The process of urbanization, and in particular the expansion of utilities, complicates the tasks of serving urban organizations. The control of sewage pollution in this regard is especially important, since waste products from household liquids have a direct impact on the hydrological system of the area. In this regard, more effective means are being developed to minimize the negative processes of environmental impact. Today, wastewater treatment is organized taking into account several factors that eliminate harmful microorganisms. The main method of water purification is still the arrangement of mechanical filtering stations, but more and more complex complexes are also appearing that perform high-quality biological water treatment.
Features of modern wastewater treatment
Engineering equipment is developing in general areas that focus on improving ergonomics and reliability. Therefore, a modern sewage treatment plant is multifunctional, efficient and easy to manage. Both industrial and domestic wastewater filtration systems are equipped with control panels with a wide range of settings.
In addition, the developers of sewer and septic systems projects strive to streamline communication networks as much as possible, optimizing energy resources as well. In other words, wastewater treatment in some nodes can be connected with complex engineering management systems at home or at the enterprise. And this is not to mention the increase in the basic operational capabilities of cleaning equipment, which is achieved through the use of high-tech filtration materials.
Mechanical cleaning
The entire process of wastewater treatment is divided into several stages, which have significant technological differences. The mechanical filtration stage is primary and at the same time multi-stage. The simplest mechanism for such cleaning can be observed on the streets in the form of metal, concrete or plastic gratings that trap debris, foliage, stones and other large elements. In the future, drains can be sent through a sewer channel to special centrifuges and hydrocyclones. Also, a special filtering device is used to detain microscopic particles - in essence, this is a filtration treatment station. Thanks to such equipment, the drain can be cleaned of elements up to 0.25 mm in size. In aggregate, the cleaning stages at this point can eliminate about 80% of foreign bodies in the waste fluid.
Biological treatment
Means of this kind of cleaning are usually used as a continuation of mechanical filtration. It can be said that basic purification with strainers prepares a liquid for deeper processing by biological stations. Moreover, both methods work on different principles. That is, it is wrong to assume that mechanical filtration traps large particles, and biological installations - small ones. The second option focuses on the ecological neutralization of water, which does not cause chemical harm during the maintenance and after its release into water bodies. To date, the biological treatment of effluents has as its main goal the elimination of organic matter or its processing. As a result, the composition of the liquid medium retains only dissolved nitrates and oxygen. In practice, such a treatment is implemented in two ways - natural or artificial. In the first case, wastewater is dispersed in the filtration fields and in biological ponds. Artificial cleaning is performed in special aerotanks that release environmentally friendly water into water bodies.
Chemical and thermal cleaning methods
From the point of view of eliminating the negative processes of decomposition in the wastewater, one of the most effective methods is a chemical reagent. As a rule, this group of methods is based on redox reactions, which essentially cancel out some reactions, replacing them with other, less environmentally harmful ones. But the most effective method of combating pollution in wastewater is thermal exposure. This method is carried out using furnace plants and burners in which the burning of liquids takes place. It also practices the treatment of effluents by the fire method without the use of furnace structures. Technologically, this method involves spraying a liquid in a finely dispersed state into a special torch formed when burning gaseous fuel. As a result, water evaporates, during which harmful compounds are eliminated.
Sludge disposal
New technologies, which ensure the complete elimination of decomposition products, are not yet used at all treatment facilities. Moreover, such a principle does not always justify itself economically. Therefore, traditional cleaning channels are still common, the operation of which leaves precipitation. New technologies in such processing processes manifest themselves at the final stage of waste disposal. In particular, digesters are used. These are massive reinforced concrete tanks in which biogas is formed by fermentation. As a result, methane fuel is formed, which can later be used in boiler houses instead of traditional fuel. Also, comprehensive wastewater treatment with sludge elimination involves the use of mechanical dehydration methods using special devices - centrifuges, belt or chamber pressing plants. In the future, products of such processing, depending on the chemical composition, can be used in agriculture as fertilizer.
Conclusion
At this stage of the development of sewer systems, many manufacturers solve the problem of a complete transition to one of the cleaning methods. This is due to the fact that the technical organization of several stages of processing contaminated liquids is expensive and requires the connection of large resources during maintenance. As an alternative, a biological sewage treatment plant is considered, which also provides for the functions of mechanical processing, but only as auxiliary steps. However, this option cannot be called universal, since biological aerotanks lose in the efficiency of eliminating harmful particles from the same thermal cleaning. Therefore, it is still advisable to approach the solution of the problem of wastewater treatment through the development of projects that take into account the individual conditions and requirements of the treatment equipment.