Have you ever thought for a while about millions of human beings who are deprived of safe drinking water, while you waste liters and gallons of water? We always take things for granted, especially the ones that are easily available. Only when one faces difficulty in accessing something, they realize its importance.
Anna Luisa Baserra, a Brazilian, is on a mission to provide safe drinking water to remote semi-arid communities. This 21-year-old realized the power of technology and the impact it can have on others’ lives at a very young age. And, this is what prompted her to use scientific skills to invent novel technologies that can be of use to poor communities.
“It is a basic right that everyone should have clean water to drink,” she says. “But in the semi-arid northwest of Brazil, water scarcity is a problem. I always lived in big cities. But these rural communities need to store water during rains, so that they don’t have to walk long distances in drier seasons. Sometimes, the water becomes infected with disease and often it’s not clean,” she said.
To curb the situation and bring about some positive change, Baserra invented an innovative filter that purifies rainwater collected in a cistern installed in rural areas. The water that has been collected in the cistern will be purified with the help of rays from the sun. When the water is safe to consume, an indicator changes colour.
“I started talking with local communities who told me about sickness in their families, probably due to the lack of clean water. I wanted to do something to help solve the problem. I started researching and found a solar water disinfection method using solar radiation to kill disease. Together with the community, we tested it to create a product they can use which is efficient and durable”, says Beserra.
According to Lis Mullin Bernhardt, Freshwater Expert at the UN Environment Programme, said, “With increasing competition and water stress in many parts of the world due to overconsumption and climate impacts, it’s essential that we find innovative ways to protect and provide safe water for one of our most basic human needs: drinking. Technologies such as this one are a good example of a local solution to solve this problem.”
“The process of letting air into the wastewater in order to allow aerobic biodegradation of the organic materials” is aeration. It is usually the first process done in a treatment plant. This process lets air and water to be in close contact which helps in removing the dissolved gases such as carbon dioxide and also oxidizes dissolved metals like iron, hydrogen sulphide, and other volatile organic chemicals (VOCs).
The membrane bioreactor technology helps in performing the critical solid-liquid separation function. The process makes use of membrane filtration equipment such as low-pressure microfiltration (MF) and ultrafiltration (UF) membranes with a biological treatment method. The vacuum (gravity-driven) and pressure-driven systems are the two types used in MBR.
The process of moving bed bioreactor attains good results of disposal with low energy consumption. It is used to remove organic substances, nitrification and denitrification. The MBBR system has an activated sludge aeration system where the sludge is collected in a recycled plastic carrier. The carriers have large internal space for an optimal contact with water, air and bacteria.
The bacteria grow in the surface of the carriers and breaks down the organic matter from the wastewater. The aeration system helps in keeping the bacteria active in the carriers.
The basic process of an SBR is by bubbling oxygen into the wastewater to reduce the biological oxygen demand (BOD) and the chemical oxygen demand (COD). The reduction of BOD and COD makes it suitable to use on land. The SBR process is divided into five periods: Fill, React, Settle, Draw, and Idle. The fill and react periods may differ according to the aeration and mixing procedures. The SBR has several configurations but the basic process remains the same.
This is a cost-effective method that is mainly used in residential and commercial complexes. The SAFF technology has three stages, primary, secondary treatment and final settlement/clarification. The SAFF process reduces the biological oxygen demand (BOD) and also the suspended solids (SS) which is powerful enough to contaminate river and seawater. The process improves the “effluent discharge quality”.
Having mentioned some of the types of sewage treatment methods, it is clear that these treatments are indeed effective and will make the water reusable. It may not be suitable for drinking but can be definitely used for other purposes. Wastewater treatment is no more a luxury but a necessity. It will soon become mandatory as we move forward to live in this world.
Emvees Wastewater Treatment LLC is dedicated in offering quality services to our clients and we thrive to provide water for the needy. We understand the significance of water in the current era and the future and we make use of the best of our ability to treat it.
