Waste water treatment apparatus

A waste water treatment apparatus comprising:

• a housing having a settling tank mounted therein, said settling tank adapted to receive waste water, said settling tank comprising:
• first and second oppositely disposed side walls;
• first and second oppositely disposed end walls spaced apart by said first and second oppositely disposed side walls;
• a bottom wall;
• a longitudinal dividing wall extending inwardly from said first end wall towards said second end wall, parallel to said first and second side walls, said dividing wall terminating adjacent said second end wall such that said dividing wall divides an interior of said settling tank into an inlet region and a settlement region;
• and
• a pair of parallel vertically arranged baffle plates extending across the width of said settlement region of said settling tank between said dividing wall and said second side wall;
• said baffle plates having lower edges terminating above said bottom wall and upper edges extending above a normal water level in said settling tank, said baffle plates being spaced apart from one another to define a cavity therebetween;
• a skimming device mounted in said settling tank and adapted to remove any fats, oils, or grease (“FOG”) that settles on the surface of the waste water, said skimming device comprising a rotatable motor-driven elongate drum having a surface coated with or formed from a hydrophobic and oleophilic material, wherein said drum is positioned to be partially submerged in the waste water held in said settling tank when said apparatus is in use;
• a drain provided in a downstream end of said settling tank for removing water from said settling tank;
• a weir defining an inlet end of said drain, said weir adapted to control the water level within said settling tank;
• and
• a sediment removal system adapted to remove sediment collected in said settlement region of said settling tank, wherein said sediment removal system comprises:
• a sediment extraction passage having an inlet end extending into said settlement region at said bottom wall of said settling tank;
• and
• a sediment removal pump having an inlet coupled to said sediment extraction passage, said sediment removal pump adapted to draw sediment accumulated in said settlement region out of said settling tank, as a slurry, into said drain or into a separate collection vessel or drain outlet;
• wherein said inlet end of said sediment extraction passage extends into said cavity through one of said baffle plates such that said cavity defines an inlet region of said sediment extraction passage and is in fluid communication with said settlement region.