Reuse of Waste Water with UV Disinfection

As populations rise and natural habitats deteriorate, it is getting harder to guarantee that everyone will have access to safe and sufficient water sources. Industry and agriculture are the biggest users and polluters of water. Groundwater and surface waters are contaminated by the increased use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Waste from industry is frequently discharged into water bodies without any treatment. Wastewater management is being significantly neglected.

Untreated sewage is a major problem in urban areas. A considerable share of wastewater in urban areas with higher levels of poverty is dumped untreated into the nearest drainage channel or body of water. In densely populated residential areas, household effluent, human waste, toxic chemicals, and medical waste pollute the environment. The two critical components of the solution are to reduce pollution and improve wastewater management.

What is wastewater?

Water that has been utilized for home, commercial, and industrial purposes is referred to as “wastewater.” 99.9% of wastewater is made up of water, while the remaining 0.1% is what is eliminated along with the water. Organic matter, bacteria, and inorganic substances are all present in this 0.1%. Various habitats, including lakes, ponds, streams, rivers, estuaries, and seas, are exposed to wastewater effluents. Storm runoff also counts as wastewater since it contains dangerous compounds that are washed off rooftops, parking lots, and highways.

Importance of Treating Wastewater

Wastewater treatment is important both for our environment and our health. Keeping our water clean should be a top priority for a number of reasons:
Plants and animals that live in water depend on clean water. This is crucial for continuation of the species, and for the fishing industry. For hundreds of species of fish and other aquatic life, water is an essential ecosystem. Water is a wonderful playground for all of us. Many individuals prefer to live where they do, because of the beauty and recreational benefits of the water. If water is not cleaned, it can carry illness.

Over 80% of all wastewater discharged worldwide goes untreated. The nations that have water treatment facilities utilize a variety of techniques to treat water before releasing it back into the environment. It is important to treat wastewater to conserve this precious and limited resource and preserve the safety and well-being of people and the planet.

Wastewater Treatment with UV technology

In municipal wastewater and water reuse, UV technology in the tertiary stage of treatment is crucial because it reduces pathogens through disinfection, and chemical pollutants through photolysis and accelerated oxidation. Around the world, more and more UV systems and synergistic technologies are being used to disinfect wastewater and make sure the treated water is suitable for reuse in processes like gardening and toilet flushing, where even unintentional intake might have detrimental effects. The method is appealing since it drastically decreases, if not completely eliminates, the use of chemicals. Depending on the particular application, UVC low-pressure lamps or UV medium-pressure lamps can both be utilized for UV wastewater treatment.

By changing their DNA, UV radiation renders microorganisms, (bacteria and viruses) inactive and prevents their multiplication and infection. All traditional disinfection techniques (including chlorine and ozone) create disinfection by-products that raise the danger of human and wildlife carcinogens. In the most developed parts of the world, UV has been a simple yet effective way to mitigate environmental dangers of chlorine, during the past few decades.

Case studies of Wastewater Treatment Plants using UV Technology around the World

1. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co

Brewing great beer is as simple for Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. as A B UV – C. The company in Chico, California uses UV treated water as part of its procedure to make beer of consistent quality.. The brewery also uses UV disinfection as part of its water reclamation project, whereby water used for cleaning bottles and kegs is disinfected and reused for landscape irrigation.

2. City of Silverton

One million gallons of treated effluent per day are sent by the City of Silverton, well known as Oregon’s Garden City, to the Oregon Gardens before being returned to Silver Creek for recycling. The treatment plant at Silver Creek includes a number of conventional wastewater treatment technologies, such as clarifying, secondary treatment including activated sludge, and ultraviolet (UV) disinfection in the tertiary stage.

3. Avani Khao Lak Resort – Thailand

The Avani Khao Lak Resort has a wastewater treatment facility where the wastewater is processed. This treated wastewater is then discharged into the public sewer. Paralelly, part of the treated water is then reused for watering the resort’s gardens and streams. It was clear that effective wastewater treatment had to be put into place in order to satisfy the resort’s stringent sustainability requirements while preventing contamination hazards at the surrounding beach. Therefore, using UV as a component of the wastewater treatment procedures, and utilizing chemical-free cutting-edge technology, was a perfect match.

Alfaa UV – A leader in UV treatment solutions

Alfaa UV is the leading water and wastewater disinfection company in India, contributing to projects and services in the field of water and wastewater treatment. Alfaa UV provides wastewater disinfection solutions for municipal, industrial, and recreational water applications.  WWR UV disinfection systems are designed to aid processes such as wastewater treatment, reverse osmosis (RO), and de-ionization.

By way of aiding in the reuse of wastewater by disinfecting it, Alfaa UV plays a key role in environmental sustainability and conservation of fresh water resources.

Some Alfaa UV Wastewater Disinfection Case Studies

SHAHEED BHAGAT SINGH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (CHANDIGARH)

Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport uses Alfaa WWR Series to treat wastewater in the tertiary stage of the sewage treatment plant, and then reuse the water for cooling towers, gardening, and toilet flushing.

NEROLAC PAINTS

Nerolac paints use Alfaa UV waste water series to disinfect treated water from the effluent treatment plant after primary and secondary treatment. The recycled water is then used for toilet flushing.

MICROSOFT

Microsoft uses the Alfaa UV WWR series to disinfect water in the tertiary stage of treatment done by the sewage treatment plant and reuses this disinfected water for horticulture and toilet flushing.

INDIA BULLS

Indiabulls Infrastructure uses the Alfaa UV WWR series in the tertiary stage of treatment and then reuses this water for gardening, toilet flushing and cooling tower purposes.

For information on how Alfaa WWR series can help in aiding disinfection and reuse and conserving fresh water resources, call the UV Expert on 86579 23938.