The Eco-Machine is an ecological wastewater treatment system jointly gifted to the University by the Class of 2000 and the Class of 1950, and Dr. Rachel Brennan is now the lead faculty member in charge of the facility. Each week, shipments of primary influent from the Penn State University Wastewater Treatment Plant are brought in truckloads throughout the week and deposited into the 3,000-gallon outdoor holding tank. Within the Eco-Machine, there is a series of tanks, each with its own chemical and biological compositions that create mini-ecosystems. The first stops in the system are the closed anaerobic tank (lacks oxygen) and the anoxic tank (contains nitrate), both of which are 300-gallons. In the anaerobic tank, carbon is digested and methane is created. Next, the water makes its way through a sub-series of 3 open aerobic tanks (1,000 gallons each), which opens the water up to oxygen and other organisms such as plants, snails, and macro-invertebrates. The hydroponic plants in the tanks play a part in the system by serving two functions. First, the plants soak up water nutrients. Second, the roots of these hydroponic systems extend into the water providing a large amount of surface area for microorganisms to attach to, grow, and create a biofilm that allows the microorganisms to not be swept out by the water as it flows from one tank to the next. After passing through the aerobic tanks, it flows into a clarifier at the back of the Eco-Machine. At this point in the natural disinfection process, approximately 95% of pathogens have been removed. While US standards require 99.99% pathogen removal for drinking quality, this water is qualified to be discharged to surface water sources such as streams. Lastly, the water moves from the clarifier and exits through a pipe buried in the gravel at the back wall. The water is then pooled into a collection pipe, which then dumps the water into a pond.
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