Sewage treatment plants in India play a vital role in helping communities and businesses manage their water resources. STPs improve the availability of water and preserve the environment by removing pollutants from water. In the case of sectors such as hotels, 49% of the water demand is for non-potable water to use for cleaning and gardening activities. This can often be met with recycled water from the sewage treatment plant.
If a sewage treatment plant fails, it could have a serious impact on water availability for businesses, communities, as well the environment!
A large number of sewage treatment plants in India tend to fail due to simple reasons. If the common problems are addressed at early stages, these plants could deliver consistent performance for decades.
The present blog lists such common problems that can be addressed quickly
Lack of air in the aeration system and overheating of blowers
What is the problem: The amount of oxygen in the tank is very low over a long period of time, and the blowers working to supply that oxygen is overheating due to increased load.
Why it occurs: This happens when the STP is receiving more pollutants than its capacity. It could be because the community or business that uses the STP has grown while the STP has not been upgraded. Another reason could be that the piping network and aeration system that feeds the STP has been entranched with pollutants over time.
What can be done: If the STP with this issue is old, acquiring a new plant with higher capacity is effective. However, retrofitting the STP with new technology and upgrades could significantly reduce your cost for repairs. Explore the benefit of retrofitting the STP on our blog here.
If the pipes or aeration elements are entranched, they should be cleaned.
Inovar STPs are backed by annual maintenance contracts to reduce your costs of plant maintenance, and reduce downtime as much as possible.
However, if the amount of oxygen is low in the long term, this can lead to deterioration of drainage parameters, foam formation on the surface and similar problems.
The downstream equipment fails
What is the problem: Waste such as plastic, paper or large non-biodegradable solids enter the downstream equipment, severely limiting its efficiency. Such materials block the pipes and cause wear and tear of other parts of the sewage treatment plants in India.
Why it occurs: The job of filtering large floating solids is done by the screening system in the sewage treatment plant. Often in areas such as hotels or residential societies, the STPs are not started until a considerable amount of sewage is built up. In such cases, the screening system gets clogged. If the plant is not used regularly or ill-maintained, parts of its screening system could break away during operations, leading large solids to flow into the interior of the sewage treatment plant.
What can be done: Regular maintenance of the STP is key to maintaining the efficiency of the screening process. The equipment used in screening should be regularly cleaned with mechanical as well as manual means. Better quality screening systems could be deployed in consultation with the STP manufacturer.
Inovar works closely with clients to understand their requirements and design a customized sewage treatment plant for their application.
We provide all the services related to wear management ranging from feasibility studies to design, manufacturing and maintenance of water treatment systems under one roof.
Strong and widespread odor emanates from STP
What are the problems: The odor terminating from the sewage treatment plant can travel with the wind and become a serious issue for the community.
Why it occurs Elements such as hydrogen sulphide, organic acids and mercaptans in the process water inside the sewage treatment plants in India lead to the rise of strong odor. Hydrogen sulphide is generated by the bacteria present in process water. It is a colorless and extremely corrosive gas which could also lead to the failure of downstream equipment.
What can be done: There are two aspects to solving the odor problem in a sewage treatment plant in India. Firstly, it is vital to identify and neutralize the source of this odor. Identifying the exact source of this odor requires a thorough analysis of the plant, and must be done in consultation with the plant manufacturer.
Next, it is prudent to deploy effective odor-neutralization technology.
Inovar has developed highly effective odor-removal technology which can be deployed with STPs of any size and population capacity.