Algal Turf Scrubber® technology uses naturally occurring attached algal communities to recover excess nitrogen and phosphorus from water. By creating shallow, sunlit floway conditions that support rapid algal growth, ATS systems use natural biological processes as the basis for cost-effective nutrient removal and recovery.
Water is conveyed to the ATS floway, where it moves across a shallow, sloped treatment surface. As the water passes over the floway, attached algal communities develop into a dense algal turf. These communities assimilate nitrogen and phosphorus from the water, while also supporting related filtration, oxygenation, and biogeochemical processes.
Routine harvesting removes accumulated algal biomass from the floway and helps maintain the algal community in an active growth phase. This harvested biomass provides the physical mechanism for long-term nutrient removal and may be managed for beneficial reuse or processing, depending on site-specific water quality, biomass characteristics, and regulatory requirements.
Because ATS systems rely on managed natural productivity rather than chemical precipitation alone, they can provide a sustainable treatment approach for stormwater, surface-water restoration, agricultural runoff, and wastewater polishing applications.