Disposing Liquid Waste: Everything You Need to Know

Liquid waste is constantly created from residences, commercial sites, industries, and hospitals. In addition to wastewater, liquid waste contains hazardous materials that can harm the environment in a variety of ways. Whether it is wastewater, grey water, or black water, disposing of liquid waste must be done correctly to minimise its impact on humans, animals, and our entire planet.

Unethically disposing of liquid waste has many disadvantages such as causing hindrance to commercial development, destroying the economy and ecosystem, and creating health hazards for many living organisms. All liquid waste, whether from a department store, a manufacturing plant, or a hospital, must be treated properly to ensure safe and secure disposal.

Liquid Waste: Common Methods of Disposal Liquid waste generated from various sources has a distinct nature and requires a distinct method of disposal. Let's take a look at some common liquid waste disposal methods.

Dewatering Dewatering is the process of removing water from liquid waste until only solid matter remains. After the liquid and solid waste have been separated, the water is recycled for reuse and the solid waste is disposed of appropriately. Being one of the simplest liquid waste disposal methods, it solely works on non-hazardous liquid waste. Dewatering utilises methods such as centrifugation and belt filter presses in situations where the waste's liquid and solid contents are complex and difficult to separate. Dewatering is a common method of disposing of liquid waste in the construction industry.

Sedimentation Sedimentation is another method for disposing of non-hazardous liquid waste. It is a simple waste disposal method that uses gravity to separate liquid and solid waste. Sedimentation does not require any sophisticated equipment; all that is required is a sedimentation basin, where liquid waste remains on top and solid waste is deposited at the bottom of the tank. As oil and other less dense contaminants emerge at the top, this tank can further separate several liquid components from one another. Once the separation is complete, all waste types are handled appropriately, and the water is recycled.

Incineration Incineration is the ideal method for disposing of hazardous liquid waste, including waste containing chemicals, acids, and bases. High temperatures are used in specially designed combustion chambers to incinerate liquid waste, leaving ashes and gases as residue. The ash is removed from the residue, while the gases are treated and released into the atmosphere. Expert liquid waste disposal companies also ensure that the heat energy generated by the gas residue is extracted and used in domestic or industrial appliances. The water that remains after the incineration process is pollutant-free and can be reused without further treatment.

Root Zone Residential liquid waste is treated using the root zone method, which is ideal for kitchen, bathroom, and sink-related liquid waste. This waste disposal method treats waste through several stages before it is clean and ready for reuse. The water with liquid waste is treated by passing it through an anaerobic baffled reactor, an anaerobic filter, and finally a planted gravel filter, making it environmentally safe. Although root zone is an expensive and complicated method of disposing of liquid waste, it requires negligible maintenance and provides effective disposal of residential liquid waste.

Composting Composting is a method of waste disposal that has been used by humans for centuries. Any organic waste can be easily decomposed and converted into compost with the help of microbes, which is a great source of nutrients for the environment. It is an environmentally friendly practice, but its application is limited to organic waste.

Solidification Solidification, as the name implies, is the process by which liquid waste is converted into solid waste through the use of bulking agents. Although solidification is regarded as an environmentally safe method of liquid waste disposal, it has its own drawbacks. It is an expensive procedure that, if specific bulking reagents are used, may contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. Bulking agents commonly used in solidification include sawdust, lime dust, and fly ash.

Implementing Safe Liquid Waste Disposal Rather than taking matters into our own hands, we should leave liquid waste disposal to professionals. Richmond Waste provides high-quality waste disposal services throughout New South Wales' Northern Rivers region. They provide a wide range of services such as liquid waste removal, liquid waste processing, portable toilet rental, septic waste removal, and much more! Richmond Waste was established in 1980 and is quality assured and fully licensed by the NSW Environmental Protection Authority, with a fully trained and experienced staff and the largest fleet of specialist collections in the area. They are a one-stop solution for all your waste disposal needs, whether you require liquid waste consultancy for domestic or industrial activities.