The Advantages Of Waste Water Treatment Processes

Waste water is pretty much any water that flows down your toilet or sink, and even the runoff from rain and snow in your drainage system. The process of treating waste water involves removing a wide range of impurities and contaminants to make the water usable once more. The benefits of the treatment really depend on the nature of the contaminants in the water and what the treated water is intended for.

The Benefits of Treated Waste Water

Clean water

This is the obvious benefit. Water is a renewable resource as it is purified via rain and evaporation. But, only around three percent of our water is potable. While nature does slowly clean waste water, treating the water can maintain clean water for repurposing.

Disease

The process of treating waste water involves removing potential disease-causing contaminants. This is done via filtering systems that block the contaminants’ path. Further treatment then kills off the harmful organisms, keeping bacteria and possible disease from entering other water sources and even the ground.

Economics

With ongoing waste water process and research, jobs are regularly created. For instance, treatment facilities need regular upkeep and, of course, human operation. What’s more, returning the clean water to streams and rivers help to maintain natural areas, in turn encouraging tourism.

Waste reduction

With water treatment services, the amount of waste typically released into our environment can be reduced, improving the overall health of the environment. By doing this, health risks usually associated with environmental pollution are in turn reduced and water loss that is induced through water pollution is greatly reduced. Waste water treatment further reduces the amount of budget needed for environmental rehabilitation projects that are needed to fight pollution.

Production of energy

The sludge that is collected during the treatment process is also treated. That’s due to the fact that it has large amounts of biodegradable material in it. Anaerobic bacteria is used to treat the sludge in specially-designed and fully enclosed digesters that are heated up to 35 degrees Celsius. The gas that is produced during the anaerobic process has large amounts of methane, which is then harvested and burned to generate electricity.

The energy is then used to power waste water treatment plants, rendering them self-sustainable. If any excess energy is produced, it can be transported into the national grid, lessening the reliance on non-renewable energy like fossil fuels and reducing the country’s carbon footprint.

Fertilizer

Any type of biodegradable material left over from the treatment process will be dried in what they call as drying lagoons. This will then be converted into natural fertilizer for the agricultural sector, thus increasing our country’s crop yields. The natural fertilizer helps to decrease the need for chemical fertilizers that work to pollute our surface and marine ecosystems.

These 6 benefits coupled with water production is what makes waste water treatment a highly sustainable solution to our water crises, both in the short-term and the long term. It’s estimated that the world population will increase by a massive nine billion people, which will cause a huge surge in the amount of water that must be treated. This will lead to the production of large quantities of fresh water, therefore helping to battle water issues.