Aside from flushing away our waste down the toilet, there’s little more people want to have to do with it and for good reason: after it leaves our bodies, human waste shouldn’t be something you ever come into contact with again! Aside from the occasional septic system issue that brings to light inefficiency within our system, thankfully we won’t ever have to deal with our waste, however that doesn’t mean it simply disappears from the world. In fact, you might be surprised as to what happens to the contents of your septic tank after it’s appropriately pumped and hauled away.
When your septic tank is pumped, it’s transferred to holding tanks at a processing facility, where the dewatering process begins. A dewatering service in Bethel, OH will ensure that, once removed from your tank, your raw sewage will be handled in a way that allows it to be stabilized and appropriately processed, eventually leaving behind a biosolid that can be used as an agricultural fertilizer.
Once the raw sewage has had time to settle in the holding tank, it’s pumped to a static mixer, where a special polymer is added to help stabilize it and prepare it for the dewatering process. The mixture of waste and polymer is then fed into a dewatering box, where the dewatering process truly begins. Thanks to the added polymer, the solids will coagulate, while the liquids will separate out through a series of finely graded screens, which serve to trap any fine-grain solids that may have escape coagulation.
The liquids that come out of the dewatering process aren’t quite safe yet, however. They’re forced through drain ports and collected to be taken to a water processing facility, where the liquid will undergo a comprehensive cleansing process so that it’s once again safe for humans.
Back to the solids that still remain in the dewatering box! These solids are loaded for transport to a landfill, where they’ll be tested to ensure that they’re environmentally safe. Once decreed safe, they can then be implemented or sold as special compost for agricultural use, completing the circle of dewatering!
Why is this necessary?
Many people might wonder why it’s necessary for a dewatering service in Bethel, OH to go through so many steps to deal with waste. The answer lies in the volatility of raw sewage and the harm that it can cause to people and the environment. If not properly treated, the sewage remains a biohazard, unsafe for environmental disposal—however once screened, filtered and treated, both the liquid and solid components of wastewater can be used again!
It’s certainly a process that no one wants to have firsthand experience with, but nonetheless, it’s essential in the life cycle of our waste. So, while you might flush your toilet and say goodbye to your waste forever, don’t think that the process stops there—your waste has a whole other life past your short dealings with it!