Advice Needed: Can Sludge Water Be Used for Irrigation and Natural Way to Treat for Domestic Use?

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Advice Needed: Can Sludge Water Be Used for Irrigation and Natural Way to Treat for Domestic Use?

Dear Experts,

I am planning to redirect the sludge water from a residential complex for my irrigation purpose.

The water looks very dark and forms green algae/pond scum when it is stagnant for a day.

I have taken a water test and attaching the same for you advise, if it is suitable for irrigation of vegetables [tomato, potato etc.,]

Also, how to purify the water naturally by placing specific plants and arrangements.

 

Thanks

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13 Answers

  1. There is a trend in developing countries to use "natural" attenuation systems for treating wastewater and sludge using Constructed Wetlands and Reed Beds. These are low energy technologies and they can be configured to produce tertiary quality water and Class A biosolids. Plants are selected for their ability to have rhizomes that are durable for the region and are usually selected from native species, e.g. Vertiver, Phragmities, etc.  They have even been installed on remote islands like the Galapagos (Ecuador) to protect the environment from using western construction brick and mortar techniques that would otherwise destroy native habitat in a World Heritage Site.

  2. By "sludge" do you mean 'sewage'? If so then your analysis needs to include SS, BOD and NH4. As indicated in other posts, there are international standards for the reuse of 'wastewater' and the normal method of treatment in such cases will be constructed wetlands.

  4. What is the Electrical conductivity of Water?

    You can use this water for irrigating the plants by treating with UB'CAL Electronic Water Conditioner.

     

    For details see my website www.greensindia.in or

    email me : greensmail99@gmail.com

     

     

  5. Yes you can do it with precautions as recommended for sewage farming.

    I am sharing two experiment done by me.

    Expt – 1 Land is without crop

    Sewage sludge was spread on the land when there were no rains and crop.

    It was allowed to get mixed with soil for 15 days.

    The land is ready to use to grow crop

    This increased yield by 55%

    Expt -2 When crop is in the field.

    Sewage sludge (2 to3% solids in sludge) was applied along with the water.

    The soil status was regularly monitored.

    Sewage sludge addition was discontinued 10 days before harvesting.

    Workers were trained to take necessary precautions.

    No adverse impact were found on the workers

    This increased the yield by 45%

     In many part of India Sewage is used for irrigation. However it is not recorded.

     I recommend using Manual for Sewage Farming Published by NEERI Nagpur.

     

    For further details please contact on rvsveipl@gmail.com. Prof. Rajendrakumar V Saraf, Chairman Viraj Envirozing India Pvt. Ltd. Pune, India

     

  6. The short answer is NO.  Without treatment, raw sewage contains e.Coli, Salmonella, and other pathogens, which should not be allowed in irrigation water or fertilizer used for food crops.  However, dewatered sewage sludge can be allowed to decompose naturally (but this will give off methane and other volatiles), or better, it can be heated treated (anaerobic digestion) to decompose more quickly.  This destroys the pathogens and the sterilized sludge or compost can be used as fertilizer.  If  the methane from anaerobic digestion is captured, it can used to generate electricity (to digest the sludge.   It is very important that the sewage not contain heavy metals, which can contaminate agricultural soil.  Again, the water from untreated sewage should not be used for food crops.

    1 Comment

  7. Dear Sir

    In Thailand we use polymer and pac to make sludge of AS which treat WW from high Building then using filter press then go to landfill and right now some group try to use to produce the organic fertilizer or soil additional to make soil has high quality. But you need to ferment until VS has gone and make sure that no heavy matel inside including sterilization for phatogen. I used to have the experiment for Anaerobic sludge from Cassava plant add to cassava field the yield increase from 4 ton to 10 tons or more but this is still inlegal ...for the goverment but most of the farmer who live colse to cassava plant they have been used so long time more than 15 years.

  8. A simple answer: Sludge that is low in VLSS can be diverted to "reed Bed systems." Where the water percolates through the rhizome zone of various species of reeds, e.g. Vertiver grass, Phragmities australis, etc. Reeds selected must be indigenous to the region, and that they have the ability to metabolizes contaminants through their root structure. Not to be confused with "Constructed Wetlands" which handles the wastewater and the sludge gets diverted to the Reed Beds--they are separate and distinct.  Once the VLSS has been reduced in the sludge it can be harvested as a soil amendment depending on local regulations and quality of the residuals as a biosolid, and in some cases the reeds can be used as animal feed. This is the low energy approach to using sludge for beneficial reuse applications. You do need to have land avilable.

  9. Have you considered dewatering, evaporation, or composting options?

    Composting requires lots of labor but generates natural heat needed to destroy many micro-organisms.  

    Treat all wastewater streams to standards that are safe for human, animal, and food/crop contact before using it as a source for irrigation.

  10. Hello Mr Aruchamy, I would suggest your request additional analyses from your water laboratory.  I particular COD, ammonia, nitrates, phosphates. suspended solids, e.coli.  There is no doubt that you need to pre-treat the effluent before considering its us for edible crops.  You can consider a number of options for passive treatment (i.e. no or minimal mechanical equipment nor chemicals) including the already mentioned reed beds.  It is usually very beneficial to carry out anaerobic digestion as a first stage (for example in a septic tank or deep pond).  Your secondary treatment could include reed beds, facultative ponds, fixed media filtration, vermifiltration.  You may also consider maturation ponds as a final stage to minimise suspended solids and promote solar induced disinfection.  Your choice of plants for any reed bed system could be such that you provide materials for basket weaving or cattle fodder, but should not be plants for human consumption.  

    1 Comment

    1. Dear Mr. Pearson. Depending on the area available for the channels, anaerobic digestion could be required or avoided. Floating helophytes due to its own features eliminate suspended solids.

      I agree with your suggestion for solar induced disinfection, but just if required, depending on the irrigation system which is going to be used.

      It is also essential to know which kind of toxic elements are present in the wáter to be treated. Most of the common elements which appear in domestic water can be fixed in plant rhizomes, depending on the species used in the channels, not passing to aerial part of plant, but the plant metabolism of many contaminats of emerging concern has not been studied yet. 

  11. Since it is domestic waste it is likely that the principle concern is potential human exposure to microbial pathogens, from the water, worker exposures and if applied to food crops.  The algae is providing some benefit by utilizing some of the nutrients, Be sure to strictly adhere to qualified guidelines that have been published for management of wastewater and applications to food crops. The State of California has extensive regulations for recycling under Title 22. 

  12. Hello,

    You need to take consideration of the WHO (World Health Organisation) guidelines of 2012 and of the ISO standard 16075 for treated wastewater for irrigation

    2 Comments

    1. Obviously it depends on legal requirements in each country. Nevertheless legal requirements sometimes can be tricky or even too much due to the fact that water for irrigation is not the same as driking water and it is essential to take into account the way it is going to be applied to the terrain e.g. in Spain, legal requirements are the same for spray irrigation and trickle irrigation which it is absurd. If there wouldn't be legal limitations, we should apply as technicians good practices and our responsiblity, considering all the elements involved in the process to not créate a non previously existing problem, when we are trying to solve one or a group of them.

      Regards to @ll.

  13. Dear Thanikachalamurthi Aruchamy 

    It is possible to purify it with a phytobiodepuration facility (e.g. constructed wetland in channels with floating plants)

    Sincerely yours.

    Eduardo

    1 Comment