What gets flushed down a toilet can become a treatment bottleneck when heavy rainfall drives a sudden surge of wastewater toward a plant.
When the volume entering a sewer system exceeds its treatment capacity, untreated wastewater can be diverted through bypasses and discharged into rivers.
Frans Durieux, founding partner of Purgatoria, developed the patented ICABUS screening system to remove toilet-paper fibers before the treatment process begins.
The sieve sits at a shallow angle to the flow, allowing it to capture fibers through openings that Purgatoria says are 25 times larger than those in conventional fine screens. The design supports greater flow while reducing clogging, maintenance, and energy use.
Durieux says ICABUS can accelerate solids removal during peak flows by a factor of 100. The captured cellulose is directed into a container rather than continuing into downstream treatment.
Removing those fibers reduces the organic load reaching the plant, lowers aeration demand, and limits blockages. Purgatoria says the technology may also help treatment plants maintain capacity during heavy rainfall.
A faster first stage of treatment will not eliminate sewer overflows by itself, but it could help wastewater plants manage peak loads before more pollution reaches rivers.
Purgatoria is part of The Water Council’s 2026 BREW 2.0 cohort, supporting water technology companies as they move toward broader commercial adoption. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gkpnNbjj
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