The Galaxy disk filter system will help with the enrichment of micro-organisms in international waters caused by the exchange of ballast water.

Particles sized between 10 and 400 microns can safely be filtered out of the water by this fully automatic and maintenance free system, so that the formation of sediments in the ballast tanks can be successfully prevented. The geometry of the plant allows its installation as deep-bed filtration system.

Contaminated water is channelled via the intake into the filter element which consists of disks placed on top of each other. The hydraulic and spring loaded forces press the disks together.

The water then flows through the rhomb-shaped spaces developing in the disks which have grooves both on the surface and at the bottom. The solid particles, algae and other organic matter will be retained in the grooves and washed out again.

The filtered water is thus pre-treated and pre-cleaned in the best possible way. The water is cleaned in a modularised backwashing (stripping) process, so that the filtration of the other elements need not be interrupted.

"Galaxy has been designed as a modular system, so that existing plants can be optimised and upgraded any time, in order to achieve any required capacity," RWO managing director Helmut Werle said.