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August 25, 2025

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Water treatment plant: What is it & how does it work?

What is a water treatment plant?

Generally, a water treatment plant is a facility that is designed to treat and purify water from various sources, such as groundwater, surface water, and even wastewater, to make it safe to be released in the environment.

Overall, a water treatment plant aims to provide safe and clean water to protect public health and the environment.

Waste water treatment plants are used to exclusively treat wastewater. They are suitable for one off houses (individual or domestic) or for bigger projects (commercial) which cannot be connected to the main sewers.

Why should we use a water treatment plant?

Water is a fundamental resource to guarantee the well-being and life of everyone on the planet. Water access, hygiene and sanitation are basic rights, but billions of people are still battling to access these services.

In the case of waste water treatment plants (also known as a sewage treatment plants), they are designed to remove pollutants and contaminants from wastewater before it is released back into the environment. The main goal of the plant is to treat the water to a level that is safe for discharge – safe to humans and for the environment.

They are used all over the country where connection to the main sewers is not possible. They can be used for new builds as well as for renovation/upgrade projects.

How does a Tricel waste water treatment solution work?

Here are the 4 steps:

1. Wastewater arrival and separation

In this chamber (primary settlement chamber) waste water enters, the grease and the solids separate from the waste water. The grease will stay on the surface, and the mud (the solids) will go to the bottom of the tank. A passage in between will allow the remaining water to flow into the aeration chamber where the aeration process occurs.

2. Aeration

In this chamber, the wastewater is treated. The waste water is aerated in order to provide oxygen for the bacteria to live. The role of the bacteria is to feed on the waste removing it from the liquid. The liquid then proceeds to the final settlement chamber.

3. Final chamber settling

In this chamber, any remaining minute bacteria particles separate from the liquid before it is discharged from the plant. The final trace of impurities settle at the bottom of the tank, the sludge return system then returns these impurities back to the primary chamber. The remaining treated liquid now meets the required standard and is ready to be discharged to a suitable designed discharge area as required by the relevant local authority.

4. Tertiary Treatment

A supplementary treatment may be needed for sensitive sites or grounds. The required level of treatment is achieved by combining a secondary treatment tank (wastewater treatment plant) with a third one.

Typically a packaged filter system (Tricel Tero) or a Sand Polishing filter (such as the Tricel Sandcel).

Installation of a waste water treatment plant – Case studies

Discover our installation of a Tricel Novo (wastewater treatment plant) and Puraflo (packaged filter system) in Kildare.

The challenge was to upgrade to an existing wastewater treatment system that was obsolete.

7 Key Reasons to Choose a Tricel Novo

There are many key reasons to choose a Tricel Novo wastewater treatment plant. Please find below some of them.

Highly durable SMC tank

A Tricel Novo is constructed from a compression moulded SMC tank. Compression moulding is one of the most technologically developed processes for manufacturing structural composites. Components are manufactured under heat and high pressure and have unrivalled strength and durability over standard GRP or polyethene tanks.
SMC is unique in the wastewater treatment industry. Tricel SMC tanks have operated in some of the harshest climatic conditions for over 50 years with no defects.

Environmental agency compliance

Tricel Novo complies with the Environment Agency General Binding Rules in England, Natural Resources Wales exemption criteria and SEPA requirements in Scotland. Tricel advises consulting with your local agency on the effluent treatment required.

Fully tested and certified

All Tricel wastewater treatment plants have been tested for European certification EN 12566-3. This certification pushes all plants for strength, water tightness, durability and treatment efficiency.
By using a wastewater treatment plant which is CE certified. You can rest assured that it has complied with tests and inspections, guaranteeing an elevated level of security and efficiency.

Minimum maintenance and repair costs

No moving parts or pumps in the plant, ensuring reliable operation. Minimal maintenance and repair costs.

Lower installation costs

No concrete backfills are required for installation on most sites saving up to £300 over lower quality GRP or polyethene alternatives from competitors.

Fitted alarm

There is a factory alarm fitted onto all Tricel Novo systems. This system will warn you if something needs to be done on the Tricel Novo.

Ceramic diffuser

Tricel’s ceramic diffuser is unique in the domestic wastewater treatment plant market. It will last twice as long as the standard competitors’ rubber equivalents. This saves money on both call-out fees and replacement parts.

Interact with the Tricel Novo IE6 Treatment Plant

How to interact with the tank

Click on the numbers to see the annotations.
You can also switch between the treatment process stages (yellow circle at the bottom left-hand corner) and the anatomy of the Novo (green circle at the bottom left-hand corner).
To view in Virtual Reality (VR), click the square at the top right-hand corner and simply scan the QR code with your phone.
In order to check the dimensions, click on the spanner icon.
To download an image of the Novo, click on the camera icon (top right-hand corner)