This will pass through a modified horizontal wetland using water hyacinths and the gravel bed and biochar mixed in a plastic net bag.
Barangay Wastewater Treatment
The same modified wetland system can be used in drainage canals to treat effluents from septic tanks and storm water runoff and remove organic contaminants, with the sanitation facility that will serve two barangays to cost at least P500,000.00.
Based on the design, the horizontal flow wetland will be a soil cement confining dike, with the effluent from the wetland to exit through a bed planted with vetiver grass for reduced pollution.
Soil Cement Dike Modular Hub Basins
The 100 meters by 10 meters by 1.2-meter-high soil cement dike will create an impounded floodwater reservoir to accommodate floating solar farm panels with a 1.0 megawatt capacity with battery storage. This would provide energy requirements of ultrafiltration plants, pumps and lighting, including urgent power needs of barangays especially during power outages in the existing grid.
Potable Water Treatment with Ultrafiltration
All dirt particles, bacteria and viruses can be filtered through ultrafiltration, which will eventually produce clean and safe drinking water. At an estimated 600 cubic meter per day capacity, the plans can provide treated potable water for 10,000 people in eight to 10 barangays for their daily needs.
Five (4) sets of modular filtration plants, with a capacity of 6cum/hour, will cost an estimated P5.0 million, with an extra set to be held in reserve if any of the other equipment failed to function.
The impounded floodwater and river water are not considered as wastewater, since watershed drainage area upstream have minimal or no existing formal settlements in most rural areas. Utilizing the plant-based
treatment process thru the modified horizontal constructed wetland involves using duckweed or water hyacinth as macrophyte with a gravel bed mixed with biochar as aerated substrate. The process is an assurance that impound floodwater has lesser pollution and can be considered as class C water.
“This is radical innovative move, differs from all traditional entities of existing water supply treatment practice done, especially in the Philippines,” Engr. Mapa said.
Biochar Production with Pyrolysis Process
Biochar is a by-product in the pyrolysis of biomass, with its carbon-rich and porous materials used in numerous applications, soil improvement, remediation and pollution control especially in wastewater filtration and enhancement of climate change mitigation.
Depending on the needs and location of each barangay, modular and portable, small-scale pyrolysis plants or carbonizers, including shredders and grinder equipment, could be operated at barangay Materials Recovery Facilities (MRF) site.
Three sets of roving portable modular pyrolysis equipment can convert farm and organic garbage wastes to biochar at a rate of 110 kilograms per day per machine, which is ideal for rural barangays. Each equipment can be programmed to operate as to accept feedstock or biomass such as plastic, household garbage, and medical wastes for each set of modular portable equipment.
The whole set-up of pyrolysis, shredder and grinder would cost a total of P6.0 million but the benefits to the immediate community would be enormous.
In sustainable agriculture supporting food security, biochar production would ensure enhanced organic fertilizer from farm wastes.
As a solution to medical wastes disposal, a mobile, small modular pyrolysis for hospital medical wastes can process the waste within the storage facility, resulting in lesser operational cost and assuring confinement of disease contamination.
The system could lead to the reduction or elimination of landfills with decaying organic biomass
emission of methane and nitrous gases, which are more deadly than carbon.
On the other hand, the innovative biochar production can harness the “bayanihan spirit” of residents and farmers in the barangay by processing their own garbage and farm wastes to biochar for their own use at minimal labor overhead costs.
(to be continued)