CSIR-NIIST develops sustainable solution for organic wastewater treatment

NIIST has developed a sustainable technology for treating and disposing of organic wastewater produced by hotels, catering units, etc.

ByPTI

Published Feb 28, 2024 | 3:42 PM ⚊ Updated Feb 28, 2024 | 3:42 PM

CSIR-NIIST in Thiruvananthapuram. (Website)

A significant breakthrough has been achieved by the CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (CSIR-NIIST) in Thiruvananthapuram, which has successfully developed and patented a sustainable technology for treating and disposing of organic wastewater produced by hotels, restaurants, catering units, and similar establishments.

This innovation addresses a critical issue in places lacking adequate sewerage infrastructure.

“As a sustainable solution, the on-site wastewater technology, named NOWA, developed by CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (CSIR-NIIST), has the advantage of recovering valuable resources like reuse quality water, bio-energy and organic manure and soil conditioner from the wastewater,” an official statement said.

CSIR-NIIST Director C Anandharamakrishnan said that NIIST is looking forward to more start-ups and private companies partnering with it in their highly diverse and interdisciplinary research activities so that the outcome of R&D activities at NIIST can be translated to the field to address real problems of the society.

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About the technology

The technology (WO 2022/130402 A1) was developed by a team led by Krishnakumar B, Senior Principal Scientist in the Environmental Technology Division of NIIST, Thiruvananthapuram.
It differs from common wastewater treatment technologies like Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR), Sequence Bioreactor (SBR), and Electrocoagulation.
Advantages include less space requirement, lower operational cost, and the ability to treat high-strength wastewater without frequent sludge disposal.
The technology is a combined anaerobic-aerobic bioprocess with attached sludge handling and disinfection modules.
70-80 percent of inlet organic contaminant is recovered as biogas in the anaerobic process unit.
Residual organics and nutrients are removed in the subsequent aerobic process unit.
The technology will be beneficial for small and medium-scale businesses, reducing wastewater disposal costs.
It has been approved by Kerala State Suchitwa Mission, with four companies licensed non-exclusively and field units are operational at various industrial sites.
CSIR-NIIST signed an MoU with Kochi-based Two-degree Climate Control Pvt Ltd for the commercial transfer of the technology, marking the fifth technology transfer for NOWA.

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