WASTEWATER is collected in the equalisation pond and passed trough series of process equipments. Harmful organic/colloidal contents in the water are separated out in the first phase of treatment and the inorganic content in the water are separated in the second part of the process. Ultra filtration technology is used to remove harmful suspended matter in the water which can cause damage to reverse osmosis membrane. Series of reverse osmosis units are used to recover water from the waste water. The product water is better in terms of quality than the raw water to the plant.

The water recovered in the process is 90-95% of the inlet water to the plant. It means only 5-10% water is the waste water which is treated further for evaporation.

The remaining wastewater is treated using different technology for converting it to solid waste which can be used for land filling activities.

Forbes Pro Water Projects also uses latest technologies such as Membrane Bio Reactor to recycle the sewage water and industrial wastewater from the plant to recycle back to process use.

Broadly the process used for this are

1. Solar Pond Evaporation
2. Mechanical Evaporation using solar pond
3. Thermal Evaporation

The principle of “zero discharge” is recycling of all industrial wastewater. The zero discharge system essentially ensures no discharge of pollutants into the environment and recovery of water. There are different processes used to recycle wastewater for reuse.

Solar Pond Evaporation

The objective of the system is to evaporate the waste water using solar energy for solid wastes disposal option. The high TDS (total dissolved solids) water will be pumped into the solar evaporation pond. Due to natural evaporation process the solids concentration takes place.

Once the concentration is reached the form of salt solids gets separated out and the salt is taken out by scrapping the solar pond.

Solar Pond with Mechanical Evaporation

The objective of the system is to concentrate the rejects or high TDS streams and make it in the solids/slurry form. The slurry/solids can be disposed off by the Hazardous Solid wastes Disposal option.

The high TDS water will be pumped into the solar evaporation pond. In the first phase of the solar ponds, the pumps re-circulate the rejects a number and increase in the solids concentration takes place.

Once the concentration is reached where the liquid cannot be pumped or recirculated, the concentrated liquor The water recovered in the process is 90-95% of the inlet water to the plant. It means only 5-10% water is the waste water which is treated further for evaporation. is taken to the Auxiliary ponds and allowed to dry naturally. In these ponds, no recirculation takes place.

Thermal Evaporation

Normally RO reject water contains minerals & salts in huge quantity. So we cannot directly let this water into the environment. It needs to be treated and made suitable as per environmental conditions. For that we use Thermal evaporation method to recycle the RO reject water.

Reject water is collected into balance tank and fed into pre-heaters (type of shell & tube heat exchangers) where it is heated up to 70-80oC with calendria chest vapours to provide the initial preheating at cheaper cost.

After evaporation, liquid is separated into vapours & concentrated liquid. Vapours are collected in vapour separators and concentrated liquid is again fed into next calendria for heating. This process is repeated until final concentrated slurry is left. This slurry could be used for land filling

Financial Advantage

Zero liquid discharge minimizes the consumption of freshwater as the cost of treated water is 50% less than the fresh water intake; therefore by reuse of wastewater it helps relieve freshwater availability limitations in places where it is scarce or expensive thus considerable savings are realized and that resulted in a moderate payback period. In addition, elimination of liquid discharge also helps towards the need to comply with increasingly stringent environmental restrictions.

Environmental Impact

Purchased water, wastewater treatment and disposal costs are significant; thus, savings associated with minimized new water requirement and wastewater flows can justify capital expenditures to minimize. In the case of new constructions, zero liquid discharge can save money on real estate costs, since location near a suitable water resource would not be necessary.

Water pollution in India is posing a significant threat to human health. Large volume of unprocessed wastewater is being discharged by industries into fresh water sources, resulting in frequent outbreaks of waterborne diseases and environmental degradation. While the overall investment potential of the Indian water sector is estimated to be about $130 billion by 2030, the total water and wastewater treatment market alone would be worth about $420 million, with an annual growth rate of 18%. The Wastewater treatment industry in India is definitely looking to grow rapidly in the coming years.

TECHNICALLY, WASTEWATER treatment process comprises chemical, biological and physical treatment. Various chemicals are used at the initial stage to oxidize the soluble organic compounds. Chemical reactions are much faster than the biological process as the latter requires huge retention time that allows live biomass (Bacteria, Bio-phage, Protozoa, Rotifers, or Fungi) to produce thousands of extracellular enzymes suitable to degrade the remaining organic matters coming out or un-oxidized compounds from a chemical reaction.

There are several biological processes as well, which are being used for wastewater treatment. The process implemented depends on the nature of pollutants and on the stringent discharge norms laid down by Pollution Control Boards. Clear understanding is essential for selecting suitable biological processes and we need to understand the nature of effluent to be treated and the end use of the treated effluent.

The biological process is selected based on the nature of raw materials being used in the manufacturing process of the products like, organic solvents, fats, alcohol, humic acid, tannins, dyes and intermediates , All manufacturing ingredients (API) among others. Such manufacturing products require more retention time in order to complete degradation process. Therefore, it is advisable to adopt the combination of biological processes like, moving bed bioreactor (MBBR) with Activated Sludge Process (ASP) or Moving Bed Bio Reactor (MBBR) with Sequential batch reactor (SBR). These combinations are also economically viable. However, ASP though is proven biological process may become expensive in Capital expenditure (CAPEX) & operating expenses (OPEX).

Significance

The biological process becomes an imperative and integral part of the wastewater treatment for municipal as well as industrial purposes. Each of the pollutants in the form of Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) or chemical oxygen demand (COD) requires selective enzymes that are being secreted outside the cell of biomass. The process gets completed by a series of such selective enzymes over a designed period of retention time. This leads to significant reduction in BOD or COD by biological process in comparison to the chemical treatment. Moreover, selection and the combination of biological processes have a greater advantage over conventional treatment processes.

In terms of both operational as well as capital costs for thermal oxidation, the biological process is far superior to other processes like chemical treatment. More is the chemical utilization, more is the sludge production. This makes the total treatment expensive and questionable too. It is, therefore, essential to select and make the biological process much stronger with an aim to eliminate chemical treatment.

Types of biological processes

Membrane Bio-Reactor – The advanced biological process called ‘Membrane Bio-Reactor’ (MBR) is being implemented on a huge scale these days. Although it avoids ultra-filtration (UF) for the downstream membrane process, there are several disadvantages of this sophisticated technology and therefore it becomes limited.

Moving bed Bio-reactor ( MBBR): The process follows the same principal as of trickling filters in early 80’s and 90’s centuries. The thin bio-film is developed on some HDPE/PVC media and will not generate Mass liquor suspended solids (MLSS) as observed in other biological processes like ASP/ SBR/MBR etc.

The developed bio-film contains 90-92% of biomass that is composed of bacteria, rotifers, planktons among others and has a long age. The bio-film degrades organic matter as a source of carbon and energy and the process of degradation reaches up to 90-95%. The end user can expand the capacity of production without any additional civil units in effluent treatment with MBBR as a biological process. It also requires 45% lesser foot print as compared to the foot print required by other biological processes.

The developed bio-film contains 90-92% of biomass that is composed of bacteria, rotifers, planktons among others and has a long age.

In few cases, a combination of aerobic processes like, MBBR and Integrated Fixed Film Activated Sludge (IFAS) will have better impact as compared to other biological processes, although the latter process requires lower capital cost and mainly applicable when the stringent norms of amonical nitrogen and other nutrients like phosphorous are required to be maintained.

Activated Sludge Process – The ‘Activated Sludge Process’ (ASP) is a proven process that has been in practice for well over a century. However, ASP may not be a suitable process where the discharge norms are more stringent.

Several advanced biological processes are adopted when such stringent norms are to be adhered to. Selection of the process is also based on the end use of treated water. The conventional processes like, ASP or ‘Sequential Batch Reactor’ (SBR) that have been proven for municipal wastewater treatment may not be suitable for many industrial applications.

Anaerobic Processes – The biodegradation processes gets hampered at several stages because of two major reasons – increase in hydraulic load and thus increase in organic load simultaneously. In such a scenario, the selection of biological process becomes very important. The process selected should be one that can handle such abnormal shock loading. In many cases, the anaerobic process like ‘Upflow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket’ (UASB) fails due to lack of an understanding of the parameters. Therefore, the application of UASB becomes limited. It is common practice everywhere to promote and implement UASB for the effluent contains higher COD/BOD load but it is very much essential to understand other important parameters which hamper any of the three stages of biomethanation completely.

Selective Bacterial Culture-The concept of selective bacterial culture adopted for seeding purposes would not be successful for a long term. This is primarily because in biodegradation, one organic compound will produce thousands of other metabolites everyday till the end product H2O and CO2 are formed. Each of the products synthesized during the chain of biodegradation processes requires selective enzymes and these selective enzymes will be extra-cellular produced by selective bacteria only. Therefore, the start-up process in any of the biological process is a skill that will successfully work if proper bacterial or biomass growth phase is well understood and maintained scientifically. It is also proven that longer the age of biomass, the higher is the degradation capacity. The pollutants which are slow degrader need to be treated by MBR, where the biomass concentration is always > 8000 ppm, or by a series of MBBR or with MBBR/ASP combination.

It is observed in many cases that higher the Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) concentration more is the danger for biological process. However, it is always advisable to understand the hardness of wastewater rather than TDS. We have two National Patents on textile dye bath effluent treatment wherein the conventional ASP is working at a very high pH of 11-12 while leaving the treated effluent from secondary clarifier at pH of 7.8-8. This is because of the alkalophilic bacterial mass which was naturally enriched and cultivated in the aeration tank.

The concept is eliminating chemical treatment completely and therefore chemical sludge becomes ‘zero’. However, the waste biomass generated from the aeration tank contains very high calorific value as good as of Indian lignite.

Powdered Activated Carbon – The application of ‘Powdered Activated Carbon’ (PAC) in the aeration tank is the most proven technology that avoids shock loading during the process and help biomass to self sustain under nutrient starved conditions like, continuous less feed and effluent lacking nutrients accidently in the existing effluent treatment plant. It is observed that powered activated carbon (PAC) ranging from 80-200 micron and the selection will be carried on based on the nature of effluent to be treated.

The biological process is significant in treating wastewater effectively. The various processes and techniques not only save time, but also make the task cost efficient. Always focus on short listing and working out three to four feasible processes. It is important to compare and analyze all the options independently. This practice will prove beneficial as this will enable you to understand the processes and implement the same in your projects effectively, thereby, avoiding mismanagement.

Zero waste seems difficult simply because our civilization is so set in consumerism that one cannot imagine living otherwise. There is also a lot of misunderstanding about wastefree living – people tend to think that it costs more and takes more time. My vocation today is to shatter these misconceptions.

I once urged my husband to compare bank statements from 2005 (pre Zero Waste life) with 2010 (when we had already adopted Zero Waste as a lifestyle). He found out that we were saving 40% on annual household costs by living this way.

Voluntary simplicity has changed our daily routine, as even cleaning the house only takes a few minutes each day. It makes our housework and professional work much more efficient.

Simple Actions

What my family does to generate only a one quart size jar of trash per year is not that complicated. We simply follow a set of `5 in order, and so can you if you are looking to reduce your waste.

• Refuse what we do not need (for eg., single use plastics, junk mail and freebies)
• Reduce what we do need (furnishings, clothes)
• Reuse by buying second-hand and swapping disposables for reuse (that includes shopping with reusable material such as cloth bags, jars and bottles)
• Recycle what we cannot refuse, reduce or reuse
• Rot (compost) the rest (fruit peels, lint, hair or floor sweepings).

The most important thing one can do to stop waste and clutter from entering their home is to simply say no! Think before accepting something that is handed out to you. Turn down flyers, freebies, party favours, business cards, single use plastics (such as plastic bags), and fight junk mail. They are a waste of resources and once they are brought into our home, they add to the clutter and require effort to dispose them later.

Going zero waste

It is downsizing that triggered our rethinking. Our transformation was not overnight, but rather gradual. It took two years for us to go from living in a large home to choosing a more environmental-friendly way of living. It also required finding a system that works for us, which meant researching, testing, and then adopting waste-free alternatives.

Our biggest challenge was finding balance, figuring out what works for us and what does not. Since 2009, we found that for Zero Waste to be sustainable in a household, one has to adopt alternatives that fits his/her schedule and are feasible in the long run!

Be a leader

The best way to inspire others is to live by example. Don’t wait for change to just happen, “Be the change that you wish to see in the world”. Adopt the Zero Waste lifestyle and others around will follow your lead.

Since 2009, my family’s zero waste lifestyle has inspired thousands throughout the world to follow our lead. It really is humbling! We never expected to start such a movement.

Bea’s Tips for Zero Waste

Kitchen

• Use alternatives to disposables such as reusable rags
• Compost kitchen waste

Bathroom

• Use an alum stone or straight baking soda as antiperspirant.
• For shaving, (re)use a safety razor
• To exfoliate, use bulk baking soda. For a mask, use bulk clays (French, Kaolin, Bentonite, etc…), mixed with water or apple cider vinegar.
• Reduce your cosmetics and instead use homemade substitutes.
• In lieu of disposable feminine products, invest in menstrual cup and reusable liners
• For your nails, use a nail clipper, stainless steel file and homemade balm for moisture and shine
• Earbuds are best avoided
• Hair and nail clippings can also be composted

Cleaning

• Use a metal scrubber on stainless, a wooden brush for light scrubbing, old toothbrush for hard to reach places and rags for everything else
• Use rags on your un-washable messes (wax / auto grease / glue / caulk)
• Let houseplants absorb toxins and clean your air. Open a window instead of plugging in an air freshener
• Laundry washing once a week saves time and dryer energy costs
• Iron fewer things and use a homemade starch in a stainless spray bottle

Dining and Entertaining

• Use ceramic dishes and cloth napkins at all times.
• Avoid the use of serving platters / dishes: When serving straight onto dinner plates, it simplifies,saves water from extra cleaning, and it allows for a plate presentation.
• Find creative ways to decorate your table with few napkin folding tricks, discarded leaves /branches from the yard, or just seasonal fruit…
• Stop buying CD and DVD’s – download music and videos online.
• Educate your friends about your zero waste efforts (so they don’t bring waste into your home)

Office

• Refuse, and therefore help stop the madness of the free-pen / free-pencil give-aways
• Use refillable pens, piston fountain pens, mechanical pencils, refillable white board markers and donate extra office material (paper, pencils) to your need schools
• Start your personal junk mail war, cancel your phone directories, and sign up for electronic bills and statements
• Reuse single-side printed paper for printing or making notepads held by a metal clip, reuse junkmail response envelopes and when buying new paper, choose recycled and packaged in paper
• Ditch the trash can, strive to use your compost and recycling bins exclusively.
• Reuse paper clips instead of staples
• Use your library to read business magazines and books, sell your books or donate them to your library for other people to enjoy
• Use memory sticks and external drives instead of CDs

Closet

• Stick to minimal wardrobes, shoes and purses.
• Only shop a couple times a year to avoid compulsive buys.
• Buy second-hand clothing
• If you must buy new, buy quality with minimal tags (leave the shoe box at the store).
• Be ruthless on fit, if it fits well, you’re most likely to wear it.
• Bring a reusable bag for your purchases.
• Donate unworn pieces.
• Keep some of your worn-out clothes for rags and label the rest as “rags” for Goodwill to recycle.
• Learn of few sewing tricks (like shortening a hem or darning).
• You can also… take it to the tailor for a better fit so you’ll actually wear it, and keep a handkerchief in your purse / bag…

Medication

• Keep only a minimal supply, so you can see what you have.
• You can also… reconsider your true need for vitamins (as opposed to a healthy varied diet) and use sunscreen moderately (you don’t want skin cancer or vitamin D deficiency)…

Acquires Additional 54% Stake from Founders and India Value Fund Advisors (IVFA); Founders and IVFA to Stay Invested as Minority Shareholders

In a strategic move to strengthen its water and waste-water management business in India and neighboring countries, Toshiba Corporation, a Fortune Global 500 company, recently announced acquisition of a majority stake in UEM India Private Limited (UEM), an international water services company, from the Founders and IVFA. Toshiba acquired additional 54% stake to become the majority owner with 80% shareholding in UEM; IVFA and the founding member, Krishan Kshetry remain invested as minority shareholders. The current Management Team at UEM would continue to run the operations of the Company.

Speaking on the development, Mr. Hirofumi Yoshino, Vice President, Water & Environmental Systems Division, Toshiba Corporation acknowledged, “Water treatment is a strategic growth area for Toshiba, and UEM is a highly respected player in the water treatment business with vast experience in delivering complex, turnkey projects around the world. After Toshiba acquired 26% strategic stake in March 2014, UEM won some additional orders by synergies with Toshiba, for water and wastewater treatment plants from Japanese companies in India and other clients abroad. With this recent enhanced relationship, we will bring in our expertise and global access to enable UEM to become one of the leaders in global water treatment industry.”

The new UEM Board will be expanded to include six directors from Toshiba. While Koichi Matsui would be the Chairperson and Managing Director from Toshiba, Founder Krishan Kshetry and Satish Chander from IVFA will also be on the Board.

Vishal Nevatia, Managing Partner, IVFA said “It has been a fulfilling journey for IVFA with UEM and Mr. Krishan Kshetry. Our team has been intensely involved with the Company over the last few years and we have built a team and business capability that we are extremely proud of. Over the last one year, IVFA has had a good working relationship with Toshiba on overseeing the business and we believe that Toshiba is a great partner who can take UEM to the next level of becoming a global leader in water treatment”

Toshiba has been Japan’s leading manufacturer of electrical system for water supply and sewerage facilities for over 40 years. The company has also expanded the business into overseas markets, including China and Indonesia. Toshiba recognizes India as a promising country for developing water-related business in the future.

“Strategic control in UEM will enable Toshiba to bring in synergies with its other businessand enable UEM to become one of the Global leaders in Water and Waste Water Management Business. Toshiba ownership will open doors to new geographies and new business segments which UEM can address through its cost advantage and vast experience in delivering complex, turnkey services”, added Mr. Yoshino.

“I am very much looking forward to spearhead UEM Group, an international multi-disciplinary environmental services company. With the synergy between Toshiba and UEM, we have a unique opportunity to deliver breakthrough technologies and quality control that will bring greater value to our clients, employees, investors and other stakeholders.”

Koichi Matsui,
Chairperson and Managing Director,
UEM

Two young graduates have launched a unique trash bin that flashes an  access code the moment one dumps trash into the bin. Prateek Agarwal  and Raj Desai initiated the Wifi Trash Bin to give free internet facility to  people in exchange of a cleaner surrounding.

Mumbai-based self-taught programmers, Prateek and Raj realised that keeping surroundings clean needed apart from a difference in structure, a change in the attitude of people.

The duo hit upon the idea at a music festival – a haven for food, drinks  and of course a lot of garbage. It triggered the idea to provide free WiFi  to people using hotspots. Keeping the place clean and helping to  connect with their friends were the driving force behind their innovative project.

The self-funded experiment with support from operator MTS proved to  be a success at the various Weekender Festivals held in Bangalore, Kolkata and Delhi. The venture, though not operative now aims to satisfy the need of Internet at every step in the modern day world.

The duo tend to setup a network of WiFi bins thus helping to bring about a behavioral redesign among people.

The venture was recently showcased at “Networked India”, a unique initiative by Ericsson and CNN-IBN that aims to identify and facilitate clutter-breaking innovations in the field of connectivity and mobility.