Future of Wastewater Treatment: Pond Scum?

A Drexel University study found that a blob of algae taken from a public fountain may be more effective at treating wastewater than many processes currently used by the industry. The study has gained headlines, but it’s important to put the findings in context. The project in its infancy, and the algae is not a solution in itself. As you’ll see, it could improve the efficiency and reduce the cost of traditional wastewater treatment processes by capturing the power of nature.
 
What Kind of Wastewater can Algae Treat?
 
Wastewater is a catch-all term that’s used to describe contaminated water, but the study conducted by Drexel University looked at just one kind of wastewater: sewage water, which is typically contaminated by ammonia and excess nitrogen. When nitrogen-rich wastewater finds its way into lakes and rivers, the consequences can be disastrous. In 2015, high nitrogen levels in Lake Erie resulted in the contamination of the entire water supply of Toledo, Ohio. Traditional treatment processes use bacteria to remove nitrogen and ammonia from wastewater, but keeping the bacteria alive is both costly and time consuming. The process developed by Drexel University is beautiful because it uses a natural process to improve wastewater treatment.
 
How does it differ from Traditional Wastewater Treatment?
 
Nitrogen-removing bacteria need one key thing to survive: oxygen. While current wastewater processes require added oxygen and added chemicals to keep bacteria alive, the algae creates its own oxygen—like all other plants—with photosynthesis. This is what we call a “symbiotic relationship”: the algae and the bacteria helping one another survive.
 
Why does it Matter?
 
The bioreactor developed by Drexel University won’t cause wastewater treatment facilities like AWWT to abandon proven technologies like electrocoagulation that treat water contaminated by radioactive materials, germs and bacteria, oil, or other contaminants. The technology is in its early stages. The promise of algae and “pond scum” is that it’s been shown to remove up to 80 percent of nitrogen from wastewater when used alongside traditional wastewater methods. It could eventually reduce the cost of treating wastewater, both for companies like AWWT and for companies who use our mobile water treatment units. For more information on AWWT, please visit our homepage or contact us today.