living machines the living machine® for the planet case studies
living machines


Cost and Efficiency

Capital and operating costs of Living Macnines are lower than those of traditional activated sludge technologies.

Costs are lower because

  • * The self - regulating and self-maintaining full ecology requires less mechanical equipment and controls
  • *Compact technology with a small footprint
  • *Greenhouses are economical perfabricated structures manufactured in large production runs
  • *The plants and autotrophic organisma utilize solar energ. The system is operated with a low sludge concentration requiring 30%less mixing and aeration energy
  • *Due to the presence of sludge digesting higher organisms such as snails, excess sludge production in lower, thus reducing the costs associated with sludge treatment
  • *Living Machine® is a simple - to - operate system, the self - managing ecology requires very little human intervention

Living Machine® ensure very high treatment standards. Removal of BOD,COD,
total suspended solids and Nitrogen is well below those required for tertiary treatment requirements. Due to the biodiversity found in Living Machine® these systems are very stable and respond well to unexpected waste loads. These graphs show the results of BOD and COD removal data at a 350m3/ day municipal wastewater treatment plant collected by the EPA over one year. Effuent values remain constant and low despite the fluctuations in influent load.

The presence of filtering organisms such as clams, fish, and microbes ensure that human pathogens and fecal coliforms are effectively removed throughout the system. The effluent of Living Machines® is typically reused for irrigation or for toilet flushing.

The technology and is developers have received numerous prestigious awards including several from the US EPA for contributing to ecological engineering, environmental protection, and ecological systems science.