Water Treatment Plant Upgrades: Overcoming the Challenges

Wastewater treatment plants face mounting pressure to upgrade their facilities in order to cope up with high population growth and industrial expansion.

Moreover, frequent amendments in legislation compel the industries to upgrade their plants. However, upgradation is not a simple process and has its own set of obstacles.

 
Challenges in upgradation:

1. Requirement of additional land:  The expansion of the water treatment plant often requires additional land. Acquiring the land, clearances, etc may take years of planning and implementation. This delays the upgradation process to a large extent. However, upcoming technologies like 'drop-in' are known to increase the capacity of an existing plant without the need for additional infrastructure.
2. Consumes a lot of time: The upgradation of the Wastewater Treatment Plant is a lengthy process. The assessment of needs, acquisition of land, and obtaining the planning permissions, take a lot of time. Moreover, the final excavation and building of the plant can take years, hampering the current operations. The good news is that modern technology comes with portable solutions. Compact modules can be added to the existing plant in a matter of days. They deliver similar performance as an upgrade would give.
3. Creating a robust environment: Plant owners and operators need to ensure that their effluent is treated consistently all year round. An unstable and inaccurate process becomes difficult to operate. This develops both operational challenges as well as environmental risks. A simple upgrade to overcome its attached-growth biofilm system. It readily absorbs and consumes carbon and nitrogen-based pollutants, thus improving the quality of discharge.
4. High energy needs: The treatment plant operators usually complain that upgrading means more energy requirements. More power consumption not only adds to cost but also increases carbon footprint. It makes the industry less eco-friendly. It can be overcome by using an air blower that can be operated at low pressure. This can save a lot of energy and also increase the efficiency of the water treatment plant.
5. Adhering to regulations: The water treatment plants are under constant pressure to adopt more sustainable methods to demonstrate environmental, social, and governance compliance. This means more plant upgrades and high capital expenditures on system enhancements.
   
6. Staffing issues: Water treatment plant up-gradations mean employing additional manpower. Today, finding qualified plant operators has become a challenge. The additional employment can account for up to 30% of annual operational costs. This challenge can be tackled by incorporating automated processes and remote operation tactics. Such small changes will help to reduce the reliance on employees and efficient operation of the water treatment plant.

Membracon UK can make a treatment plant upgrade in a short span of time. We can help you overcome the above challenges faced during wastewater treatment in an effective and affordable manner.