It’s natural to try to reduce expenses at your facility and look for the cheapest wastewater treatment methods. While the treatment itself is vital, you also have a budget to consider, so you need to think about how you can limit the cost of your operations. Read on to learn more about how this can be achieved.
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On the face of it, the idea of ‘cheapness’ is pretty simple – whatever costs you the least money is the cheapest. While this is true, there’s more to think about here. Wastewater treatment is a results-oriented process. You need to make sure that the effluent that flows out of the treatment facility meets regulatory guidelines. If your facility is the final stage of treatment before the effluent is released to the local water table, this is particularly important, but anyone who engages in wastewater treatment, at any stage, needs to be aware of effluent quality.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) implements a range of guidelines and regulations regarding wastewater effluent. Even if you are only pre-treating your wastewater before releasing it to a municipal facility, the quality of the effluent is important. The EPA’s guidelines specify that industrial and commercial wastewater must meet certain standards before it enters a municipal facility, and business owners and pre-treatment facility managers assume responsibility for this.
In other words, the cheapest wastewater treatment technology is not just the technology with the lowest cost – it needs to be effective too, meeting your specialized needs. Bear this in mind when you consider the cheapest wastewater treatment technologies available to you.
Let’s take a look at some low-cost treatment options you can use within your own wastewater setup. Bear in mind that these treatment methods might not be appropriate for all types of wastewater or for all industries. Make sure you are aware of the nature and chemistry of your own wastewater so you know which methods you can deploy.
The Imhoff tank takes its name from its inventor, Karl Imhoff. Imhoff originally produced the tank in his native Germany but brought the design to the United States in 1907. The tank combines the sedimentation and sludge digestion of water treatment in a single tank, split into two chambers. The upper chamber handles the liquid effluent that flows into and out of it, while the solid sludge slides down the sloping walls of the tank and drops into the lower chamber.
While the Imhoff tank has largely been superseded, its simple design makes this a viable cheap wastewater treatment option. It is also a better option than the septic tank design that preceded it. As a result, Imhoff tanks are still found in some wastewater treatment applications around the USA.
Phytodepuration is an important concept for those considering cheap wastewater treatment options. This essentially means the “intentional use of a plant to remove toxins from soils, sludges, sediments, surface water, and groundwater.” One of the best ways to achieve this is through a wetland system.
After the wastewater has passed through the settling tank, it enters a wetland area. Within this wetland area, organic plant life is cultivated to assist with the digestion of the waste. At the other end, cleaned effluent can be released, while residual waste is pumped back to the beginning of the wetland for recirculation. These wetlands may be specially constructed or may be natural, but they must be regulated to prevent untreated waste from escaping from the controlled environment.
Another cheap wastewater treatment option is a system of ponds. Wastewater enters the first pond, where the sludge is drained off. The wastewater then enters a second pond, which fills until the least dense liquid at the surface of the pond overflows into the third stage – the maturation pond. Here, a filter provides a final stage of cleaning before the effluent enters the outflow channel.
Facilities with larger volumes of wastewater can also use this system, although the larger ponds are generally referred to as lagoons. As ponds and lagoons require less investment in infrastructure, they are generally lower-cost options than other treatment types.
Adsorption is the process of transferring atoms or molecules from a liquid substance to a solid surface. The value of this transfer in wastewater treatment is clear – it can remove traces of heavy metals and other harmful materials at the molecular level.
Deploying adsorption within a wastewater treatment facility does not need to be expensive. You can use materials such as sawdust within a filtration device, completing the adsorption process. It’s important to understand the specific types of molecules and atoms you want to remove, and to select the adsorption material accordingly.
Filtering wastewater through a relatively low-cost material such as sand can be a viable treatment method. Sand is useful in removing pathogens from the water as it passes through, but – as with the adsorption method mentioned above – you may need to research the pathogens you are working with and utilize appropriate filtration media to remove these.
It may be necessary to use other methods alongside the sand filtration. For instance, chlorination can be used to further remove pathogens from treated water without increasing the cost too much.
While limestone treatment is not a standalone water purification method, it does have its uses. When wastewater comes into contact with limestone, its pH is raised, reducing the acidity of the eventual effluent.
If you have been experiencing issues with acidity in the wastewater, running the water across limestone slabs may be valuable. However, you will probably have to use other methods alongside the slabs before the effluent is of a quality that can be released.
Here at Chemtech, we are committed to helping our customers reduce the cost of wastewater treatment without cutting back on efficiency and efficacy. Take a look at our wastewater treatment product range and find solutions that will help you optimize your treatment facility and the quality of your effluent. To learn more, reach out to our team today.
If you’re seeking the easiest way to get filtered drinking water at home, we recommend the Brita Elite Filter , to be paired with the 10-cup Brita Standard Everyday Pitcher or (if your household goes through lots of water) the 27-cup Brita Ultramax Water Dispenser . But before you opt for any of these, know that after almost a decade of covering home water filtration, we believe under-sink or faucet-mount filters are a far better option. They last longer, deliver clean water more quickly, can reduce a broader range of contaminants, are less prone to clogging, and take only minutes to install.
The LifeStraw dispenser is reliably tested to remove dozens of contaminants, including lead, with a filter far more resistant to clogging than any other we’ve tested.
Brita’s dispenser holds enough water for a large household’s daily needs, and its spill-resistant spigot is simple enough for children to use.
Brita’s iconic pitcher in many ways defines the filter-pitcher category, and it’s easier to operate and keep clean than Brita’s many other models.
Link to UVDF
This model has more than 30 ANSI/NSF certifications—the most of any filter of its type—and is rated to last six months between replacements. But like all filters, it can clog up.
Brita’s best-performing filter, the Brita Elite Filter is ANSI/NSF-certified for more contaminants than any other gravity-fed filter we’ve tested, including lead, mercury, cadmium, PFOA and PFAS, and multiple industrial compounds and “emerging contaminants” that are increasingly found in tap water. It’s also rated to perform for 120 gallons or six months, which is three times the rated lifespan of most other filters. This can make the Elite cheaper to use in the long run than the more common two-month filters. However, sediment in your water can clog it before the six months are up. If you know your tap water is clean but just want it to taste better—especially if it has a chlorine flavor—the Brita Standard Pitcher and Dispenser Filter costs less and clogs less easily, but it isn’t certified for lead or any industrial compounds.
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SKIP ADVERTISEMENTAmong Brita’s many pitchers, the 10-cup Brita Standard Everyday Pitcher is our favorite. A nook-and-cranny-free design makes it easier to clean than other Brita pitchers, and its one-handed thumb-flip cap makes refilling simpler. Its curved, C-shaped handle is more comfortable than the angular, D-shaped handles on most Brita pitchers, too.
The Brita Ultramax Dispenser holds about 27 cups of water (18 in the filter tank, and nine or 10 more in reserve in the upper fill reservoir). Its narrow design economizes on fridge space, and its spigot snaps closed when you’re done pouring, preventing spills. It’s a convenient way to keep an ample supply of cold, filtered water at hand.
The LifeStraw dispenser is reliably tested to remove dozens of contaminants, including lead, with a filter far more resistant to clogging than any other we’ve tested.
$65
fromAmazon
We ran 2.5 gallons of heavily rust-contaminated water through the LifeStraw Home Dispenser, and although it slowed slightly by the end, it never stopped filtering. For anyone who has experienced clogging with another water filter—including our top-pick Brita Elite—or who is looking for a solution to known rusty or otherwise sediment-rich tap water, it’s our clear pick. The LifeStraw also has four ANSI/NSF certifications (for chlorine, taste and odor, lead, and mercury), and it’s been independently tested by certified labs to meet multiple additional ANSI/NSF purification standards.
Tested in accordance with NSF/ANSI standards, the filter’s Dexsorb material efficiently captures multiple forever chemicals (PFAS), including PFOA and PFOS.
$40
fromCyclopure
Cyclopure’s Purefast filter uses the same material, Dexsorb, that is used by some treatment plants to remove forever chemicals, or PFAS, from public water supplies. It fits in the Brita pitcher and dispenser that we recommend. Rated to last for 65 gallons, in our tests it filtered quickly and did not appreciably slow down over time, though like any gravity-fed filter, it could become clogged if you have a lot of sediment in your water. The filter also comes with a prepaid envelope; send the used filter back to Cyclopure and they’ll process it in a way that destroys any PFAS it captured, meaning they cannot leach back into the environment. Brita itself does not approve any third-party filters, but given that both the Purefast filter and the Dexsorb material are NSF/ANSI certified for PFAS reduction, we are confident in recommending it. Just be aware that it only captures PFAS and chlorine; if you’re concerned about other things, too, look to the Brita Elite instead.
Contact us to discuss your requirements of water purifier equipment for sale. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.