Effective Techniques to Treat Wastewater

In a rapidly urbanizing country like India, where freshwater is scarce, wastewater treatment is crucial.

To address surface water quality challenges in rapidly growing and emerging cities, state and non-state entities have gradually shifted their attention to innovative new wastewater management systems.

Wastewater treatment typically involves three basic stages: primary, secondary, and tertiary.

Each stage purifies water to a higher level. In certain cases, just one or two phases are required.

The level of treatment required is determined by the intended use of the water and the environment into which it will be discharged.

India’s progress in wastewater treatment is gradually increasing, leading to the development of various new modules.

Let us give you an insight into some of these that have already started creating an evident impact on a majority of the country’s industrial landscape:

1. The CSIR-Central Mechanical Engineering Research Institute in Durgapur has introduced the world’s first Waste-Water Treatment Technology Model, which filters wastewater for irrigation and farming purposes, utilizing all three stages of wastewater management. It is called the Aqua Rejuvenation Plant (ARP). It is an Integrated Wastewater Rejuvenation Model that features a Six-Stage purification profile for the comprehensive treatment of Wastewater based on diverse purification parameters. The system also offers dual benefits, as the treated water is used for irrigation purposes, while the filtered sludge generated is also utilized as manure or fertilizer.
2. A consistent issue in India has been that low-income users often cannot afford the high cost of treatment technology for treating oily wastewater from their sources. As a result, a large amount of unwashed, oily wastewater is discharged into the water without adhering to the guidelines of the Pollution Control Board. To find an effective solution to this issue, Dr. Chiranjib Bhattacharjee, a professor in the Chemical Engineering Department at Jadavpur University, developed an Electrocoagulation and Electroflotation Enhanced Membrane Module (ECEFMM) technique for wastewater treatment. This membrane module is a part of the tertiary stage of wastewater management. With the use of this innovative module, the vehicle maintenance industry, food industry, and other small to medium-sized businesses can benefit from a smart, cost-effective electric field-assisted membrane separation device for treating oily wastewater.
3. Technologies using UV photocatalysts can treat urban sewage and highly polluted industrial wastewater streams. This has been made possible by the Energy and Resources Laboratory in New Delhi, which has developed a technology called Advanced Oxidation Technology (TADOX). It reduces dependence and stress on biological and tertiary treatment systems, helping to achieve zero liquid discharge. The most significant change is the introduction of a “zero liquid” drainage system, where treated wastewater is reused rather than discharged into public sewers and water bodies. This technology has the ability to reduce Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), dissolved organics, pathogens, Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), and Micropollutants. Hence, this technology is extremely efficient and budget-friendly.
4. The SCPI project, funded by the Federal Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety (BMU) Environmental Technology Export Initiative, is providing India with German expertise in wastewater treatment facilities. It demonstrates how to adapt wastewater treatment to local conditions, reuse water, and make it suitable for groundwater recharge, thereby improving surface water quality.
5. Bioremediation is not a specific module or treatment plant, but rather a process that utilizes live microorganisms to break down pollutants and harmful microbes in wastewater. This is a very effective and inexpensive solution. Bioremediation is commonly used in cases involving oil spills, soils contaminated with acid mine drainage, underground pipe leaks, and crime scene cleanups. These toxic compounds are metabolized by enzymes present in microorganisms.

With all these advanced and innovative developments, the world of wastewater management will adopt a new approach and develop more effective ways of treating wastewater.

In addition to advanced wastewater management techniques, innovative and effective biological wastewater treatment solutions are available to help treat wastewater.

At Organica Biotech, we strive to become leaders in this space and have developed a wide range of solutions for wastewater treatment.

Our microbial Cleanmaxx contains a cadre of specialized microorganisms that help break down organic waste, reduce sludge volume, and effectively improve the performance of wastewater treatment plants.