Wastewater Management - Methods to Save the Environment

One of the biggest hazards in today’s world is wastewater. Water, when used for various industrial and domestic purposes, accumulates a large amount of waste and dirt that need to be expelled. Not doing so can lead to water becoming an environmental hazard as it interacts with other living organisms in the food chain.

Thus, having a good wastewater management system is a necessity today. There are multiple ways in which wastewater can be treated:

1. Primary treatment of wastewater

One of the key steps in wastewater management is its primary treatment. It requires the wastewater to be placed in a large tank until the heavier solid particles settle at the bottom. Desludging equipment can be used to discharge these waste particles and then the water can be transferred for further treatment. Desludging  includes the following:

A. Use of RDRO Technology: This is technology that allows for the recovery of valuable water from effluents. RDRO combines the powerful facets of reverse osmosis with an ultrafine gravity filter. It also reduces backwash water volume, space and power consumption and allows for at least 85-90% of the treated water to be recycled.

B. Treatment of textile effluents: Companies such as ATE offer their own versions of the AAA technology to treat textile effluents. The technology uses the dissolved air floatation method to get rid of chemicals and other impurities while at the same time producing methane gas which can be used as fuel.

 C. Treatment of dairy and food industry effluents: In the dairy and food industry, the waste material that mixes with water includes substances rich in edible oils, proteins and fats. The wastewater treatment process used here eliminates all impurities and also releases biogas. This makes the entire treatment process energy neutral. Another positive feature of this treatment is the use of jet mixers for removing impurities.

D. Treatment of pharmaceutical wastewater: This is another form of wastewater treatment which utilizes anaerobic processes to enhance water quality. The RO and UF systems ensure greater membrane life and elimination of sludge that could hamper natural water bodies by choking plants and animals.

There are many other forms of wastewater management as well that are available. They use high technology methods to ensure that the water is treated to its maximum. With environmental concerns plaguing a wide range of industries, having a proper wastewater treatment system serves them in good stead, over the long term. Many companies, today, offer specialised, industry-level equipment for treating different forms of wastewater and making them safe for release and use once again.

Heat Recovery systems - an efficient way to reuse energy

Heat Recovery Systems help recycle the energy that is lost during industrial processes. They are generally centralized with exhaust pipes that feed into different rooms to draw out any stale air. It replaces the stale air with cleaner air and ensures that the process is as eco-friendly as possible.

These systems help save on energy bills and also keep home warm and cozy during the winters. The ventilation system makes sure clean, healthy air circulates around the home constantly during the day. Factories and industries utilize heat recovery for making the place more efficient.

What is the mechanism?

The ventilation system which is generally positioned on top of the building can trigger the heat recovery system. It moves the stale air via the many small pipes situated in the plant and draws in cooler air from other ducts. They do not mix physically but the heat is drawn to the cold air from the stale air and re-sent into the rooms. The stale air without the heat is expelled into the atmosphere.
Technology has helped create processes and systems which extract close to 90% of the heat that’s sent back to the fresh air to re-circulate.

Industry-level heat recovery systems

A heat recovery unit that can be used on a big industrial scale can collect all the heat escaping from the large boilers. This heat is generally expelled through a flue present at the top of the boiler. Though most of the new condensing boilers have technology installed, they can be adjusted for older models.

A lot of the heat recovery systems can maintain comfort levels by drawing more heat from hotspots such as a kitchen or any place where temperatures are higher. They can be used to keep offices cool or warm based on the requirement, without opening a window or resorting to more fuel-wasting heaters.

Key features to look out for in a heat exchanger:

Some of the more important features to look out for in a heat exchanger including a low-pressure drop and a flat-plate exchanger for heat. The latter allows for the mixing of the warm air from the exhaust. This warm air goes into the pre-heated cooler inlet valve without mixing the two up.

Companies such as ATE have special heat exchangers such as the LAMIFLOW Heat Recovery System that optimizes this heat energy. In the long run, they will aid large factories to save a considerable amount of energy and play their part in reducing their carbon footprint.

Scientific And Natural Evaporative Cooling

Synonymous to human physical perspiration, industrial evaporative cooling, also known as swamp cooling provides effective cooling solutions. It works by reducing the temperature through evaporation of water, which successfully removes the latent heat from the surface where evaporation takes place. This common scientific process is employed in industrial and domestic cooling systems for outdoor spaces, large indoor areas, and manufacturing units. An evaporative cooling system is capable of cooling millions of square meters of the area using the treated fresh air.

New age evaporative cooling systems

Innovation has led to new age cooling systems that are pure engineering marvels. High-end technology cooling systems also adhere to changing customer needs. A pioneering invention in this field is indirect evaporative cooling that uses DAMA (dry air moist air) as its core technology. A state-of-the-art DAMA heat exchanger is a plate-type polymeric exchanger with cross-flow. This highly optimized heat exchanger allows warm, primary air to flow in enclosed channels, give up its heat and condense to water films that flow down the other side of polymeric plates. A secondary air stream flows in the opposite direction to the water and evaporates it before outdoor exhaustion takes place. Using DAMA, the primary air cools without adding any further moisture.

Four operation principles primarily work in an evaporative cooling system:

1. Indirect Evaporative Cooling (IEC)
2. Direct Evaporative Cooling (DEC)
3. Indirect Direct Evaporative Cooling (IDEC)
4. Indirect Evaporative Cooling and CWC/DX

In the field of comfort cooling, IEC is an innovative and revolutionary change. The operation principle working in IEC allows the primary (warm) air to cool by losing its heat to a thin film of water on the other side of a conducting surface. Next, another stream of air evaporates the water, thereby converting a major part of the sensible heat into latent heat before outdoor exhaustion. The primary air gets cooled without coming into contact with the water stream. IEC reduces the wet bulb temperature, dry bulb temperature, and the primary air’s enthalpy without adding any moisture to it.

Safe and effective 

The question is how eco-friendly are they? Evaporative cooling systems are upgraded by regular research and development for them to remain eco-friendly. Being cost effective and reliable is another important requirement to meet the varied industry demands. Depending on the industry and other coordinates, evaporative coolers can be customized. Also, depending on the installation, process conditions and heat loads may differ.