Ballast Water Treatment System (BWTS) is a system designed to remove and destroy/inactive biological organisms (zooplankton, algae, bacteria) from ballast water. Ballast water treatment is still evolving technology with an ever-growing number of manufacturers. This means that there is limited inservice experience for the systems being offered and there is a general understanding that no single system is suitable for all ship types. See also AQUARIUS ballast water treatment plants.
Most Ballast Water Treatment Systems use a two-stage approach, involving a form of mechanical separation (1st stage) followed by physical or chemical treatment (2nd stage). The two most common technologies are Ultra-Violet (UV) based systems and Electro-Chlorination (EC) systems. UV systems use physical UV radiation as secondary treatment, where electro-chlorination makes use of a chemical ‘active substance’ to inactivate biological organisms. Both systems typically employ filtration as mechanical first phase treatment.
UV based BWTS (more on UV treatment)
Electro-Chlorination BWTS (more on EC treatment)
