If not treated, wastewater is a detriment to the environment and the wildlife, as polluted water makes its way out into the environment.
Wastewater can occur due to everyday activities, not just agricultural or corporate activities; showering, toilet use, or even the wastewater from the washing machine is harmful to the environment. Unless treated or reduced, water pollution and environmental pollution are said to increase double-fold; measures have to be taken to counteract these.
One of the buzzwords in recent years has been wastewater treatment service, but what is this, and how does it actually work? Well, the natural environment has the ability to cope with pollution and wastewater, but there is a distinct barrier that, once reached, cannot be handled.
Higher and higher instances of wastewater are produced yearly, making it impossible for our mother earth to tackle it on its own. Unless the wastewater we produce is treated, the unending pollutants, toxic chemicals, and substances can put the health of our environment, the wildlife, and our own health in grave danger.
To best continue helping the environment, let’s discuss all sides of wastewater treatment–the pros and cons, all the vital stages of the wastewater treatment service, and possible alternatives.
Let’s get started!
What is Wastewater Treatment?
As the name suggests, wastewater treatment is the process of filtering out the polluted water prior to letting the used water back out to the environment. The main aim is to rid the used water of all the toxic chemicals and pollutants to better care for the environment and, inevitably, our own good health.
To strip it of all its complexities, wastewater treatments remove all the bad out of used water–large floating materials (sticks, rocks, or large household items that may make way into the water) or even the tiniest, nearly invisible chemical substances. We do not realize that the items we use on a daily basis are quite harmful to the environment; even the shampoo or the detergents we use to wash can be detrimental to our surroundings.
Before we get into understanding the main stages of wastewater treatment, let’s dive a little bit into the main types of wastewater treatment services. There is the sewage treatment, industrial treatment, and lastly, the agricultural treatment. All of these aim to remove all the toxic contaminants from the wastewater, so what is the difference? – The intricacy of the treatment stages.
Sewage wastewater treatment service focuses on smaller scaled wastewater that comes from home water usage and business water usage. These treatments might not require the same intensity of treatment service and might have fewer stages in the process.
Next is the Industrial wastewater treatment service, which treats wastewater from industrial machines or factories. These require more thorough treatment as the wastewater might contain toxic chemicals. Finally, we have the agricultural treatments that focus on treating wastewater that comes from agricultural and farming activities.
Though all three wastewater treatment services differ, their main aim is to help the environment, but what are the exact benefits and drawbacks of wastewater treatment services?
What are the benefits of wastewater treatment?
As mentioned already, one of the main reasons for treating wastewater is to help the environment. Wastewater can affect aquatic biotas as pollution can harm them. Still, even organic matter has the ability to take all of the dissolved oxygen in the water, which is detrimental to the survival of aquatic wildlife.
Broken food chains and the disruption of natural habitats are just some of the problems caused by untreated wastewater. This is why it’s essential to have wastewater treatment, but what are the benefits of wastewater treatment exactly? Here are some of the benefits of wastewater treatment.
- Minimize environmental waste
- Prevent numerous waterborne diseases
- Improve by-product recovery
- Shelter and protect general public health and safety
- Fertilizer production
Now that we know some of the benefits wastewater can bring, let’s dive into the main wastewater treatment stages.
How is wastewater treatment done?
When wastewater treatment service is conducted, the treatment is done according to the level of difficulty and needs. The wastewater treatment is divided into stages; there are three main stages, with an addition of the fourth stage in case of need.
These stages are known as Primary, Secondary, Tertiary, and Quaternary; depending on the wastewater, the number of stages can be used. As the stages go higher, the more advanced the filtering and treatment become.
In certain cases, when the wastewater is not highly polluted, there may only be a need for the primary and secondary stage treatment. This depends on the level of pollution, the intended purpose of the treated wastewater, and the environment it will be released into.
Primary treatment (First stage)
This treatment stage is the baseline treatment stage, and it involves treating water from sediments. Water is placed temporarily in a large tank where settleable solids and sediments; the heavier solids sink down while lighter solids will float upwards. Once the treatment removes the sediments and is treated at this stage, it is then released for the second stage of the wastewater treatment: secondary treatment.
During the treatment, at the bottom of the tank, there is sludge that, once settled will and divided from the water that is sent to the secondary treatment, will be used in anaerobic digestion (this is used to break down organic matter) or as a liming material.
Secondary treatment (Second Stage)
The secondary treatment focuses on eliminating soluble organic matter that might have escaped the first stage as well as removing smaller suspended solids. This may be done in various methods such as filter beds, bioreactors, and aerated pods, among other treatment methods.
One of the best treatment methods in this stage is the membrane bioreactor, which uses a biological process where the microorganisms consume the organism matter for energy; these microorganisms are then replicated to create solids, which in turn are filtered by the membrane in order to produce effluent.
The benefit and key factor of the method are efficient, though regardless of the method of the treatment used, once the wastewater goes through the secondary treatment, it can be released into the environment without harming aquatic biota and ecosystems. If the water needs more treatment or the environment it will be released into needs cleaner water, then the water will be forwarded to the third stage of the wastewater treatment.
Tertiary treatment (Third Stage)
This stage of the treatment disinfects water as much as feasible and, in most cases, treats it to produce water for a specification. The main methods of tertiary treatment are UV disinfection and chemical disinfection. Chlorine disinfection uses chlorine as a means to strip the wastewater of all possible viruses and bacteria, while UV disinfection requires no chemical additives. Unlike chlorine disinfection, UV disinfection does not alter or affect the water’s pH levels, taste, or smell.
Quaternary Treatment (Fourth Stage)
Quaternary wastewater treatment is required in certain areas or in extremely polluted wastewater. This is an extremely advanced treatment and is not used in most cases. This stage aims to deal with the tiniest possible contamination, and the main methods of treatment involve oxidation or fine filtration processes.
What are the pros and cons of a wastewater treatment service?
As we’ve restated numerously, wastewater is crucial to keeping our environment and wildlife healthy in the long run, especially as our planet is having increased difficulty by the year. One of the ways you can have wastewater treatment is via treatment service or by installing a wastewater treatment plant. We mentioned the benefits of treating your wastewater, but what are the pros and cons of the actual treatment service?
Benefits of wastewater treatment:
- Eco-friendly
- Time-efficient
- Doesn’t require an ample space
Disadvantages of wastewater treatment:
- Leaves an environmental footprint (though plants are eco-friendly, it inevitably leaves some footprint)
- Difficult to install
- Garden Restrictions
- Bacteria accumulation
Wastewater treatment is essential for the environment but is there other options to keep the environment in its best condition? Let’s take a look at a unique water treatment that is the best wastewater treatment alternative.
The Best Wastewater Treatment Alternative
You might not be interested in wastewater treatment, so what is the next best thing? The answer to that is The Vortex Water Revitalizer™, an advanced and highly innovative water treatment solution.
We discussed all the different ways wastewater goes through numerous stages to rid the wastewater of all the toxic pollutants, so how is a water treatment beneficial? Well, what truly differentiates The Vortex Water Revitalizer™ is how it stimulates water to restore its natural micro-clustered molecular structure through distinctive water flow.
How does it do that? Simple, once the water goes through vortex water treatment via a double-spiral in order to stimulate a specific water movement, the restored molecular form increases dissolved oxygen levels. These DO levels are vital to the aquatic biota; on top of that, dissolved oxygen is also a hospitable environment for aerobic bacteria (the good bacteria), which is crucial in breaking down the toxic pollutants within the wastewater.
The Vortex Water Revitalizer™ not only gives you healthy drinking water but it keeps wastewater environmentally friendly. This is due to how once revitalized, water has the ability to self-clean continuously, and the astonishing capabilities don’t end there. Vortex water, once restored, can continue to keep the water it comes in contact with clean as well, providing the untreated water its unique vortex water structure.
Go over to The Vortex Water Revitalizer™ to discover the ideal water treatment for you, with various models to perfectly suit you. Keeping your home and the environment healthy is made simpler and easier with The Vortex Water Revitalizer™!
