• PVA gel is formed as 4mm spherical beads having a specific gravity of 1.025+-0.01 and thus excellent fluidity in water requiring minimal energy of mixing.
• PVA gel has a network of minute pores about 20 microns in diameter tunneling through each bead.

Useful bacteria can thus be enriched in large numbers in the protective core of the beads greatly reducing sloughing of biomass while maintaining stable treatment efficiencies often at rates in excess of 25 kg BOD/(m³-gel^.d)

• PVA gel treatment yields less excess sludge as compared to conventional biological methods.
• PVA gel has a very high water content due to its extensive porosity, thus allowing for favorable permeability of oxygen and nutrients to the bacteria colonized inside the beads.
• Polymerized PVA gel is essentially insoluble in water and is not know to be biodegradable.
• Depending on the characteristics of the wastewater, treatment ability using PVA gel can be enhanced up to 5 times that of conventional activated sludge, thus allowing for upgrading of existing overloadec systems or for design of new process units with greatly reduce footprints.
• In addition to removal of common organic compounds ( BOD cut), PVA gel can also be used for nitrification and denitrification as well as treatment of various industrial pollutants.