The modernization effort will retrofit the entire wastewater treatment plant underground, enabling the surface area to be redeveloped into new community amenities, including sports, cultural, and leisure facilities. With a total project investment exceeding USD 400 million, the upgraded facility will treat 280,000 cubic meters per day (74 MGD) of wastewater. For this landmark project, BKT will supply all liquid and solids‑line technologies, marking the first time the company's entire process treatment portfolio will be deployed at a single facility.
Proteus technology shall be applied to both primary and secondary treatment, enabling high‑rate solids removal, compact footprint, and enhanced resilience to fluctuating influent conditions. Another central feature of the project is the application of BKT's Integrated Upstream Process (IUP) — a unified system that integrates for this project:
- AAD (anaerobic digestion) for sludge stabilization and biogas production
- AMX (Anammox) for high‑strength nitrogen wastewater treatment
BKT's design philosophy emphasizes that world‑class technologies alone do not guarantee world‑class outcomes. True performance emerges when systems are conceived as an integrated whole—purposefully balanced, interconnected, and optimized across the full treatment train. This project represents the first full realization of that philosophy.
The achievement builds on decades of proven deployments: Proteus installations in Seoul, integrated sludge‑biogas‑nitrogen treatment systems in Daejeon, and the successful implementation of AMX at the Busan Noksan Wastewater Treatment Plant, which helped establish strong trust in BKT's technologies among municipal stakeholders.
Internally, BKT refers to this milestone as the completion of the "Gyeongbu Line" — a symbolic unification of technologies validated in Seoul (wastewater), Daejeon (sludge and biogas), and now Busan (full integration). BKT will also participate as equity partners in the project and the SPC, reinforcing their long‑term commitment to operational excellence and sustainable infrastructure development.
Mr. E.F. Dong‑woo Kim, Founder & CEO of BKT/Tomorrow Water, shared his pride in this milestone: "This project fulfills one of our original dreams: delivering the entire process treatment line—both liquid and solids—of a major wastewater facility using only our in‑house technologies. It is a moment of deep personal and professional satisfaction, reflecting decades of innovation and dedication by our teams. More importantly, it stands as a powerful testament to the trust that the Korean environmental services industry has placed in BKT. We are honored to contribute to a project of such national importance and to demonstrate what a fully integrated, next‑generation treatment system can achieve."
The modernization project is expected to:
- Resolve odor, aesthetic, and performance issues associated with the aging facility
- Increase treatment capacity and resilience to fluctuating inflow conditions
- Improve the urban landscape by relocating treatment operations underground
- Support ESG goals through biogas‑based energy recovery and digitalized operations
Photos: (Click photo to enlarge)
Source: Tomorrow Water
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