To keep up with the growing problem of wastewater disposal, there
are more and more methods that have been developed to treat it.
Nowadays, wastewater is not wasted away and dumped, not if it can
be helped anyway. For as long as it can be treated, wastewater is
continuously recycled. One of the more usual ways of wastewater
treatment is through
remediation. Remediation is the process that
removes pollution or contaminants from groundwater through the use
of microorganisms, or rather, the introduction of microorganisms
into the water. There are some common wastewater problems that have
better effects with remediation than any other wastewater treatment
method. Below, we show you some of them.
1. Iron and Steel Industries wastewater- The growing need for more
iron and steel have given way to the production of more iron, steel
and other metals. Part of the production of iron from iron ores
need powerful reduction reactions in blast furnaces. The cooling
waters that are used to cool the iron become contaminated with
chemicals like cyanide and ammonia in the process. When coal is
produced, water used to cool it down can also release toxic
by-products into the water. When this water goes into the general
water stream and left untreated, it may contaminate the water with
many complex organic compounds known as polycyclic aromatic carbons
or PAHS. PAHs can be dangerous, if left untreated, so
remediation is definitely required for the waste
from these industries.
2. Mines and quarries- Mines and quarries used to be located miles
away from residential areas, but these days, more and more people
are living in mining towns. The wastewater that is gathered from
mining can come from the washing and grading processes that happen
in the mines, or from rainwater dropping down on exposed rock
areas. Because of the exposure, the wastewater from these areas
will contain traces of surfactants and haematite. Other dangerous
chemicals that have been reported include certain oils and
hydraulic oils. Again, remediation is the most effective method
applied so that these contaminants are removed and the water in the
area is made potable again.
3. Food industry waste- in the effort to keep the food that we eat
as clean as possible, agricultural and food operations, in turn,
produce a lot of wastewater. The wastewater from this industry have
its own special set of characteristics. This kind of wastewater may
be biodegradable and non toxic but it still usually contains high
amounts of biochemical oxygen demand and suspended solids.
Particulate matter and surfactants are other contaminants that have
been found in the water. A certain kind of remediation can
successfully remove the contaminants from food industry
wastewater.
Everywhere we are, we always run the risk of being exposed or
taking in wastewater. In a way, we have to be thankful to
wastewater techniques such as remediation have been refined and
continuously protect us from wastewater contamination!
Date Published: Feb 21, 2011 - 9:16 am