It is world habitat day today; a day designated to remind the world that it is our responsibility to shape the future of our cities and towns. The day is commemorated on the first Monday of every October and this year it will be held in Mexico City on 7th October.
Last year’s theme was “Municipal Solid Waste Management” and this year the UN aims to build on it by promoting the contribution of innovative frontier technologies to sustainable waste management. The initiative aims to cover all waste produced by human activity (solid, liquid, domestic, industrial and commercial), that has been adversely affecting the health of people, environment and climate.
Technology has been making lives easier since decades and it has the calibre to accelerate efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and address climate change. Technologies that include automation, robotics, electric vehicles, renewable energy technologies, biotechnologies, and artificial intelligence has the potential to reshape the social, economic and environmental spheres. Waste management can be a cakewalk with cheaper, faster, scalable and easy-to-use solutions that these technologies come up with.
World Habitat Day was established in 1985 by the United Nations General Assembly and was first celebrated in 1986 in Nairobi with the theme “Shelter is my right’. The day is celebrated across various countries with diverse activities.
“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.
