A Vetipont™ + NBT system, end to end.
How we configure an installation — from the feed point through vetiver-planted treatment cells with nanobubble aeration to a compliant, reusable outlet. Modular, retrofittable, solar-powered.
Five stages, mostly existing infrastructure.
Most sites already have ponds or lagoons. We add the Vetipont™ + NBT stage into that train rather than replacing it — keeping capital low and disruption minimal.
Inlet & screening
Existing inlet works remove grit and coarse solids ahead of the biological stages.
Primary / balancing
Settlement and flow balancing in the first pond or clarifier. The feed to the treatment cell is drawn here.
Vetipont™ + NBT cell
Floating vetiver pontoons over nanobubble aeration — the aerobic biological engine that removes N, P and organics.
Maturation / polishing
A final vetiver cell polishes residual nutrients and pathogens and lifts dissolved oxygen.
Compliant outlet
Discharge to receiving water within licence, or reuse for irrigation.
Parameters we size to.
| Parameter | Basis / target |
|---|---|
| Feed point | Final clarifier or pond effluent draw — not raw inlet works |
| Pontoon module | Typically 2.4 × 2.4 m, ~300 plants each |
| Planting density | ~3 plants/m² average across the cell |
| Surface coverage | Sized to the cell's nutrient (N/P) load |
| Hydraulic retention | Set by cell volume and design flow |
| NBT dosing | Sized to hold the root zone aerobic under load |
| Dissolved-oxygen target | Aerobic root zone (> ~4 mg/L) |
| ORP target | Oxidising (≈ +150 to +250 mV) |
| Power | Solar PV with battery backup |
| Scaling | Modular — add pontoons and diffuser lines to expand |
CEC design rules
- Draw the feed from the clarifier / pond effluent, not the raw inlet works. The treatment cell polishes settled water; loading it with raw solids defeats the purpose.
- Keep NBT out of anaerobic and anoxic BNR zones. Nanobubble oxygen belongs in the aerobic stage — injecting it into denitrification or bio-P zones disrupts those processes.
- Aerate at the root zone, not the final effluent channel. Oxygen is delivered where the biofilm lives, so no energy is spent aerating water that has already left the reactor.
- Design for the low case. Coverage and dosing are sized against worst-case load so the cell stays compliant through peaks, not just on average.
Monitoring and maintenance.
Sampled inlet to outlet
Grab and composite sampling at the feed and discharge, tracking the parameters that govern the licence:
Routine inspection
- Inspect pontoons and flotation
- Check anchor cables and tension
- Confirm NBT generator + PV operating
- Log DO / ORP; monitor plant growth
Vetiver harvest
Trim vetiver foliage roughly twice a year to encourage new growth and export absorbed nutrients. Harvested material can be used as fodder or mulch.
Indicative O&M ≈ 1% of CAPEX / yr each
See where this configuration fits →
The same system design adapts across municipal ponds, dams, agricultural effluent, landfill leachate and mine water.
Send us your site and we'll design the system.
With your pond layout, design flow and effluent quality, we produce a sized configuration — pontoon coverage, NBT dosing, layout and the capital and operating case.