A sewage treatment plant (STP) that doesn’t require electricity, and can function without maintenance for two years was unveiled at the Environment Management Policy Research Institute (EMPRI) in Bengaluru on Tuesday.
The STP, which can treat up to 10,000 litres per day, has four-stage operating process, which exploits gravity to transform sewage into secondary treated water. The only limitation of the technology, however, is the requirement of space.
The sludge is removed in the sedimentation filters in the first two stages and the water is then forced to pass through filter mass with bacteria. In the fourth stage, the water passes through wetland where vascular plants and algal colonies will remove the excess nutrients. Maintenance of the STP predominantly entails clearing the sludge once every two years.
ECOSTP technologies, one of the six grantees under the design impact awards by Titan, received a Rs 50 lakh grant to pilot a high-impact scalable solution. The STP at EMPRI is seen as a ‘no moving part’ STP powered by proprietary Rumen Baffle Vein technology.
Tharun Kumar, founder of ECOSTP, noted that the STP demonstrates that sewage can be treated without using power, chemicals or skilled operators. “Conventional STPs depend on 24/7 blower systems and chemical additives, making them inherently unsustainable,” he said.
Principal Secretary of Environment Department Srinivasulu, who unveiled the STP, noted that the only requirement of the nature-based STP was space. He, however, urged industries to invest in research that improves life of people.