Living Machine at Port of Portland-interior

Living Machine is a form of ecological

sewage treatment Sewage treatment (or domestic wastewater treatment, municipal wastewater treatment) is a type of wastewater treatment which aims to remove contaminants from sewage to produce an effluent that is suitable for discharge to the surrounding e ...

. Similar to Solar Aquatics Systems, the latest generation of the technology is based on fixed-film ecology. The Living Machine system was commercialized and is marketed by Living Machine Systems, L3C, a corporation based in

Charlottesville, Va Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. It is the county seat of Albemarle County, which surrounds the city, though the two are separate legal entities. It is named after Queen C ...

, USA.

Examples

Examples of Living Machines are mechanical composters for industrial kitchens,

effective microorganisms Effective microorganisms (EM) are various blends of common predominantly anaerobic microorganisms in a carbohydrate-rich liquid carrier substrate (molasses nutrient solution) of ''EM Research Organization, Inc.'',''Effective Microorganisms'' ''EM'' ...

as fertiliser for agricultural purposes, and Integrated Biotectural systems in landscaping and architecture like Earthships or the

IBTS Greenhouse The IBTS (“Integrated Biotectural System")-greenhouse is a biotectural, urban development project suited for hot arid deserts. It was part of the Egyptian strategy for the afforestation of desert lands from 2011 until spring of 2015, when geopo ...

. Components like tomato plants (for more

water purification Water purification is the process of removing undesirable chemicals, biological contaminants, suspended solids, and gases from water. The goal is to produce water that is fit for specific purposes. Most water is purified and disinfected for hu ...

) and fish (for food) have been part of the living,

ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) consists of all the organisms and the physical environment with which they interact. These biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. Energy enters the syst ...

-like designs. The theory does not limit the size of the system, or the amount of species. One design optimum is a natural ecosystem which is designed for a special purpose like a sewage treating wetland in a suitable ecosystem for the locality. Another optimum is an economically viable system returning profit for the investor. The practice of

permaculture Permaculture is an approach to land management and settlement design that adopts arrangements observed in flourishing natural ecosystems. It includes a set of design principles derived using whole-systems thinking. It applies these principle ...

is one example for a compromise between the two optimum design points. The scale of Living Machine systems ranges from the individual building to community-scale

public works Public works are a broad category of infrastructure projects, financed and constructed by the government, for recreational, employment, and health and safety uses in the greater community. They include public buildings ( municipal buildings, ...

. Some of the earliest Living Machines were used to treat domestic

wastewater Wastewater is water generated after the use of freshwater, raw water, drinking water or saline water in a variety of deliberate applications or processes. Another definition of wastewater is "Used water from any combination of domestic, industri ...

in small, ecologically-conscious villages, such as

Findhorn Community Findhorn Ecovillage is an experimental architectural community project based at The Park, in Moray, Scotland, near the village of Findhorn.Local relations between the Findhorn Foundation and the village of Findhorn have occasionally foundered ov ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to th ...

,. Some treated the mixed municipal wastewater for semi-urban areas, such as

South Burlington, Vermont South Burlington is a city in Chittenden County, Vermont, United States. Along with neighboring Burlington, it is a principal city of the Burlington metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the population was 20,292. It is home to the h ...

(this plant is closed). The latest-generation Tidal Flow Wetland Living Machines are being used in major urban office buildings, military bases, housing developments, resorts and institutional campuses.McNair, Dave
"The Tao of Poo: Can Worrell's Green Sewage System Save Water and Planet?"
''The Hook''. June 11, 2009. Retrieved 2011-9-24.

Living Machine System Process

*“Fixed film ecology” has superseded systems based on hydroponics or a fluid medium. In fixed film systems the wetland cells are filled with a solid aggregate medium having extensive surface area for beneficial biofilm (treatment bacteria) growth. Fixed film ecology allows denser and more diverse micro-ecosystems to form than does a liquid medium. These ecosystems go well beyond bacteria to include a variety of organisms up to and including macro-vegetation. *Tidal cycles (filling and draining the wetland in accelerated tidal action, with 12 or more cycles per day) are used to passively bring oxygen into the wetland cells. This action mimics the type of biological action that occurs in natural

tidal estuaries An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...

. Tidal flow wetlands replace the need to blow air into a liquid medium -- they use gravity to bring

atmospheric oxygen Atmospheric chemistry is a branch of atmospheric science in which the chemistry of the Earth's atmosphere and that of other planets is studied. It is a multidisciplinary approach of research and draws on environmental chemistry, physics, meteor ...

into the cell when it is drained.

References

External links

Landscape Machine concept, Wageningen University, the NetherlandsLiving Machine, L3C website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Living Machines Sewerage Environmental engineering Aquatic ecology Environmental soil science Pollution control technologies Systems ecologists Landscape architecture Water conservation

Examples

Living Machine System Process

See also

References

External links