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Industry Issues

Characteristics of Hospital Wastewater

Complex Composition:

Hospital wastewater contains a wide range of contaminants, including organic matter, pathogens (bacteria, viruses, and parasites), pharmaceuticals (antibiotics, cytostatic drugs, disinfectants, etc.), heavy metals (such as mercury from dental amalgam waste), and radiological substances from diagnostic and therapeutic activities.

High Microbial Load:

It has a higher concentration of pathogenic microorganisms compared to domestic wastewater, due to the presence of human and surgical waste, making it a potential source of disease transmission.

Variable Flow And Load:

The flow rate and pollutant load can vary significantly depending on the size of the hospital, the type of services offered (e.g., outpatient vs. inpatient care, types of surgeries), and the time of day.

Presence Of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria:

Hospital wastewater is a known reservoir for antibiotic-resistant bacteria and genes, due to the widespread use of antibiotics in healthcare settings. This poses a significant challenge for wastewater treatment and public health.

Pharmaceutical Compounds:

A wide variety of pharmaceutical compounds, including hormones, antibiotics, and other drugs, are frequently found, which are not always fully removed by conventional wastewater treatment processes. These can have ecotoxicological effects on aquatic life and potentially impact human health.

Chemical Disinfectants:

High levels of chemical disinfectants used in hospital settings for sterilization purposes can also be present in the wastewater, posing challenges for biological treatment processes.

Heavy Metals:

Certain medical practices and laboratories can contribute to higher levels of heavy metals in hospital wastewater, which can be toxic to aquatic organisms and accumulate in the environment.

Radiological Contaminants:

Hospitals that offer services like radiology and cancer treatment may discharge trace amounts of radiological substances into their wastewater.

Based on the characteristics of hospital wastewater

MBBR Must Have The Following Properties

1

High biological adhesion area

The concentration of biological organic matter in hospital wastewater is high, so MBBR needs to have a high biological adhesion area to accommodate sufficient microbial growth and improve biodegradation efficiency.

2

Superior impact load resistance

Wastewater discharge may fluctuate, and MBBR should have strong impact load resistance to adapt to the load changes caused by water quality fluctuations.

3

High oxygen transfer effect

There may be high oxygen demand in hospital wastewater, so MBBR needs to provide an effective oxygen transfer effect to meet the oxygen demand of microbial degradation of organic matter.

4

Flexibility and adjustability

The MBBR system should have a flexible design to adapt to different water quality characteristics and treatment requirements. Different wastewater characteristics can be adapted by adjusting the amount of filler and operating parameters.

5

Stable operating performance

Due to the complexity of hospital wastewater, MBBR needs to ensure stable operating performance under different conditions to provide consistent wastewater treatment results.

6

Corrosion resistance

Considering the chemicals that may be present in the wastewater, MBBR should be built with corrosion resistance to ensure long-term stable operation of the system.

7

Anti-pollution performance

MBBR should have certain anti-pollution performance to deal with suspended solids, sediments, etc.

8

Easy maintenance

MBBR systems should be designed with easy maintenance in mind, including an easy-to-clean packing structure and convenient equipment overhaul to reduce operating costs and improve system reliability.

Features

MBBR And Disc Diffuser Must Have Performance

In the hospital wastewater treatment process, MBBR and aeration disks are usually key components of the biological treatment system. Through processes such as biodegradation and oxygen transfer, they help maintain good water quality, provide suitable environmental conditions, and promote the growth and health of cultured organisms.

MBBR (Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor)

High biological attachment area: MBBR requires a large number of biological attachment areas to accommodate a large number of microbial growths and improve organic degradation efficiency. A high biological attachment area helps to increase the number of microorganisms and cope with complex organic matter in hospital wastewater.
Excellent impact load resistance: Since the discharge of hospital wastewater may fluctuate, MBBR needs to have a strong impact load resistance to adapt to load changes caused by water quality fluctuations. This ensures stable operation of the system under different load conditions.
High oxygen transfer effect: There may be high oxygen demand in hospital wastewater, and MBBR must provide an effective oxygen transfer effect to meet the oxygen demand of microbial degradation of organic matter. This helps maintain the efficiency of the biodegradation process.
Flexibility and adjustability: The MBBR system should have a flexible design to adapt to different water quality characteristics and treatment requirements. Parameters such as filling amount and gas supply can be adjusted to adapt to different wastewater characteristics to ensure the effective operation of the system under different conditions.

Disc Diffusers

Uniform gas distribution: The aeration tray needs to ensure that the gas is evenly distributed in the wastewater to improve the efficiency of oxygen transfer. This helps to maintain the normal growth of microorganisms and the effective degradation of organic matter.
High oxygen transfer effect: The aeration tray should be designed to have an efficient oxygen transfer effect to ensure that the gas can be fully dissolved in the wastewater to meet the oxygen required for microbial degradation of organic matter.
Corrosion resistance: Considering the chemicals that may be present in the wastewater, the construction material of the aeration tray should be corrosion resistant to ensure the long-term stable operation of the system.
Adjustment capacity: The aeration tray should have a certain adjustment capacity to adapt to different gas needs and water depths to ensure that the appropriate gas supply can be provided under different conditions.

Hospital Wastewater Treatment

Precautions, Water Process And Parameter Table

Precautions for hospital wastewater treatment

Biological organic matter monitoring: Real-time monitoring of the concentration of biological organic matter in hospital wastewater to ensure that the system can effectively treat high concentrations of organic pollutants.
Drug residue treatment: Consider introducing specialized drug degradation modules to ensure effective degradation of drug residues in wastewater and reduce environmental impact.
Setting of the initial sedimentation tank:A reasonable initial sedimentation tank is designed to remove large particulate matter in wastewater, reduce the load of subsequent treatment units, and ensure the stable operation of the system.
Gas supply system: Ensure that the gas supply system of the aeration tray is stable and reliable to provide enough oxygen to meet the needs of microbial degradation of organic matter.
Corrosion resistant materials: When selecting materials for the wastewater treatment system, consider the corrosive substances that the wastewater may contain, and use corrosion-resistant materials to extend the service life of the system.
Flexible process design: The design of a flexible water process can adapt to the fluctuations in hospital wastewater quality, and achieve the best performance of the system by adjusting the operating parameters.

Features of the hospital wastewater process The hospital wastewater treatment process has some unique characteristics, which are mainly related to the operation mode of the system.

Preliminary Treatment:This includes screening and grit removal to eliminate large solids and grit that could hinder downstream processes. It's essential for protecting equipment and ensuring efficient treatment.
Advanced Primary Treatment:Beyond simple sedimentation, advanced primary treatment may involve chemical coagulation and flocculation to remove suspended solids, organic matter, and some pathogens more effectively.
Secondary Biological Treatment:Utilizes microbial processes to degrade organic matter. Specialized systems, like Membrane Bioreactors (MBRs) or Moving Bed Biofilm Reactors (MBBRs), are often employed to handle the complex and variable organic load of hospital wastewater.
Disinfection:Critical for hospital wastewater to inactivate remaining pathogens. Chlorination, ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, and ozone treatment are common methods, with UV and ozone being preferred for their ability to avoid chemical residues.
Pharmaceuticals And Chemical Removal:Advanced treatment processes, such as Activated Carbon Adsorption, Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs), and Nanofiltration, are applied to remove pharmaceutical residues, disinfectants, and other hazardous chemicals.
Nutrient Removal:Nitrogen and phosphorus are removed to prevent eutrophication of receiving waters. Biological nutrient removal (BNR) processes or chemical precipitation can be used.
Heavy Metal Removal:Techniques like chemical precipitation, ion exchange, or membrane filtration are used to remove heavy metals, which are present due to medical equipment and some pharmaceuticals.
Sludge Management:The treatment process generates sludge that contains pathogens and chemicals. Proper handling, treatment (like anaerobic digestion or lime stabilization), and disposal are crucial to ensuring environmental and public health safety.
Radiological Contaminant Treatment:For hospitals with radiology departments, specific treatment like reverse osmosis or ion exchange may be required to remove trace radiological substances.
Waste Segregation And Minimization:Effective wastewater management starts with segregating different waste streams (like radiology effluent, laboratory waste, etc.) and minimizing the use of hazardous substances to reduce the load on the treatment system.

Hospital wastewater treatment process

Influent homogenization: Ensure that wastewater is evenly mixed to reduce water quality fluctuations.
Initial sedimentation tank: Remove large particulate matter, reduce the load of the subsequent treatment unit.
MBBR biological treatment: Provides a high biological adhesion area and degrades organic matter.
Aeration system: To ensure a uniform gas supply to the aeration disc, improve the efficiency of oxygen transfer.
Secondary sedimentation tank: Further precipitation of suspended substances, improves the clarification effect.
Final disinfection: The use of appropriate disinfection means to ensure that the discharge water meets environmental standards.

Hospital wastewater treatment

Typical Parameter

The following is a parameter table for a typical hospital wastewater treatment process. The specific values can be adjusted according to the actual situation.

Satge	Processing unit	Typical parameters	Unit
Solid-liquid separation	Sedimentation tank	TSS	50 - 500 mg/L
Biological treatment	MBBR	COD	30 - 200 mg/L
		NH3-N	2 - 10 mg/L
		NO2-N	< 1 mg/L
		NO3-N	< 10 mg/L
		TN	5 - 30 mg/L
Aeration system	Aeration tank	DO	3 - 8 mg/L
Physical treatment	Filter	TSS	10 - 50 mg/L
Ammonia nitrogen removal	Ammonia nitrogen removal unit	NH3-N	< 1 mg/L
Sterilize	Sterilization equipment	Sterilant concentration	0.5 - 5 mg/L
Water quality monitoring	Monitoring equipment	PH	6.5 - 8.5
		Conductivity	500 - 2000 μS/cm
		Temperature	20 - 30 ℃

For Hospital Wastewater Treatment

A Unique MBBR Model Is Recommended

Based on the characteristics of sewage treatment and the experience of previous cooperative customers, the recommendation is our MBBR64 or MBBR7

MBBR19

Size: Φ25*12mm

Hole Numbers: 19

Material: 100% White Virgin HDPE

Densilty: 0.96-0.98g/cm3

Surface Area: >650m2/m3

Dosing Ratio: 15-65%

Membrane-Forming Time: 3-15days

Nitrification Efficiency: 400-1200gNH N/M3d

BOD, Efficiency: 2000-10000g BOD,/M3d

COD5 Efficiency: 2000-15000 gCOD/Md

Applicable Temperature: 5-60℃

Life-Span: >20year

MBBR64

Size: Φ25*4mm

Hole Numbers: 64

Material: 100% White Virgin HDPE

Densilty: 0.96-0.98g/cm3

Surface Area: >1200m2/m3

Dosing Ratio: 85%

Membrane-Forming Time: 15-65%

Nitrification Efficiency: 3-15days

BOD, Efficiency: 400-1200gNH4 N/M3.d

COD5 Efficiency: 2000-10000g BOD/M3d

Applicable Temperature: 2000-15000 gCOD5/M3d

Life-Span: 5-60℃

Hospital wastewater treatment

AquaSust Customer Case

Case 1: Application of Aquasust's MBBR Media in Hospital Wastewater Treatment

In a large hospital in the UK, the hospital wastewater contains a variety of pharmaceutical residues, disinfectants and other biochemical pollutants. To effectively treat this complex wastewater, the hospital utilized Aquasust's MBBR Media, a technology that utilizes HDPE fillers with a high surface area to allow for microbial growth and effective degradation of the complex contaminants in the wastewater.

The MBBR system has a treatment capacity of 1,000 cubic meters of wastewater per day. The system resulted in a reduction of COD from the original 800 mg/L to less than 100 mg/L, while significantly reducing the concentration of antibiotics and other trace contaminants. In addition, the MBBR system has lower energy consumption and maintenance requirements compared to a conventional activated sludge system, making it ideal for sites such as hospitals that require continuous operation.

Case 2: Aquasust's Aeration Diffusers in Hospital Wastewater Treatment

In order to improve wastewater treatment efficiency and reduce environmental pollution, a medium-sized hospital in India installed Aquasust's Aeration Diffusers in its activated sludge system. These aeration diffusers produce fine air bubbles that increase the dissolution rate of oxygen in the water, which promotes microbial metabolic activity and more efficient degradation of pollutants.

With the introduction of Aquasust's diffusers, the hospital's wastewater treatment facility was able to treat approximately 500 cubic meters of wastewater per day, reducing BOD from 300 mg/L to 30 mg/L and COD from 600 mg/L to 50 mg/L. This treatment not only improves the efficiency of the treatment, but also significantly reduces the operating costs because the system is more energy-efficient, and oxygen utilization is significantly improved. significantly improved.

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