My WWTP has aged, what should I do with it?
A wastewater treatment system is a system consisting of several individual technologies that meet specific wastewater treatment needs. Wastewater treatment is rarely a static process, and wastewater treatment systems are designed to meet changing treatment needs that can greatly help avoid costly refurbishments and upgrades altogether.
An efficient and well-designed wastewater treatment system must be able to handle process variability in terms of pollution and flow. Fluctuations in hydro-chemical requirements and necessary adjustments to the amount of chemicalpotential changes in wastewater demand.
Upgrading a treatment plant is a costly endeavour which should only be done is specific circumstances.These days technology is changing every day and we are getting even better treatment opportunities.Every now and then considerable advances are found in the field of treatment schemes and methods.
Since the cost involved is too high, WWTP replacement should be taken strictly under these conditions of failure.
1. Increased Effluent Standards
Regulators throughout the world are placing stricter discharge limits on industrial and municipal wastewater treatment plants to improve the standard of effluent which enters the environment. Not only organic pollution but also environmental protection is required more and more. For example, the European Water Framework Directive aims to raise nitrogen and phosphorus removal standards and change sludge treatment rules. If your WWTP’s are failing to discharge the effluent according to local discharge guidelines, it should be changed.
2. Old equipment and technology
Many existing sewage treatment plants have been in operation for several years and have been plagued by lack of investment. This means they are using older equipment and technology that may no longer be cost effective. In these situations, it is more cost effective to modernize the wastewater treatment plant and adopt a holistic approach to replace existing systems with new, efficient devices and technologies. This reduces maintenance effort, reduces operating costs, improves process results, and has a very short ROI.
3. Rising energy costs
Issues related to energy consumption are becoming more and more important in today's world. The fact that rising energy costs, greenhouse gas emissions and climate change prevent sewage treatment facilities from causing air pollution while preventing water pollution is drawing attention.
Energy accounts for a significant portion of the operating costs of wastewater treatment plants. An estimated 2.5-3% of the world's total electricity consumption is being used only for aeration of wastewater. Energy costs have risen steadily over the last few decades, so it is in the interests of the environment and the profitability of sewage treatment facilities that operators make their energy consumption more efficient.
4. Expansion of capacity of sewage treatment facility
Due to increasing urban development and population growth, many sewage treatment plants today have difficulty reaching their capacity for wastewater treatment. Population growth and urban development will increase wastewater and overload sewage treatment facilities. The solution is to expand the plant, but this is not always possible due to lack of space in the building. New treatment technologies that reduce the footprint required could be a solution that allows the capacity of wastewater treatment plants to be expanded in confined spaces.
For more information, contact Netsol Water.