The Future Of Water : Bio-filter Technology for Water Recovery from Sewage

Published on by in Academic

The Future Of Water : Bio-filter Technology for Water Recovery from Sewage

The Future of Water: Bio-filter Technology for Water Recovery

Ankur Sawhney1, Smita Singhal2, Sunil Singhal3

Absolute Water Pvt. Ltd

The need of the hour Water is the essence of life, but the reckless exploitation of this valuable natural resource has inclined the civilization towards a future where the availability of potable water will appear as an unrealistic dream. Although, a renewable resource till date, in the near future it will become the scarcest of the resources, leaving half of the population to dwell on unfit water. Partially or un-treated sewage is the single major source for deterioration of surface or ground water quality. It contributes to 70% of the population load to streams or water bodies of India. The untreated waste water is a potential pollutant which contaminates the ground water, rivers and natural drainage system causing pollution in downstream areas.

The consumption of polluted water has an adverse effect on human health as well as on aquatic life. Treatment of sewage is absolutely necessary for making our river/ water bodies clean. In spite of all efforts, only 23277 MLD of treatment capacity have been developed against te total sewage generation of 62000 MLD. It is mandate for SPCB’s/PCC’s under section (I) (i) of The Water Prevention and Control of Pollution Act, 1974 to make, vary, revoke any order for prevention, control or abatement of discharge of waste into streams and under section 24 to prohibit use of stream or well for disposal of polluting matter.

Therefore, it is necessary to make it mandatory for setting up STP’s by the municipal authorities for bridging the treatment gap. Only 30% Sewage Being treated: Why? In a conventional methodology, which India has adopted too, sewage is being transported to a centralized treatment plant for the treatment. It demands a highly stabilized infrastructure for continuous working of system.

The principal disadvantages of centralized conventional process technologies are : 

Media

Taxonomy

2 Comments

  1. I can comment only after visiting and seeing the actual operating plant.I like to observe the net impact on Inflows as the process is leaving particulate matter out and resultant inc reased concentration there of ...and how can the output be without any pathogens and odor? What are the operational costs duly itemised..as lot of filteration media shall be required with periodic replacements and also posing issues regarding processing if any for the media to be discarded...

    2 Comment replies

    1. The rejected media, is a humus, i.e rich in nutrients N,P,K, totally safe and a great Bio-fertilizer, increases the soil and water retention of the agricultural land you can use it wherever you want for agricultural/irrigation purpose.
      The Concentrate stream from the NF system is a liquid urea, highly efficient in NPK, can easily dispose either in Land/water body is under the stringent norms prescribed by CPCB/SPCB.

    2. Thanks for your comment Mr. Lokesh. Yes, you are most welcome to see the system. It i running smoothly since the date of its commissioning. 98 % odour is removed by Bio-filter itself. Pathogens are being removed by speciallty designed NF membrane. Periodic replacements are very very low, as it is a very simple system. People always believe that simple things can't work. But, this is working, as based on a very simple and green concept. I can proudly claim that our system is having the lowest ever OPEX, in comparison to other conventional process technologies. I request you to please visit the site as you will get a clear picture of the system. The opex is 1.8 Paise/Litre for the water(potable quality) recoveres from sewage.

  2. I request every member to please share their views/ comments towards this novel and very effective technology, This is totally different from the conventional technologies based on a decentralized and gren approach. which is only and only beneficial to the environment in its each and every stream, whether it is permeate or concentrate.