Filtralite® Clean is treating 80% of Malta´s wastewater

In 2005, it was estimated that only 6.4 % of the domestic wastewater in Malta was treated. The remaining was discharged untreated into the Mediterranean Sea.

Based on these numbers it was decided that there were going to be built three new wastewater treatment plants. One of these was the Malta South Sewage Treatment Plant in Ta’barkat at Xgħajra. The plant is designed to clean 51,000 m3 of sewage every day, which equals 80 % of all the wastewater produced in Malta. This will reinstate good seawater quality in areas previously polluted and will to some extent remove odors. The plant started operations in January 2011.

6000 m3 of Filtralite® Clean for fixed bed wastewater treatment

Filtralite® is used in biological aerated filters, implemented under the name Biolite® in the Suez-patented BIOFOR®, where bacteria degrade compounds in the wastewater. In total there are 8 filters for denitrification and 12 filters for removal of organic compounds and nitrogen. Further the process consists of filtration through a sand filter to remove fine particles and bacteria, and UV disinfection to kill the remaining microorganisms.

Two-thirds of the treated water is finally discharged into the Mediterranean and is of bathing water quality, while one-third is re-used for irrigation.