India’s water availability situation is critical due to its geography, rain dependence, population growth, urbanisation, pollution and climate change. The situation is further compounded by depleting freshwater resources and increasing water contamination. Expanding municipal and industrial activities have resulted in a significant increase in the generation of wastewater. In this context, wastewater management is extremely crucial for the economic well-being of India.
As per a recent NITI Aayog report, India has 18 per cent of the world’s population, but only 4 per cent of its water resources, with a large number of Indians facing high to extreme water stress. To address the twin challenges of water availability and wastewater treatment, the government has implemented several initiatives. Their success depends on the deployment of effective technologies for wastewater treatment and reuse. The government has established stringent norms for wastewater management, which are at par with, or, in some cases, more stringent than those prevailing in Europe and other countries. When we discuss wastewater management in India, we need to consider it from the perspectives of norms, awareness and compliance.
Industrial and municipal wastewater treatment technologies
In India’s current scenario, the most reliable source of water is undeniably treated wastewater. This approach addresses both the issue of wastewater management as well as the problem of water availability. Several technologies have emerged to convert wastewater into a valuable water resource. A.T.E. HUBER Envirotech (AHET), a leading wastewater treatment solution provider, offers an array of innovative technologies, including wastewater treatment and zero liquid discharge (ZLD); AAA® for textile wastewater; AVR-HDF® for the dairy industry; AHR for pharma; and SUFRO®.
Zero liquid discharge
ZLD is a treatment in which virtually all dissolved and undissolved impurities are removed from wastewater, resulting in 100 per cent water recovery at the end of the treatment cycle. It is an increasingly popular solution for reducing the water consumption of industries. This system removes all liquid waste from plants. Wastewater can be cleansed and recycled, and the residues concentrated and disposed of as solids.
AHET has successfully implemented many such projects across varied industry verticals around the world. Its success stems from two factors, namely, a vast repository of knowledge about wastewater treatment solutions applicable across industry segments, and a deep process engineering and implementation experience pertaining to cutting-edge treatment methods. This allows AHET to seamlessly integrate the appropriate technologies into the ZLD projects.
India has made commendable progress in reducing industrial freshwater use and wastewater discharge through the adoption of ZLD in most plants built after 2000. However, ZLD technologies are yet to make significant inroads into older plants in India, despite it being the country leading the change in its adoption along with China. The main challenge in the implementation of ZLD is the high cost of operation. However, it is important to consider that the economics of industrial wastewater treatment is changing. In the face of water scarcity, societal pressure, heightened cost of non-compliance, growing customer demand for sustainable practices, etc., industrial wastewater treatment technologies such as ZLD are rapidly becoming a viable proposition.
Against this backdrop, AHET is spearheading ZLD deployment in every industrial segment, such as textiles, pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, chemical and petrochemical, and paper and pulp, to help customers reduce their water footprint. AHET’s ZLD solutions are easy to deploy and have low life cycle costs.
Other technologies
AAA® technology: It is a well proven treatment technology for textile wastewater. AAA reduces chemical consumption and sludge generation by almost 70 per cent with consistent treated effluent quality compared to the conventional treatment process.
AVR-HDF®: It is a unique anaerobic biomethanation technology that is highly successful in degrading fat in the dairy industry.
AHR: A proven technology for the treatment of complex wastewaters from the petrochemical and pharmaceutical industries, AHR is a unique combination of two anaerobic treatment technologies in a single reactor. AHR improves solid retention and enhances treated water quality.
SUFRO®: It is an ultra-high flow submerged ultrafiltration membrane module, which is followed by a reverse osmosis membrane system. SUFRO® ensures simple and hassle-free recycling of wastewater.
AHET has also developed a successful solution using anaerobic and aerobic biological treatment for effluent that contains active pharma ingredients.
In addition, for the municipal segment, AHET offers innovative and highly efficient equipment from its parent, HUBER SE, Germany, which range from headworks to comprehensive sludge management, including faecal sludge treatment. Its solar sludge dryer is a revolutionary product that significantly reduces the cost of sludge management.
Tailor-made solutions based on R&D
Over the years, AHET has invested massively in research and development and pilot trials, which have helped in developing many novel wastewater treatment solutions. These methods largely rely on natural processes for treatment.
Every customer has unique challenges that require individualised solutions. AHET‘s success lies in understanding and addressing its clients’ pain areas through a specialised and holistic approach. Adopting this unique approach, it devises tailor-made solutions for each customer. Vast experience, coupled with domain expertise, allows AHET to bring something unique to the field of wastewater treatment and recycling. With a suite of technologies and services, AHET contributes towards creating sustainable water infrastructure.
Managing sludge with optimised life cycle cost
AHET combines domain expertise in industrial wastewater treatment with experience in project management for the successful execution of many projects in India and worldwide, in more than ten countries. One of the major concerns for the industrial and municipal sector is the disposal of sludge generated from wastewater treatment. Although the treatment technology has moved from physiochemical to biological, which has cut down sludge generation substantially, the quantity of sludge generated is still huge. And it is usually mandatory to send the dewatered sludge to special landfill sites. Ever-increasing transportation and landfilling costs are making sludge disposal unaffordable. The only way to save money is to reduce the weight and volume of the sludge to be transported.
With conventional techniques, achieving even 20 per cent dryness of sludge is difficult, and the situation only worsens during wet weather or monsoons. AHET’s scientifically designed sludge management solutions help to reduce the weight and volume of the sludge significantly, leading to substantially lower sludge disposal cost. Further, reducing the water content of the organic sludge also increases its thermal value. Additionally, industries may be able to utilise the dried sludge as a supplement to other fuels for generating energy, with the permission of local authorities.
The way forward
As technologies continue to evolve and manufacturing processes become more advanced, the composition of wastewater is changing. It is essential, then, to employ robust and effective industrial wastewater treatment in order to manage water quality appropriately. Combining conventional treatments with new technologies opens up possibilities for managing the complexities of wastewater treatment successfully. For instance, traditional methods can reduce organic matter and insoluble solids from coke oven wastewater, whereas new adsorbents can be used to eliminate source-specific elements. This hybrid approach has proven successful in managing even the toughest types of wastewater, enabling them to be recycled.
The best way forward is to adopt and embrace this change for the good of the environment and our future generations. The government needs to develop policies that focus not just on discharge control, but on water consumption as well. Policies that encourage the adoption of clean technologies in manufacturing units must be adopted. For instance, capital/ interest subsidies, tax incentives, etc., may be provided to manufacturers that are environmentally responsible. The Central Pollution Control Board and State Pollution Control Boards should raise awareness about wastewater treatment technologies through seminars, workshops, etc.