Blue Water Technologies Inc., of Hayden, says it has launched its latest product line, which is centered on a rotating belt filter and cleaning system that removes solids from wastewater and is touted to use less space than conventional systems.

In addition to sewage treatment applications, the technology is designed for use in the pulp and paper industry, fruit and vegetable processing, and other agricultural and industrial wastewater treatment applications.

The Eco MAT rotating belt filter line on which the new product line is based uses a fine-mesh belt screen that runs in a continuous loop, acting like a conveyer to carry solids out of incoming wastewater, the company says in a press release. Eco MAT systems are equipped with Blue Water's proprietary cleaning system that discharges the solids into a screenings hopper, in an effort to outperform other primary treatment methods, it says.

Conventional technology for removing solids includes screens, settling ponds, biological digesters, and dewatering equipment.

The Eco MAT equipment can be configured in a variety of sizes to serve municipal customers ranging from small communities to large cities, Blue Water says.

Blue Water developed its own rotating belt filter system after terminating earlier this year an exclusive distribution relationship with Salsnes Filter, a Norwegian belt filter manufacturer.

Blue Water, a nine-year old company, was founded as a technology-transfer venture from the University of Idaho, which developed phosphorus-removal technologies. Blue Water also has licensed and invented technologies that remove other wastewater contaminants, including nitrates and mercury.