Concept Note on In-situ drain rejuvenation by modular biofilm-Phytoremediation: A Low-Energy Approach for Resource-Limited Settings
Principal Investigator
Prof. Ligy Philip
Objective
- Implement and demonstrate a novel low-energy technology for in-situ drain rejuvenation based on "Modular Biofilm-Phytoremediation" under field conditions, to act as a "model" for large scale replication.
Description
- Only a small percentage of domestic sewage (less than 30%) generated in India, including the septic tank effluent, is collected and treated. Rest of the wastewater is actually discharged into local stormwater drains. Majority of the drains carry black water throughout the year, even in non-monsoon season. This sewage in drains eventually finds its way into near by surface water bodies (rivers, ponds etc.) and contaminate them., There is an urgent need to implement underground drainage (UGD) systems and sewage treatment plants (STPs) for solving this pressing problem. In this context, researchers at IIT Madras (Prof. Ligy and her student) have come up with a novel idea for sustainable in-situ rejuvenation of drains by a nature-based solution (NBS).
Impact
- Applicability of the system has been demonstrated conclusively in the lab-scale model tests. Through extensive lab tests, Prof. Ligy and her student Mr. Iqbal have gained detailed insight into the mechanism of contaminant removal at each stage of the process., There is a net positive environmental impact because the technology utilizes construction-demolition waste in Stage-I and coil in stage-II. There is no external energy requirement and thus there is no off-site emission of GHGs. There is carbon capture by micro algae., AquaMAP is looking for industry partners for field demonstration of the technology. It requires approximately 170 m length of drain for a wastewater flow of 0.2 MLD. The project can be implemented in 4 months time + 8 months for monitoring and assessment.