How Wastewater Treatment Plants Work
September 23, 2021
Do you ever wonder how wastewater was treated in the past? Or where is this practice of throwing out rubbish in the sewage sourced from? Check out the history of wastewater treatment plants in the following
In the past, we don’t have advanced wastewater treatment. What we had was merely a drainage system. Even for an ancient city rich in civilization history especially in the exact aspect of engineering like Rome, the native people relied on what was so-called Cloaca Maxima, a stone-made sewer, massive in size that became the passage that channeled drainage water (rainwater that fell onto the roof and down to the pavements) to the Tibet River. The invention was one of the oldest remains from Rome.
History of Wastewater Treatment – Plague Disaster
Things began to change a bit in the middle ages with the growing number of inhabitants. Although they had used cesspools, wastes were mostly thrown at the gutters and let piled up until floods flushing them all away. And again, the gutters connected not to the sewer but the cesspools. When an area is populated and all of the citizens relied on the gutters to dump wastes, it could lead to a major problem. What happened was cesspools at some point became overflowed because they were not emptied frequently. Over time, these horrible conditions caused a plague in the Middle Ages of England. Around the 19th century, cholera befell the country. Human waste polluted the freshwater reservoir. To handle the problem, they decided to link the cesspools to the sewers (they connect directly to the aquatic environment) without any acts on waste treatment. Later on, it brought about another issue and that was contaminated surface water.
History of Wastewater Treatment – Behind the Creation of Sewage Treatment Plants
Mother nature has a way to purify itself, it decomposes the waste into materials safe to be disposed of in the bodies of water. However, it takes time. Given the densely populated areas, nature can’t fight against the large amount on its own. Therefore, pollution is definite. This is the root idea of wastewater treatment prior to the final disposal.
The pestilence was the benchmark of construction of sewage treatment plants to take place amid the late 19th century until the beginning of the 20th century in the UK and the US. The purpose was to pollutant eradication out of the waste before disposing it to the sewage then passed on to the aquatic environment nearby. It required the overall physical, biological, and chemical processes to make the mission a success. The sewage treatment plants were not only collecting waste but they were able to separate between the domestic wastewater and non-sewage stormwater and rainwater. This would prevent overloading processes that may occur within the plants during the rainy season.
Recognizing the importance of wastewater treatment for the environment carried on to the release of certain regulations regarding the procedures to wastewater disposal in the late 1900s. The growing industries had produced more chemical waste. To hinder the hazardous chemicals to interrupt the biological process, it was a tough challenge to achieve that certain level. However, this case was denoted critical and need thorough thinking to devise the solution. Today, this technology has existed and it is possible now to remove every single pollutant there is in the sewage system. This is considered high level thus costs an arm and a leg. Many can’t afford it.
History of Wastewater Treatment - Waste Disposed of in Land then Recycled, Reused, and Reduced
It is a long-term investment when it comes to wastewater treatment plants if we want to achieve a better world where we can save bodies of water comprehensively. However, running the machine does consume a lot of energy and has a complex process. When the fuel, in this case, oil went through a spike of price in the early 1900s, there was a need to create an alternative that can help nature as much. This is where the implementation of land disposal came from. It is much more affordable and it helps in energy conservation. However, when large quantities of wastewater are left untreated, it may penetrate the soil and pollute underground water. At the end of the day, we need to hand in hand to save the world and think of an even better alternative to tackle the issue.
It wouldn’t be surprising after understanding the history of wastewater treatment that our ancestors passed down to us the habit of the reckless garbage disposal to the bodies of water. In some areas, these practices are still happening. We are here to provide the best solution to overcome the worst case of freshwater being no longer in existence by guiding you to our technology. It is already apparent, in fact, in some countries. Some countries, unfortunately, have no access to clean water because most water supplies are infected. Our technology allows us to not only rescue what’s been contaminated but to enhance our clients’ quality of life. It is low-cost and monitoring can be done virtually as well; very practical, indeed.
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