AMX®

Co-Digestion Sludge Dewatering Centrate

Powered by AMX®: Smarter Sidestream Treatment

The AMX® system didn't just treat the water—it changed the game.

It transformed a waste stream once seen as too costly and complex into a simpler, more sustainable process. Beyond the numbers, it delivered peace of mind: a resilient system that adapts to real-world fluctuations, handles shocks, and runs reliably without constant adjustment.

Learn about AMX

Transforming Food Waste Digested Centrate into Clean Water

Quantum Organics | Southington, Connecticut

Project Objective: Treat High C:N Ratio and High Strength Ammonium

At Quantum Organics, turning food waste into renewable energy is a daily mission. But with that mission comes a byproduct—high-strength centrate, rich in ammonium and organics, and notoriously difficult to treat. Traditional methods like nitrification-denitrification (NDN) struggle with such loads, often requiring high energy input and external carbon. Quantum Organics needed a better solution.

The Challenge

The centrate coming out of Quantum's anaerobic digesters wasn't ordinary:

Ammonium levels reaching 2,780 mg N/L
Alkalinity as high as 16,750 mg/L
Total COD up to 12,300 mg/L
Total C:N ratio more than 5

The Solution

Installed as a pilot, the AMX® system went to work. Built on two-stage partial nitritation and Anammox principles, it offered a low-energy, carbon-free path to nitrogen removal. Even under wildly variable conditions, it thrived.

Pilot Results

>90% Consistent TIN Removal
Effluent Nitrogen <200 mg/L - Even with influent swings
High Nitrogen Loading Rate - Reaching 1.0 kg N/m°/day
No External Carbon
Rapid Recovery from Disruption - Including a polymer carryover event
Tomorrow Water's proprietary Anammox strain showed exceptional stability and tolerance at nitrite/ammonium ratios up to 2.5

Looking Forward

The success at Quantum Organics is a glimpse into the future of sidestream treatment. With Tomorrow Water's AMX® system, facilities can take on high-strength waste with confidence-cutting costs, boosting sustainability, and preparing for a carbon-conscious future.

Turning Co-Digestion High Strength Centrate into Opportunity

Hongcheon, Korea

Project Objective: Advancing Sustainable Nitrogen Removal at High Loading Rates—Affordably

In the heart of rural Korea, the Hongcheon Centralized Digester Facility transforms hog manure and food waste into clean, renewable biogas. This state-of-the-art facility processes 0.26 million gallons per day of co-digested organic waste—80% manure and 20% food waste-to produce valuable energy and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

But behind the scenes, the plant faced a critical challenge: the process also generated a high-strength, ammonia-rich centrate, pushing traditional treatment systems to their limit.

Influent Characteristics | Total Nitrogen (TN): 2,739 mg/L | Ammonium (NH4+-N): 2,192 | COD: 4,211 mg/L | Suspended Solids (SS): 1,885 mg/L

The Challenge

The facility had been treating its digested centrate using a conventional Sequencing Batch Reactor (SBR) followed by Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF). While effective, this setup came at a steep price:

High aeration energy requirements
Heavy methanol dosing (2 kg MeOH/kgN removed)
Significant sludge production
Slow treatment time (19.8 days HRT)

The Solution

Tomorrow Water deployed its AMX® two-stage partial nitritation/ anammox system at pilot scale. Treating ~700 gallons per day (2.6 m*/d) of anaerobically digested centrate, the pilot ran for 915 days over two years of continuous testing.