Assessor Resource
PMAOPS290B
Operate a biotreater
Assessment tool
Version 1.0
Issue Date: May 2024
In a typical scenario, a plant produces an aqueous waste stream which has a high BOD/is contaminated with organic material. This waste stream is treated using a biotreater to produce a clean, low BOD effluent which is acceptable for discharge either to the sewer (as trade waste) or to a receiving waterway where it is within the environmental regulations/ license conditions.
This unit includes the operation of all associated pumps, dosing pumps, agitation, aeration and similar equipment which is integral to the operation of the biotreater. The unit applies to any waste treatment facility using microorganisms to clean an aqueous stream. It includes biotreaters which use aerobic, anaerobic and/or facultative microorganisms
This unit does not apply to other waste treatment equipment (such as filtration or chemical dosing) which would be covered by the relevant OPS unit. The significant factor with this unit is not that it is treating waste, but that it is using microorganisms to perform the treatment at ambient temperatures. For temperature controlled microorganism based processes see PMAOPS390B Operate a biochemical process
The plant technician would:
identify and rectify operational problems
predict the potential impact of feed changes
facilitate feed changes
This unit does not require the operation of a control panel - see relevant unit.
This unit covers the operation of a biotreater which is typically used for the reduction of BOD in an aqueous waste stream.
You may want to include more information here about the target group and the purpose of the assessments (eg formative, summative, recognition)