that is fully functional and independent.
Facts and Assumptions
In order to make a wastewater treatment system portable and adequate for Force Provider
purposes there are several requirements that must be met. A wastewater treatment system that is
battle ready should be able to be setup and running within a few hours. The installation and
maintenance of these systems must be fairly user friendly; there should be no reason for soldiers
to be extensively trained to run the system. The portable wastewater treatment system must be
able to process wastewater volume demand within 24 hours, this should include peak daily
demands. A table of the different wastewater producing subsystems and their corresponding
demands for a 640 person module can be seen below in Table 1.

Subsystem Grey Water Waste Black Water Waste

Components per Component per Component
(gals) (gals)
Daily Monthly Daily Monthly
Latrine System 0 0 3,465 103,950
Laundry System 5,200 156,000 0 0
Shower System 6,050* 181,500* 0 0
Food Service System 1,630 48,900 0 0
Total 12,880 386,400 3,465 103,950

Table 1: Wastewater Volume Requirements for 640 personnel module (4).

* Daily and monthly demands of the shower system are 24,200 and 727,000 gals respectively. It is reduced to 6,050
and 181,500 gals due to a 75% reduction through water reuse systems.
 
The wastewater treatment system should be able to meet these demands daily. To be
conservative the system should service the peak daily grey and black water demands, about
16,500 gallons a day. Other requirements to consider in order to make the system portable is to
give the system size and weight constraints. It must be able to fit in a standard military
transportation container, a tricon or multiple tricons that can be linked together during
installation. The internal dimensions of a tricon are 7’4.25”Lx 6’2.063”W x 7’ 4.15”H. Each
tricon must not exceed 10,000 lb due to fork lift capacity. The system should also be able to run
on JP-8 fuel as it is the preferred fuel for military equipment. Having a system meet these
requirements would allow for ease of mobility and employment.

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 Exiting Systems
Wastewater contains various physical, chemical and biological pollutants which have to be
removed prior to releasing the water back into the environment. There are two primary forms of
portable wastewater processing units already developed, miniaturized aerobic bacterial
processing and closed-loop incineration (5) (6). These methods will be addressed in detail later.
A new method of portable wastewater treatment is a membrane bioreactor. This method of
wastewater treatment is a branch off of miniaturized aerobic bacterial processing, using the bases
of aerobic bacterial processing with the addition of a filter. This process will again be addressed
later on.
A COTS technology of a miniaturized aerobic bacterial processing system is the Deployable
Aqueous Aerobic Bioreactor (DAAB) which is also known as the Active Water Sciences (AWS)
Phoenix Wastewater System. The system was developed by the Texas Research Institute for
Environmental Studies (TRIES). It is able to convert wastewater into water that meets EPA
acceptable standards within 24-48 hours. The way this system works is the unit uses specific
classes of microorganisms, essentially bacteria, in order to eat most if not all the pollutants in the
water. The microorganisms oxidize the dissolved and particulate organic matter into simple end
products and additional biomass (7).
An illustration of the DAAB and its basic subsystems can be seen below in Figure 1. There is a
Control Unit (Dry Unit) which includes the control system and generator system, the Treatment
Unit (Wet Unit) which houses the main components that treat the wastewater and lastly the
Buffer Unit. The Buffer Unit is an optional unit for installations that lack the infrastructure to
produce a constant supply of wastewater for processing (8).

Figure 1: Deployable Aqueous Aerobic Bioreactor Components (9).

The DAAB with only the Control Unit and Treatment Unit can service over 20,000 gpd. This
exceeds the peak daily wastewater demand by about 3,500 gpd a substantial buffer. After
installation and initiating operation, the system requires very littler service. TRIES has also

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allowed for the possibility of incorporating communications into the control system so the
system can be monitored remotely.
The Control Unit contains the 37kw generator that provides power to the whole system. The
generator can be altered to use diesel fuel or JP-8 fuel. It can also be connected to an electrical
source on site if available. The DAAB is originally set to fit in three to four 20’x 40’ long
shipping containers in order to create a system with the fewest hoses and cables as possible. This
is basically three Tricons lined next to each other. TRIES has already been approached about
developing a preliminary design for a system that would fit into multiple tricons but attempts
have not been made as this requirement was not indicated in the description of work in the
contract with TRIES. Once the DAAB system is broken up into tricons, the 10,000 lb weight
requirement can also be met. This adaptation into tricons is still possible and may go through if
interest increases and funding is provided.
As stated before, aside from aerobic bacterial processing, the other main method of treating
wastewater is closed-loop incineration. This process is less developed than the miniaturized
aerobic bacterial processing. A closed-loop incinerator is a form of waste technology that
combines an oxy-fuel fired fluidized bed combustion system that captures post combustion CO2
(10). This is essentially a sealed combustion system where waste is combusted at a very high
temperature in a space that is eliminated of air. This process is mainly used for managing solid
wastes but can still function with limited amounts of water.
A new technology is a product that uses a closed-loop incinerator to manage wastewater is a
product by Global Inventive Industries (GII) called the EcoJohn which is an incinerating toilet
system. One of GII’s products is the Waste Combustion System with Low Flush Toilets (WC
series). This system operates with low flush toilets where multiple toilets can be installed into
the system as well as several sinks and urinals. The system runs on propane or diesel in addition
to a 12VDC, 120VAC, or a 220VAC electrical power source. The wastewater from the toilets,
urinal and sink gets pumped into a waste holding tank. The holding tank can range from 16
gallons to 200 gallons. Once the tank is close to being full the incinerator then combusts the
wastewater and shuts down when the tank is empty. Figure 2 below shows a simple outline of
the EcoJohn’s key components.

Figure 2: EcoJohn System (11).

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The WC series is capable of incinerating between 1 to 6 gallons of waste per hour. The series is
said to be user friendly and requires low maintenance. After incineration there are small
amounts of sterile ash in the incinerator which must be vacuumed out periodically. The ash can
be thrown away with the rest of the base camp’s solid waste (12).

Figure 3: EcoJohn Dimensions (13).

The dimensions of the toilet and incinerator can be seen in Figure 3 above. A 200-gal water
tank, waste tank, and diesel tank will each have the dimensions 4’Lx2’6”Wx3’2”H. The
incinerator, water tank, diesel tank, and waste tank would all be able to fit into one tricon. About
64 toilets can fit into one tricon, or 48 toilets, 16 urinals and connective equipment. One
EcoJohn toilet and incinerator weighs 350 lbs, weight requirements can easily be met. Close-
loop incineration and the EcoJohn are ground breaking but may not be a solution for Force
Protection. The WC system has individual toilets connected to an incinerator, meaning that the
system is fairly small. The question to ask now, is this enough to sustain over 600 individuals?
The last process that will be evaluated is the membrane bioreactor method. This form of
wastewater treatment technology incorporates settling, activated sludge (which is ultimately
aerobic bacteria processing but at a less aggressive level), and filtration (13). The filtration
system can range from preliminary screening to reinforced hollow fiber membranes specifically
designed to meet wastewater treatment requirements and effluent constraints.
A COTS membrane bioreactor system is the Zeo-Clear by Ecologix Environmental Systems.
The Zeo-Clear uses preliminary screening of zeolite fixed media sections to filter out solids.
Zeolite is a crystalline sought out for its ability to effectively filter water such as graphite and
sand. After preliminary screening, the wastewater then undergoes aeration processes to rid of
biological pollutants. The Zeo-Clear has a model that can service 30,000 gpd which meets our
daily peek requirements. It is modeled to fit in an 8’6”Hx8’Wx40’L transportation container and
weighs 10 tons (14).

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 Figure 4: Zeo-Clear Design (14).
The Zeo-Clear is separated in four subsections. The wastewater influent enters the system and
goes through the initial aeration diffuser and preliminary zeolite screening. There are two more
pairs of aeration diffusers and zeolite screening. The fourth and last subsection is the clarifier.
The Zeo-Clear can be partitioned into these four subsections and fit into tricons which can be
connected with hoses and pumps. This transition to tricons will validate dimensional and weight
limitations.
The primary disadvantage of the Zeo-Clear system as well as many membrane bioreactors is the
higher costs and energy demand needed to pump wastewater through the membranes. The
membranes and filters of the system also require periodic chemical cleaning (13). This decreases
user friendly maintenance as one or more individuals must be responsible for cleaning the
membranes periodically.
Selection and Recommendations
All three systems are a key indication of the progresses made in the field of portable wastewater
treatment in recent years. There are dozens of different types of COTS treatment systems that
are currently available for purchase and the military has yet to take advantage of these
opportunities. Again, the purpose of this report is to analyze what portable wastewater
treatment system is most applicable to military missions and can be easily integrated into the
Army Force Provider system. A simple decision matrix can be found on the following page as a
means to quantify the benefits and setbacks of the DAAB, EcoJohn and Zeo-Clear. The scale
used can be referenced below in Table 2.

Scale Meaning
0 Does not meet requirement/ No
1 Can meet requirement but with major changes/ Partially
2 Meets requirements but with minor changes/ Mostly
3 Meets Requirements/ Absolutely
Table 2: Decision Matrix Scale

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 DAAB EcoJohn Zeo-Clear
Fit into Tricon and meet Weight 2 3 2
Standards
Meet Daily Wastewater Demand 3 0 3
Volumes
Runs on J-8 Fuel 3 0 2
Easy Installation 2 2 2
User Friendly/ Low Maintenance 3 3 1
Robustness for Military Operations 3 2 3
Applicable in all climates 2 3 2
TOTALS 19 13 15
Table 3: COTS Wastewater Treatment System Decision Matrix.
The EcoJohn proved to be the best system that would fit dimensional standards and would be
easiest to install since the components of the system could be assembled in a tricon prior to
deployment. It also proved the most applicable in all climates because there is not much water
needed and combustion can occur in hot and cold climates. The main setback of this system is
that one incinerator can only service 6 gal/hr and even with two incinerators that would only
equate to less than 300 gal/hr. Also, the EcoJohn can only mainly service black water; grey
water must still be brought out with vacuum trucks.
The Zeo-Clear would be a better choice because the system can easily meet the daily wastewater
demand volumes. The greatest setback of the system is the maintenance. Soldiers must take out
time to properly clean the membranes and filters, time that could be spent on more vital taskings.
One can see that the clear winner is the DAAB. After the DAAB is redesigned to fit into tricons
this system would be the most applicable and beneficial to the Force Provider system. There is
the concern that since the DAAB is an aerobic bacterial processor the system would not be able
to work in cold climates since the bacteria used for the process do not usually thrive in cold
environments. There is a new form of technology that has found a strain of filamentous bacteria
that can eat the pollutants as such in the miniaturized aerobic bacteria process but is suited for
arctic, sub arctic and Antarctic conditions (15). If the DAAB were to have one form of system
that uses its current bacterial system and one system that uses the bacteria specific for cold
climates the DAAB would be able to deploy anywhere Army missions may go.
The Army Force Provider can greatly benefit if it were to add the DAAB to its system. Base
camps would be essentially self sustainable and military missions abroad can benefit from this
technology.

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 REFERENCES
(1) Jared Oren, “Memorandum: Portable Wastewater Project Guidance”, Engineer Research and
Development Center, February 13, 2012, p. 1

(2) "Military." Force Provider (FP). Web. <http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems

/ground/force-provider.htm>.

(3) "Force Provider: Providing Shelter for 150 Soldiers in Under Four Hours." Â |Â Armed with
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(4) “Force Provider Subsystem Support Attributes: Fully Occupied Camp (640 persons)”
(
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(6) "Portable Incinerators." Portable Sewage Treatment Plants. Web. 
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(7) Active Water Sciences, “AWS Phoenix Wastewater System Operation and Maintenance
Manual”, Revision 1.3, September 9, 2010, p.11

(8) Active Water Sciences, “AWS Phoenix Wastewater System Operation and Maintenance
Manual”, Revision 1.3, September 9, 2010, p.12

(9) Waisner, Scott A. "Wastewater Treatment for Deployed Military Forces and Disaster Response." 
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(12) EcoJohn, “WC48 Spec Sheet: Water Combustion System”.

(13) Antonneau, Nathan, John Irwin, and Brett Woods. "A Package Plant Approach to
Decentralized Wastewater Treatment." Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine May
2010: 62-63. Web. <http://www.water.siemens.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/Product_Lines/
Envirex_Products/Brochures/ESE-MayJune2010-Decentralilzed-Treatment.pdf>.
(14) "Zeo-Clear." Extended Aeration Nitrification De-Nitrification Biological Treatment. Web.
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(15) http://www.springerlink.com/content/m05l602741166162/

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