Sustainable and Affordable Methods to Treat Wastewater

Natural waterways, aquatic biodiversity, and water quality are all negatively impacted by human activity. Certain types of wastewater that are not currently treated, according to Professor Mathieu Lapointe of the Department of Construction Engineering at École de technologie supérieure (ETS),Certain types of wastewater that are not currently treated can be managed globally using more sustainable and cost-effective in-situ technologies.

According to a study undertaken by Professor Lapointe and published in the journal Nature, the rate of discharge of various types of untreated water into the environment—urban and rural runoff, as well as industrial runoff—varies by nation.

Lower-income countries emit more pollution than higher-income countries. Depending on the country, wastewater treatment rates may range from 4% to 95%.

Water treatment plants are not only costly, but they also consume a significant amount of energy. Moreover, they do not address urban waterproofing challenges or the irregular excess rainfall caused by climate change.

Moreover, agricultural and urban runoff is usually regarded insufficiently polluted to warrant the expenditure of hiring traditional treatment plants. As a result, untreated runoff continues to pollute aquatic environments.

Professor Lapointe proposes passive, modular, low-cost, decentralised methods for conserving certain pollutants. These include bioretention cells, aggregate-decant systems, and seepage zones through functionalized soils. He also advises a greater reliance on “passive ecosystem services,” such as oxidation, microorganisms, photodegradation, and inactivation.

To treat waters that are not currently treated due to technol-economic constraints, such as stormwater runoff, government authorities and environmental organisations would be wise to promote passive systems that can be combined or integrated with more traditional wastewater collection and treatment processes.

Although further study is needed to assess the benefits and costs-benefits of this system that combines technology with passive approaches, Professor Lapointe is optimistic about its possibilities.

Source: etsmtl

 

 

 

 

Leave A Reply

Your email address will not be published.