Wastewater produced by hospitals can cause many challenges and problems for the environment due to the presence of various pollutants such as drugs and pathogens as well as various chemicals. By understanding the importance and necessity of wastewater treatment in medical centers or hospitals, hospital wastewater treatment packages (medical centers) have been designed and produced. These packages consist of several different parts. In this article, we are going to review the hospital wastewater treatment package and its related points.
The impact of hospital effluent on the environment and the history of wastewater treatment in medical centers
The hospital wastewater treatment package has experienced many changes over time with the evolution of treatment technology and increased environmental awareness. In the past, there was little awareness about the dangers of hospital wastewater and its effects on the environment. But with the passage of time and increased understanding of the negative effects of hospital wastewater, treatment of hospital wastewater became an inevitable necessity.
In the 20th century, significant changes occurred in environmental awareness and regulation. These changes led to the development of wastewater treatment technologies. With the emergence of municipal treatment plants, hospitals needed specialized treatment systems due to the specific characteristics of their wastewater.
At the end of the 20th century, the hospital wastewater treatment package was introduced. Hospitals with their complex wastewaters, which contain various substances including drugs, pathogens and chemicals, have been looking for suitable solutions to treat their wastewater.
The advancement of technology has played an important role in the evolution of the hospital wastewater treatment package. The integration of advanced filtration, biological treatment processes and disinfection technologies have become standard practice. The purpose of these innovations is not only to comply with environmental regulations, but also to comply with public health related to the discharge of harmful substances.
With the stricter environmental regulations, hospitals are increasingly looking for advanced and up-to-date hospital wastewater treatment packages to meet the wastewater quality standards set by the relevant authorities.
What is the hospital wastewater treatment package?
The term “hospital wastewater treatment package” usually refers to a specialized wastewater treatment system specifically designed to treat and manage wastewater generated by hospitals and other healthcare facilities. Hospital wastewater can contain a variety of contaminants, including pathogens, pharmaceuticals, chemical and biological wastes that must be treated well before being released into the environment. Treatment centers’ wastewater treatment packages are designed and produced with the aim of complying with the quality of hospital effluents. These packages are made up of different parts are produced and supplied as a single set.
The components of the hospital wastewater treatment package (medical centers)
As previously mentioned, wastewater produced by hospitals poses unique challenges due to the diverse and complex nature of the pollutants present in it. Wastewater generated by hospitals and medical facilities may contain biological waste, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, pathogens, and other contaminants. Efficient treatment of these wastewaters is critical to protecting public health, the environment, and meeting strict regulatory standards. A hospital wastewater treatment package includes various components and technologies to effectively remove pollutants and ensure that the treated water meets environmental standards. In the following, we will introduce the components of the wastewater treatment package for medical centers.
1- Filters
Filters are used for screening and purification of wastewater. With the help of these filters, suspended solid particles and large objects are separated from the sewage. The filters are usually placed in several rows next to each other and their meshing is different from each other. With the help of filters, you can be sure that large objects will not exist in the subsequent purification processes.
2- Biological excipients
Biological purifiers are designed and built with the purpose of destroying microorganisms and other organic matter. Biological purifiers are also used for sludge treatment.
3- Advanced filtrations
The filters that are used in the next steps are advanced filters that often consist of membrane filters. With the help of these membrane filters (MBR), more suspended solid particles and pollutants are removed. Membranes with their special structure prevent the passage of solid particles, but allow water to pass through. In advanced filtration, in addition to membranes, ultrafiltration may also be used.
4- Disinfectants
Disinfectants, as their name suggests, are made to kill germs and biological purification. Disinfectants include chlorination or UV rays. Chlorination involves the use of chlorine-based compounds, while UV disinfection uses ultraviolet light to disrupt the DNA of microorganisms.
5- Chemical purifiers
Considering that hospital wastewater often contains heavy metals and chemicals. Chemical purifiers are used to precipitate these compounds. Coagulants and other chemical compounds may be used in chemical purifiers.
6- Pharmaceutical purifiers (AOPs)
Drug purifiers have advanced processes that are used to remove drug residues. Pharmaceutical purifiers use ozone or hydrogen peroxide to break down drug residues.
7- Purifier or sludge remover
Sludge is produced during the treatment process of hospital wastewater. These sludges must be somehow managed and controlled. With the help of special equipment that is generally based on centrifuge methods, sludge is dewatered and its volume is reduced. The remaining sludge is either burned or buried in the ground in a special way based on legal and environmental requirements.
8- Monitoring unit for supervision and control
During the wastewater treatment process of medical centers, it is necessary to control components such as available oxygen and Ph. For this purpose, special instrumentation equipment is used that continuously and continuously measure and show the important parameters of hospital effluent.
Hospital wastewater treatment steps
According to the special conditions of hospital wastewater and treatment centers, their wastewater treatment requires different steps to ensure that the discharged wastewater is in accordance with regulatory standards and does not pose a threat to the environment or public health. Hospital wastewater treatment consists of a series of steps designed to remove or reduce various types of pollutants. These steps usually include preliminary treatment treatment, primary treatment treatment, secondary treatment and sometimes advanced treatment treatment processes. In the following, we will explain the steps of hospital wastewater treatment in more detail.
1. Primary purification
Primary treatment is the first step in hospital wastewater treatment, which includes the removal of large solids and waste from the wastewater. In hospitals, wastewater can contain items such as gauze, bandages, needles, and other medical waste that require screening.
In screening, coarse and bar filters are used to remove large objects and garbage. These filters allow water to pass through and at the same time prevent larger materials from passing through. After screening, wastewater may still contain sand and gravel. Grit removal processes, often using vortex chambers or grit classification, are used to separate and remove these particles.
2. Biological refining
Biological treatment is a physical and chemical process whose purpose is to settle and separate suspended solids and reduce BOD. BOD indicates the amount of oxygen needed by microorganisms to decompose organic matter. Biological treatment often has the following steps:
Sediment
In this part, the sewage is stopped for a period of time in tanks like a pond, in this way, the suspended solid pollutants settle at the end of the tank with the help of gravity. This stage is called sedimentation, in the stage of sedimentation, sludge is formed at the end of the tank.
Chemical flocculation
Chemicals such as coagulants and flocculants are often added to improve the settling process. These chemicals cause fine suspended solid particles to stick to each other and thus settle as a heavy particle at the bottom of the tank.
Primary clarifiers
Settled solids or primary sludge are removed in primary clarifiers. The clarified water now goes to the next stage by reducing suspended solids and BOD.
3. Secondary purification
In this step, with the help of bacteria and other microbial organisms, the treated wastewater from the previous step is purified to a greater extent. The purpose of this step is to reduce the residual organic matter in the wastewater. Secondary purification consists of the following steps.
Activated sludge process
This is a common secondary treatment method where wastewater is aerated to encourage the growth of microorganisms. Often referred to as activated sludge, these microorganisms consume organic matter. Then the mixture of activated sludge and purified water settles and the clarified water is separated from the excess sludge.
Sand filters
In sand filters, wastewater is spread over a bed of sand and causes the growth of microbial biofilms. As water passes through the sand, microorganisms break down organic pollutants.
Rotary Biological Contactors (RBC)
These are disk-shaped units that rotate in the wastewater and provide a surface for microorganisms to attach and purify the water. The rotating motion exposes the microorganisms to the wastewater and air, thus improving the treatment process.
4. Advanced purification
Advanced treatment is another step that is done to increase the quality of wastewater. Advanced treatment is not always needed and is mostly used when high and strict standards for the quality of the effluent are considered. Advanced purification includes the following steps.
Filtration
Filtration processes, such as sand filtration or membrane filtration, are used to remove residual suspended solids, bacteria, and other particles from water.
Removal of nutrients
Some hospital wastewater treatment packages implement processes such as biological nutrient removal to reduce excess nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. These nutrients, if discharged in large quantities, can cause environmental problems such as algal blooms in receiving waters.
disinfection
Disinfection is very important to kill pathogenic microorganisms before discharging treated water into the environment. Common disinfection methods include chlorination, ultraviolet radiation (UV) and ozonation.
5. Sludge purification and disposal
During the wastewater treatment process of medical centers, different units of the wastewater treatment package produce sludge. Sludge contains solids removed from wastewater and is often a byproduct of primary and secondary treatment processes. Proper sludge management is essential to prevent environmental damage
6. Effluent monitoring and compliance
Continuous monitoring of treated water or effluent is necessary to ensure compliance with legal standards prior to discharge. Parameters such as BOD, suspended solids, pH and disinfection levels are routinely measured.
7. Recovery of resources
Wastewater treatment plants are increasingly exploring opportunities to recover resources from treated effluent and sludge. It involves extracting energy, nutrients and valuable materials from waste.
The body material of the hospital wastewater treatment package
It is very important to use the right materials in the wastewater treatment package for hospitals (treatment centers). The body material of the hospital wastewater treatment package must be stable against various chemical factors. In the following, it will be explained about the material of the body of the hospital package and the features that you should have.
Corrosion resistance
The material of the body of the hospital wastewater treatment package must be resistant to the corrosive agents in the wastewater, such as chemicals. For this reason, the material of the body of the hospital wastewater treatment package is often made of materials such as stainless steel and plastic reinforced with fiberglass.
Chemical compatibility
The material of the body must be compatible with the chemicals and pollutants in the wastewater. These materials must be able to adapt under the influence of pH, temperature and various pollutants.
High strength structure
The body material of the hospital wastewater treatment package should have high strength and resistant structure to withstand mechanical stresses.
Non-toxic and non-reactive components
The materials must be non-toxic and non-reactive to protect the treated water from any potential contaminants. UV rays are used in some parts of the hospital wastewater treatment package, so the body material of the hospital wastewater treatment package should be well resistant to this radiation.
Design and construction of hospital wastewater treatment package (medical centers)
The design and construction of the hospital wastewater treatment package, as a vital system in hospital waste management, requires attention to several factors, including standards, safety, efficiency, and the use of advanced technologies. Below are some key points in the design and construction of the hospital wastewater treatment package.
1. Attention to the type of hospital wastewater
Designers must carefully determine the specific characteristics and pollutants of hospital wastewater. Hospitals may contain various chemicals and pollutants. Designers should carefully determine the characteristics of hospital wastewater before doing anything.
2. Use of corrosion-resistant equipment
Due to the presence of various chemicals, the equipment must be made of corrosion-resistant materials. The use of stainless steel and plastic reinforced with fiberglass is one of the common options in making these packages.
3. Compatibility with standards
The design of the hospital wastewater treatment package must comply with local and international standards and regulations. This includes safety standards, waste disposal, and environmental protection.
4. Using advanced technologies
The treatment package should use advanced technologies in the field of wastewater treatment. This important includes biological processes such as the activated sludge process, the use of filters and membranes, and other advanced methods.
5. Sludge management
One of the main challenges in designing and building a hospital wastewater treatment package is sludge management. The design should be such that sludge volume, solid waste, and time required for sludge processing are minimized.
6. Monitoring and control capability
The treatment package must have advanced monitoring and control systems to monitor its performance carefully. Sensors and automatic systems can help increase efficiency and reduce errors.
The price of the hospital sewage treatment package
The price of the hospital wastewater treatment package depends on various aspects. The final price is usually determined according to the specific needs of each hospital, the dimensions of the system, the technology used, and the environmental conditions.
The first influential factor in determining the price of the hospital wastewater treatment package is the size and capacity of the treatment package. Large hospitals with high volumes of wastewater treatment require more complex and larger systems, which usually cost more. Also, the type of technology used in the package (such as the use of advanced biological processes) can be an important factor in increasing the price of the hospital wastewater treatment package.
The different treatment processes and steps used to remove pollutants from hospital wastewater also affect the price of the hospital wastewater treatment package. The use of advanced technologies such as membranes and UV systems increases the cost.
In addition, the need for advanced monitoring and control systems to better monitor performance and correct problems may also increase cost. Finally, the installation and operation of the purification package is also considered as a separate cost that requires skilled professionals and technical teams.
In general, the exact price determination of the hospital wastewater treatment package depends on the specific characteristics and needs of each project and requires a careful evaluation of these factors in order to make a complete evaluation.
conclusion
Hospital wastewater treatment packages play a vital role in reducing the environmental effects of hazardous hospital wastewater. Due to the high volume of wastewater contaminated with chemical, medicinal and microbial substances, the use of these systems is of particular importance. Hospital wastewater treatment packages, by using advanced technologies, while removing harmful pollutants, reduce the pollution of water resources and maintain the general health of society. For this reason, investing in these systems is not only necessary from an environmental point of view, but also very beneficial for medical centers from a health and economic point of view.
Using mechanical, chemical and biological processes, the hospital wastewater treatment package separates various pollutants, including chemicals, pharmaceuticals, microbes, and suspended solids from hospital wastewater. These systems include steps such as sedimentation, aeration, disinfection, and filtration so that purified and safe wastewater enters the environment.
Hospital wastewater contains hazardous pollutants such as unused drugs, chemicals, bacteria, and viruses that can harm groundwater and surface water. Treatment of these wastewaters not only prevents the pollution of water sources, but also helps to protect public health.
In every hospital and treatment center where a large volume of wastewater is produced and these wastewaters contain dangerous chemical, pharmaceutical and microbial substances, it is necessary to use a hospital wastewater treatment package. This helps to protect the environment and meet health standards.
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