Water consumption is significantly high in hospitals, which are among the areas with the highest human traffic. The reclamation of greywater in hospitals has numerous advantages both for our environment and economically. It is crucial for the future to render used greywater, excluding toilet wastewater, reusable.
Greywater is defined as used water excluding toilet waste, while toilet wastewater is categorized as blackwater. In hospitals, greywater consists of easily and rapidly treatable waste that does not contain blackwater. It includes substances such as soap, toothpaste, food residues, hair, nails, skin particles, dandruff, creams, and detergents. It also encompasses materials used in kitchens, bathrooms, laundry, and dishwashers. Utilizing the water obtained after treatment for purposes like flushing, garden irrigation, and cleaning contributes significantly to the efficient use of our limited natural resources.
The Importance of Water Treatment Devices in Hospitals to Contribute to the Water Cycle
Hospitals and healthcare institutions provide essential services for human health, yet they are also places with high human traffic, resulting in significant water consumption and waste generation. According to the World Health Organization, an individual requires an average of 50-100 liters of water per day for a healthy life, amounting to approximately 18-36 thousand liters per year. However, in developed countries, an individual's annual water consumption averages around 1.4 million liters. This rapid depletion of water resources contributes to the emergence of water scarcity issues. Water scarcity is a global threat that is projected to affect 40% of the world's population by 2030. Therefore, reducing water consumption, ensuring water conservation, treating and reusing wastewater in hospitals becomes crucial for preserving our limited natural resources.
Additionally, wastewater generated from hospitals is considered the most hazardous waste category for human health and the environment, requiring special procedures. Effective water and waste management in hospitals provide numerous benefits both economically and environmentally.
Wastewater recovery technologies implemented for hospitals provide significant benefits in terms of investment and operational cost-effectiveness, as well as water conservation. By reducing the use of potable water, which is heavily consumed, these technologies contribute to saving on network water distribution costs. Additionally, they play a role in preserving limited natural resources for the future. Treated greywaters are stored in reservoirs for reuse in areas where water is heavily consumed, such as laundry washing, garden irrigation, cleaning, and disinfection processes.
Wastewater recovery in hospitals is a crucial issue both environmentally and economically. In hospitals, greywaters, excluding toilet waste, are treated and made reusable through specialized water treatment technologies. These technologies are cost-effective in terms of investment and operation, promoting water conservation. Substituting treated greywater for the heavily consumed potable water in hospitals leads to savings in network water distribution costs and water bills. Furthermore, it contributes to the preservation of limited natural water sources and helps prevent water scarcity issues. Stored in reservoirs after treatment, greywaters can be reused in areas where water consumption is high, such as laundry washing, garden irrigation, cleaning, and disinfection processes. Thus, effective water and waste management in hospitals benefit both the hospital budget and environmental health.
Greywaters are wastewater sources originating from domestic activities, excluding toilet waste, and are a significant wastewater source in hospitals. If greywaters are allowed to accumulate or be stored for an extended period without proper treatment or recovery, they pose serious threats to our health and the environment. Accumulated or stored greywaters can develop odors, change color, form sludge, and generate microorganisms, bacteria, and microbes. This reduces oxygen levels in the water, deteriorates water quality, leads to unpleasant odors, and alters taste. Moreover, if this contaminated water mixes with water sources used by humans and animals for drinking, bathing, watering, or swimming, it can result in various diseases, infections, poisoning, and even fatalities.
Medical wastes, on the other hand, are wastes originating from hospitals and other healthcare institutions, considered the most hazardous waste category for human health and the environment. Medical wastes include substances such as blood, tissue, organs, body fluids, drugs, needles, serums, dressings, gauze, cotton, masks, gloves, surgical materials, laboratory waste, radioactive waste, pathological waste, infectious waste, chemical waste, among others. If medical wastes are discharged into the sewer or the environment without undergoing any cleaning, neutralization, or disinfection processes, it can have severe consequences. Medical wastes can clog sewage systems, contaminate water sources, poison soil and air, harm plants and animals, and transmit diseases such as infections, cancer, allergies, birth defects, genetic disorders, organ failure, and death to humans.
During the pandemic, it is crucial to manage medical waste and greywater in hospitals more carefully to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Proper measures, including segregation, temporary storage, transportation, sterilization, and disposal of medical waste and greywater at their source, are essential to protect the health of both hospital staff and the community. Technical and administrative principles related to the management of medical waste and greywater are outlined in the Medical Waste Control Regulation. Complying with this regulation by implementing a medical waste management plan and a greywater treatment and recovery system in hospitals would be beneficial both environmentally and economically.
Hospitals contain a high concentration of chemicals in the content of materials used in kitchens, bathrooms, sinks, and machines. Therefore, to ensure that the accumulation of greywater in hospitals, visited for health reasons, does not pose a threat to human health, treatment systems gain additional importance. Greywaters must be reclaimed without being accumulated or stored to prevent any potential threats. The effective management of limited natural resources and the continuity of the process depend on the efficient reclamation of used water. The use of greywater recovery and treatment systems in hospitals is indispensable for protecting our environment and ensuring sustainability in today's essential services.
Treatment Technologies Used for Greywater Treatment Systems
Greywater contains high concentrations of suspended solids, various chemicals, and microorganisms. Phosphorus should ideally be absent in greywater. Several treatment processes can be employed for greywater reclamation, involving physical, chemical, and biological methods.
- MBBR Systems (Moving Bed Bioreactor)
- Carbon Filtration Systems
- Sand Filtration Systems
- MBR Systems (Membrane Bioreactor)
- Disinfection Systems
- Ultrafiltration Systems
- Reverse Osmosis Systems
The content of greywater in hospitals, where water consumption is high for the sake of our future, varies based on the number of employees and service recipients, prevalent treatments, and the chemicals used. Contaminant values required for purification influence the design of water treatment technologies. Prior to the design phase, analyses and determination of all desired values are necessary to use appropriate technologies. After a purposeful design is made, the project can be initiated.
Physical, chemical, and biological treatment methods are all employed to reclaim wastewater. Systems established for reclamation are economically viable water treatment systems, eliminating all unwanted pollutants to obtain purified water ready for reuse.
Physical methods are employed for preliminary treatment. The first step in the processes for purification is the preliminary treatment process. It is a standard practice performed before all treatment processes. This step is utilized to remove large particles, involving sedimentation and filtration processes. Membrane filters remove suspended solids, including oils and other contaminants. Specifically designed for kitchen use, small systems such as oil separators are used for separating oils, while in large hospital-wide treatment, Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) systems are used. DAF units utilize air flotation to remove oils. Physical processes are conducted without the application of any chemical methods.
Biological Treatment Methods for Greywater Purification
Organic pollutants are removed through biological methods, where they are broken down biologically and then eliminated through sedimentation. Microorganisms are encouraged to use organic pollutants as nutrients. This completes a crucial step in purifying organic pollutants like bacteria and fungi. Their reproduction is also prevented, making it an economical and straightforward method.
Chemical methods involve coagulation, demineralization, and deionization processes. At this stage, wastewater goes through cleaning stages in sedimentation pools. Unwanted substances are precipitated by adding various chemicals and separating molecules. Greywaters are chemically purified by removing contaminants. Disinfection units are used, with UV and chlorination being two different methods.
Disinfection and Neutralization systems neutralize the unbalanced pH, viruses, and bacteria in liquid medical waste. Thanks to these technologies, liquid medical wastes can be safely discharged into sewers to prevent the spread of viruses.
Wastes, nearly purified to the level of purification, are finally passed through membrane filters. After physical, chemical, and biological methods, any remaining unwanted wastes are filtered through highly sensitive filters that only allow very fine water molecules and some ions to pass through. The water quality is then checked. Water reclaimed meets both purification and legally specified quality standards.
Purified water becomes readily usable. After purification, it can be stored in storage tanks for reuse. It can be utilized for cleaning, garden irrigation, and flushing purposes.
Greywater recovery systems are crucial technologies contributing to the image of hospitals. They are essential technologies for any healthcare institution that values nature, the environment, human health, and patients. Additionally, these technologies support the preservation of our natural resources and are necessary devices for our own future. They have low energy consumption and are cost-effective.
RİVAMED provides customized recovery solutions for hospitals, healthcare institutions, clinics, dental clinics, and private dialysis centers to ensure the effective and efficient use of water. We offer container-type or mobile solutions for healthcare institutions without sufficient space for operation.
For water conservation, reclaiming used water, environmental compatibility, preventing the spread of viruses, reducing costs, supporting sustainability goals, and preserving nature, you can contact us.
World Health Organization1 2: Water Consumption and Water Conservation3: Water Scarcity4: Waste Management in Hospitals: [Water Use and Sustainable Water Management in Public Hospitals]5: What is Greywater?6: Greywater Treatment Systems7: What is Medical Waste?8: Medical Waste Management9: Regulation on the Control of Medical Wastes: [Water Treatment and Recovery in Hospitals]: [Water Conservation and Waste Management in Hospitals]