Wastewater Treatment, How to Do It Safely and Properly?

In executing the operational processes, an industry is not only responsible for carbon emission reduction but also wastewater treatment. This is important to prevent waste from causing environmental pollution, especially groundwater and water sources used by the community.

Then, how to do wastewater treatment? This article discusses wastewater treatment and the water pollution indicators you can learn. Read the information below!

Why Is Wastewater Treatment Crucial?

Wastewater is water contaminated with various substances, such as chemical, biological, or physical substances, making it unfit for consumption or use without being processed. Generally, wastewater comes from industry, households, agriculture, and so on.

According to Badan Pusat Statistik, in 2022, 77% of industry wastewater has been safely processed in Indonesia. This number is higher than the 2021 data, which was 75%.

Wastewater is hazardous if it is streamed directly to gutters or other waters. Therefore, wastewater treatment must be done responsibly following the procedures. In fact, the Indonesian Government has regulated wastewater treatment in Law Number 32 of 2009.

Besides, below are some reasons why wastewater must be processed appropriately and responsibly:

1. Supporting Public Health

Wastewater containing hazardous contaminants, such as toxic chemicals and bacteria, can cause various diseases if not processed properly. Moreover, when the wastewater is discharged into the surrounding waters and used by the community, they can be exposed to pollutants.

As a result, people using the water can get ill, such as diarrhea, poisoning, or other fatal health problems. Thus, industry, farms, and households must treat wastewater properly.

2. Protecting the Environment

Not only humans, but wastewater treatment also protects the surrounding environment. Wastewater containing hazardous substances streamed right away might pollute the existing ecosystem, such as rivers and lakes.

Consequently, life in the river or lake can be affected. Fish and aquatic plants can die and the water can no longer be used. Additionally, the fish that have become corpses can be dangerous to consume.

3. Using the Resources Efficiently

Proper and responsible wastewater treatment can improve water quality standards in the industrial sector. Companies can use resources efficiently and more economically by reducing waste through proper treatment processes.

Water Pollution Indicators

Now, you already know the importance of wastewater treatment in various sectors. Yet, do you know the indicators of water pollution? In general, the indicators are divided into three: chemical, physical, and bacteriological content. Below is the completed explanation:

1. Chemical Indicator

The chemical indicator can be observed from the chemical substance in the water. Typically, polluted water has hazardous chemical substances and heavy metals. Some polluted water also has similar traits to clean water. However, testing is still critical to prevent the risk of contamination with hazardous substances.

2. Physical Indicator

This indicator reveals water condition from the appearance, such as temperature, odor, color, and turbidity. If the water is polluted, the color may be more muddy than clean water, have a strange odor, be foamy, or have a distinct temperature from normal water.

Please note that the characteristics of consumable clean water according to the World Health Organization are: colorless, has a bland taste, is odorless, is bacteria-free, does not feel sticky when used, has a neutral pH, is free from dangerous chemicals and sediment, and is chemically and microbiologically safe.

3. Bacteriological Content

The next indicator is the presence of bacteria exceeding the threshold. This can be seen from the number of bacteria per certain size and the number of pathogenic, puristic, and coliform.

Wastewater Treatment Process

To manage wastewater, several process stages are required so that the waste can be disposed of safely. Usually, every industry has its own procedures depending on its final aim and the types of waste.

Nevertheless, one of the wastewater treatments commonly carried out in the industry is the Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP). To get to know more about the method, read the explanation below:

1. Gathering Wastewater

The first step is gathering wastewater from channels. Generally, the wastewater channels have been led to the collecting point and stop at the WWTP.

2. Initial Process

Now that the wastewater has reached WWTP, it will be filtered and deposited, the oil and solids will be removed, and the inhibiting materials will be separated. That way, the wastewater is ready for the next step.

3. Biological Process

Waste that has gone through the initial process will be processed biologically by utilizing microorganisms to decompose organic materials in the waste. As a result, the amount of Dissolved Organic Material and nitrogen can be reduced.

4. Chemical Process

After the biological process, the wastewater will be processed chemically to remove the dangerous substances and heavy metals. The wastewater will be directed to the sedimentation and separation of sludge.

5. Sludge Sedimentation

The chemically treated wastewater will be deposited and separated from the sludge formed during the wastewater treatment process. Then, the water will be cleaned of bacteria and viruses in the next stage.

6. Bacteria and Virus Cleansing

This is the last step before the wastewater is streamed or used. The process will clean the water from bacteria and viruses by adding chlorine or using ultraviolet.

7. Disposing of Wastewater

After all the processes above, the wastewater can be disposed of, recycled, or utilized for irrigation. To reach this step, you must ensure that the wastewater is already thoroughly processed and safe.

Those are the information about wastewater treatment you must know. As a final product of manufacturing or operational processes, wastewater can contain hazardous materials with a high risk of polluting the environment and causing disease in living creatures.

That’s why wastewater treatment must be carried out wisely, properly, and responsibly. Just like Chandra Asri Group, this infrastructure, chemical, and energy solution company has efficient wastewater treatment.

The wastewater treatment is carried out through a company affiliated with the Chandra Asri Group, namely PT Krakatau Tirta Industri, which is an industrial water management company.

Chandra Asri Group also calculates the wastewater levels and identifies processes that consume a lot of water so that wastewater can meet standards and be safely discharged into the environment.

Some initiatives carried out by the Chandra Asri Group are recycling water with a Pellet Conveying Water System, optimizing steam consumption, monitoring wastewater with SPARING, optimizing chemical use to reduce waste levels in water, and so on.

Several community empowerment initiatives are also carried out by the Chandra Asri Group, including the installation of wastewater facilities in Cilegon schools, the creation of sustainable solutions to water conservation issues, and many more.