West Fork Biotreatment Project

Large-scale anaerobic biotreatment system. Asarco's biotreatment system consists of a settling basin and two anaerobic bioreactors discharged into a rock filter polishing cell that are followed by a final aeration polishing pond. Heavy metal pollution occurs when excavated rocks or exposed underground mines get into water. The West Fork Biotreatment plant does not require conventional chemicals often associated with sludge formation nor constant human monitoring and frequent sludge disposal. The plant has few moving parts and is cheaper to manage than traditional wastewater treatment plants.