What is Wastewater Treatment Tanks and Why Do We Use Them?

Wastewater Treatment Plants

Most homes and businesses send their wastewater to a treatment plant where many pollutants are removed from the water. Wastewater treatment facilities in the United States process approximately 34 billion gallons of wastewater every day. Wastewater contains nitrogen and phosphorus from human waste, food and certain soaps and detergents. Once the water is cleaned to standards set and monitored by state and federal officials, it is typically released into a local water body, where it can become a source of nitrogen and phosphorus pollution.

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Some wastewater treatment plants are able to remove more nitrogen and phosphorus from their discharges than others depending on their equipment and how they treat wastewater. Enhanced treatment systems enable some wastewater plants to produce discharges that contain less nitrogen than plants using conventional treatment methods. Upgrading wastewater treatment systems is often expensive for municipalities and rate payers, but upgrades can pay for themselves or end up saving a plant money. Other treatment plants are able to adjust operations and repurpose existing equipment to remove additional nutrients. This approach, often referred to as optimization, is usually much less expensive than upgrades, and for many plants can result in cost savings by reducing energy demand and treatment chemicals. In some cases, optimization along with further technology upgrades may be necessary to achieve the nutrient reduction goals of the plant. Various strategies to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus loads from wastewater treatments plants are being pursued across the country.

More detailed information on nutrient removal technology and costs:

• Fact Sheets Related to the National Study of Nutrient Removal and Secondary Technologies
• Reports on Nutrient Pollution Control

Septic Systems

Approximately 20 percent of homes in the United States use septic systems that locally treat their wastewater. When a septic system is improperly managed, elevated nitrogen and phosphorus levels can be released into local water bodies or ground water. An estimated 10 to 20 percent of septic systems fail at some point in their operational lifetimes. Common causes of septic system failure include aging infrastructure, inappropriate design, overloading with too much wastewater in too short a period of time and poor maintenance.

Homeowners are responsible for maintaining their septic systems in most cases. To protect and maintain their system, homeowners should:

It is a misconstrued assumption to refer to septic tanks and wastewater treatment plants as one and the same, when in fact they are two very distinct entities that both serve the purpose of purifying waste. They are actually two wastewater treatment steps that are crucial and dependable. When discussing wastewater treatment, we should always look at the process as a whole. That’s why we wanted to explain it to you step by step.

If you're looking for an environmentally friendly way to dispose of wastewater, you may be wondering if a septic tank is a right option for you. This blog post will discuss the differences between septic tanks and wastewater treatment plants. Let’s start with septic tanks.

1) Primary tanks (or septic tanks):

Primary tanks are conceived for the very first step of every wastewater treatment system. If we want to purify the wastewater that comes out of our homes, we obviously need to contain it, which is the first job of a septic tank. More importantly, the primary tank will provide enough time for wastewater to settle and clarify. This is why they are often referred to as "primary clarifiers" or "settling tanks".

Ever wondered what exactly is meant by clarifying sewage water? Gravity adds its own force to the process, separating fats, oils, greases, and organic particles from the wastewater. It's a straightforward solution with great results!

While a septic tank shares similarities with the primary stage of wastewater treatment, it isn't sufficient to qualify as an effective water treatment plant. Wastewater treatment plants contain more than one phase: there's always an additional process following the initial step. Therefore, a septic tank cannot be used as a wastewater treatment plant.

However, for better water purification, it is possible to retrofit most of the septic tanks with a wastewater treatment plant (see our ECOROCK solution). The following points will help you understand the difference in detail.

When the untreated wastewater enters the tank, heavier solids will settle below while fats and oils float up top. This allows for the separation of any organic components before passing through a highly-efficient effluent filter that ensures only water continues onto the treatment unit.

2) Wastewater treatment plant (or treatment unit):

The wastewater treatment unit or wastewater treatment plant is where the real water treatment takes place. There are several types of treatments that can be used, but the principle remains the same across most systems.

Additional reading:
The Ultimate Guide to Filtering: Which Cloth is Best for Filtering?

For more information, please visit Wastewater Treatment Tanks.

At BIOROCK, we’ve developed a pretty unique bacteria carrier that’s made out of minerals. Why? Because inorganic media are as effective as organic ones, except they last longer in time.

3) What are the differences in terms of quality, maintenance, and consumption?

a) Purification performances:

The purification performance is by far the most important difference between septic tanks and wastewater treatment plants. Effluent is wastewater that flows out of a treatment plant. A septic tank specifically collects fats, oils, and solids; however, its effluent requires additional purification in order to prevent any hazardous contaminants from entering the environment

A wastewater treatment plant is an optimal choice for water purification with an all-in-one system. Its effluent has no environmental impact and can be released into nature or used for irrigation purposes. At BIOROCK, we care about protecting our planet, and we offer a range of sewage treatment plants with a treatment efficiency of around 99%.

b) Treatment capacity:

Unlike a septic tank, wastewater treatment plants can easily treat massive loads of wastewater and even ‘shock loads’ with convenience. Our sewage treatment plants are designed in such a way that they can serve from a 4-persons system to up to 300-person systems.

c) Electricity consumption:

Septic tanks are the obvious choice here since they do not require any electricity. Nevertheless, to ensure thorough water purification, you must install a treatment plant along with your septic tank.

At BIOROCK, we have revolutionized wastewater treatment with our non-electric sewage treatment plants. Our technology eliminates the need for electricity, allowing us to provide a cost-effective and eco-friendly solution without compromising performance or efficacy. In comparison to traditional wastewater treatments that rely on electrical power, our natural ventilation process substantially reduces operating costs while still providing exceptional results. Besides, if there is a need to increase ventilation, our wind-driven ventilators are there to assist.

d) Emptying intervals:

In comparison to septic tanks that need desludging every 6-12 months, BIOROCK wastewater treatment plants will only require emptying every 3-4 years. This is a considerable difference and demonstrates the efficiency of these systems in reducing sludge build-up and prolonging service intervals. Longer emptying intervals also reduce annual costs.

e) Maintenance:

The chances of clogging are greater in septic tanks, so they need to be maintained and monitored regularly. Even though wastewater treatment plants aren't as likely to become blocked, they should still be serviced due to their mechanical components.

In order to reduce the chances of breakdown and maintenance costs, non-electric wastewater treatment plants are your ideal choice. All that is required for upkeep is an annual filter check and water distribution assessment - ensuring you will have a lasting system in place.

If you want a septic system that purifies wastewater thoroughly, you cannot pass on having a wastewater treatment plant installed. Septic tanks are an outdated technology in terms of wastewater treatment, which needs a second stage to produce effluent that is clean and safe for the environment. Without this secondary treatment, contaminants may be present in the water discharged into nature.

Even though septic tanks and wastewater treatment plants differ in several ways, the most crucial difference is the effluent quality. Septic tanks and wastewater treatment plants complete each other and work best together. That’s why we created the MONOBLOCK all-in-one wastewater treatment plant: an ultra-compact plant that includes both primary and secondary wastewater treatment.

For those of you who already have a functioning septic tank, we also created ECOROCK, a wastewater treatment plant that can be retrofitted to any existing primary tank, so anyone can upgrade its system to stop worrying about soil contamination.

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