The wastewater industry has recently started embracing digital transformation — a movement many industries have already undergone.
In the water sector, many companies have recently incorporated digital platforms to monitor and manage water systems — capturing data on flow, pressure and contamination detection. Such advancements significantly improve operational resilience, real-time decision-making and resource efficiency.
Yet, wastewater treatment systems have traditionally operated with limited real-time visibility due to the types of physical tests that are required, and the high level of variability in water composition that can challenge sensors. This lack of monitoring often leads to undetected issues that not only affect the treatment system but can also impact upstream operations. The critical digitalization of wastewater treatment has begun to accelerate now that more robust digital and hardware options are available. This now enables facilities to gain real-time insights into their water quality and discharge patterns.
From real-time monitoring and Internet of Things (IoT) sensors to Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven analytics, digitalization is making its way into onsite industrial wastewater treatment systems, transforming how facilities interact with and manage their wastewater.
Why digital solutions are critical in wastewater treatment
In the industrial production line, sensors and automated safety mechanisms allow for immediate alerts and precise controls. However, this visibility often terminates at the end of the pipe, leaving facilities with minimal insight into a critical part of their process and how they are operating relative to permitted thresholds.
This gap in visibility leaves facilities exposed to risks. Untreated or mismanaged wastewater can disrupt your entire operation, leading to costly shutdowns, non-compliance with regulatory standards and environmental and safety hazards.
Digitalizing wastewater systems is essential for bridging this visibility gap. Digital solutions enable facilities to monitor and manage key performance indicators (KPIs) in real time, helping you detect and address potential issues before they escalate.
By gathering data and tracking trends over time, digital systems offer the valuable insights that improve facilities’ ability to respond to future challenges or even pinpoint upstream production issues that may be affecting wastewater. This data becomes increasingly important as environmental and regulatory pressures grow, helping facilities manage compliance and safety effectively.
Our approach to digitalization of wastewater
At Aquacycl, we have integrated digital solutions into all of our wastewater treatment systems to provide full visibility into wastewater management. We believe that clients should have immediate, accessible insights into their treatment systems, right from their phones.
Thanks to our BioElectrochemical Treatment Technology (BETT), our systems generate performance insights in real time. BETT uses bacteria that discharge electrons as they consume organic pollutants in wastewater. We move these electrons by drawing a current across an electronic circuit that creates a unique signal for each reactor in the BETT system.
With 640 reactors in a 40-foot container, producing a data point every 30 seconds, along with a multitude of different integrated sensors for flow and composition parameters, we maintain comprehensive visibility into our systems.
By continuously tracking and integrating these signals, we monitor each system’s condition, assess performance at any given moment, and troubleshoot and/or solve potential problems remotely. We can control all of our systems directly from our phones, and determine if/when an onsite visit if necessary to address maintenance or performance issues.
All this information is compiled and sent to Aquacycl’s cloud-based platform, where it is analyzed and utilized to adjust control settings through our unique algorithms. Alerts are also sent to our service team that are monitoring 24/7 and can respond with additional operational changes or schedule an onsite visit as part of our service contract.
The benefits of digitalization
Enhanced visibility and control
With 24/7 monitoring, we receive instant alerts if performance deviates from specifications, allowing our team to solve problems remotely or send technicians as needed. Real-time visibility means our clients have insights at their fingertips, ensuring smooth operations and minimizing risks associated with undetected issues.
Improved efficiency and cost savings
Real-time performance knowledge and historic data collections can optimize the treatment process. By identifying wastewater production patterns and adjusting treatment parameters accordingly, BETT provides efficient, cost-effective treatment regardless of fluctuations in wastewater composition or flows. These real-time adjustments ultimately lead to reduced energy consumption, lower chemical usage and minimized maintenance demands that all translate directly into cost savings for clients.
Proactive problem solving and predictive maintenance
Our digital platform allows us to spot potential issues before they escalate. With automated systems interpreting real-time data, Aquacycl can predict and address problems preemptively. As our installations grow, so does our dataset — enabling us to make our systems “smarter” and to improve future operations.
Client empowerment through data
Aquacycl provides clients with access to their wastewater system’s real-time data through our user interface. This transparency allows our clients to monitor exactly what’s happening within their system, empowering them to make informed decisions about their operations. believe clients should have full visibility into what is happening onsite at their facilities.
Supporting a sustainable ruture
We’re working toward a resilient future by integrating digital solutions with sustainable wastewater treatment. The data we collect helps improve system sustainability, efficiency and energy output, and even highlights areas in the production line where water reuse could be utilized.
