WCSEE to present phosphorous reducing Flocell XFM at European wastewater conference

• Technical Showcase June 17th: P removal, keep it simple  

  Callum Grundy, United Utilities and Andrew Baird, WCS Environmental Engineering

• On display outside: Flocell XFM filtration system and mobile lab
• Join us at Stand 4 

The wastewater team at WCS Environmental Engineering is pleased to announce it will reveal its phosphorus reducing transfer technology, Flocell XFM, modular filtration system at the European Wastewater Management Conference taking place in Telford, UK, on 17-18 June 2025.

In addition to a full scale showcasing of the Flocell XFM technology, WCSEE and water company United Utilities will be presenting its successful collaborative case study to delegates entitled ‘P removal, keep it simple’ on Tuesday 17 June.

Flocell is a business division of Evolution Aqua Group that partnered with WCSEE to modify the Flocell XFM technology for wastewater treatment.

Originally developed for application in koi carp pond filtration, the Flocell XFM had been a proven technology in the aquatic sector for over two decades. Flocell is building on that expertise in collaboration with WCSEE to expand into the wastewater treatment market.

The Flocell XFM is for tertiary solids and phosphorus removal and the open-cell media is designed to efficiently reduce tertiary solids and soft, difficult-to-manage flocs, retaining particulates without increasing pressure within the filter or reducing flow. The units can be operated under pumped or gravity flow and can be used inline or on a ‘dialysis’ flow mode.

United Utilities immediately saw the advantage of taking a well tried and tested technology from another industry and applying it to phosphorus removal.

The presentation will discuss how United Utilities, to help meet tightening permit limits, has recently purchased one Flocell XFM 40 modular filtration system unit comprising eight modular filters, capable of flows of up to 40l/s.

The decision follows a successful 12-week trial at one of the company’s rural wastewater treatment works (WwTW) in Appleby, Western England, which demonstrated capability to meet phosphorus concentrations less than 0.25 mg/l when combined with chemical dosing. During the trial, the team undertook in-depth particle size distribution analysis and total suspended solids (TSS) analysis on over 1,000 individual samples.

Additional advantages of the Flocell XFM modular filtration system include:

• Commissioned within one hour.
• Onsite operator training in less than 30 minutes.
• Very low power usage, virtually zero when gravity fed.
• Filter cleaning cycle – max. once a week up to 30 minutes.
• No chemical cleans – not affected by polymers or chemicals.
• Labour to run & maintain the system is approx. 30 minutes every 1-2 weeks.
• Sludge thickness (backwash) can go directly into sludge holding tank.
• High solids loading capacity
  • single pass <10mg/l s.s discharge
  • dialysis mode <5 mg/l s.s discharge
• <0.25 mg/l total ‘P’ discharge when combined with chemical dosing.

CO2 emissions advantages include:

• Manufacture of components, life expectancy 20 years, 100% recyclable.
• Delivery of units to site, miles travelled.
• No concrete base required.
• Power consumption with gravity feed 1.5kW used per week, for a 20 litre per second unit.

The presentation will be delivered by Callum Grundy, principal innovation engineer, at United Utilities.

The EWWM Conference provides an essential annual update on the latest innovations, best practice, cutting-edge technology, and research in the wastewater sector.

With over 300 wastewater sector professionals in attendance, it provides WCSEE and Flocell a fantastic opportunity to exchange ideas and build relationships with potential customers who, like United Utilities, can take advantage of the latest phosphorus reduction technology on the market today.

More information on the EWWM conference can be found clicking the image below.