Hydro International has launched advanced tertiary wastewater treatment solutions in the UK through a new partnership with Netherlands‑based technology specialist Brightwork, strengthening its offer to water companies facing tighter discharge requirements.

In line with Environment Agency guidance, wastewater treatment works are required to apply tertiary treatment when serving a population equivalent of over 10,000 in sensitive catchment areas where discharge contributes significantly to the nutrient load of receiving water bodies.

Through the agreement, Hydro International will supply and support Brightwork’s innovative tertiary treatment technologies to the UK market, helping water companies respond to increasing regulatory pressure while managing cost, space and programme constraints.

One of Brightwork’s core technologies and fields of expertise is the Moving Bed Filter (MBF), a continuous (bio)filtration system that effectively removes suspended solids, nitrogen and phosphorus. Captured pollutants and excess biomass are discharged as a concentrated waste flow, while the sand is constantly cleaned, guaranteeing uninterrupted process availability.

Unlike many tertiary treatment solutions, this is a modular system.  Both the tanks and filters are standardised and manufactured off-site, simplifying installation and reducing overall lead times.

Consultants and contractors can also select additional filters to comply with discharge permit requirements for nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. 

This system expands Hydro International’s sand filtration offering, building on the company’s extensive expertise in the maintenance and refurbishment of these assets.

To optimise the performance of MBFs and other continuous filtration systems, Brightwork has also developed Sand-Cycle® smart monitoring and control technology. Sand-Cycle® uses radio frequency identification (RFID) tags in the filter bed to collect and process data about the movement of sand grains within the filter system.

Using this technology, operators can track metrics such as sand circulation rate and filter performance in real time through a remote dashboard. This allows operators of unmanned sites to reliably monitor asset condition without having to visit the site and helps to proactively identify and resolve developing issues before they result in costly downtime.

Sand-Cycle® can be added to new continuous sand filtration systems and retrofitted into existing installations, regardless of make or manufacturer, to improve operational efficiency. This unique technology is exclusively available to the UK market through Hydro International.

Ross Brace, Filtration Manager at Hydro International, said: “Tertiary treatment is an essential part of the wastewater treatment train but it’s often associated with high installation, operation and maintenance costs.

“With ammonia, phosphorus and nitrogen limits expected to become more stringent in sensitive catchments, water companies are under increasing pressure to deploy tertiary treatment that can be delivered quickly, efficiently and with long‑term operational resilience. Through our new partnership with Brightwork, we’re supplying proven technologies that offer fast installation, cost efficiencies and smart monitoring to streamline tertiary treatment at every stage.”

Hans Wouters, Managing Director at Brightwork, said: “We have been dedicated to developing MBF technology for over 30 years. With this strategic partnership with a service provider who has a longstanding track record in the UK water sector, we’re combining our innovative technology and expertise to bring advanced tertiary treatment with smart monitoring to wastewater treatment plants across the UK.”

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