Kenya is among the fastest growing economies on the continent of Africa. There has been an expansion of urban centres thanks to the rapid population growth. Waste water treatment has become an important aspect in the management of the urban centres. In this article, we will explore the methods that have been employed to facilitate municipal water treatment in Kenya.
The use of chemical methods is fairly common. Various chemicals have been found to get rid of unwanted toxins without affecting the safety of effluent once it is released. Chlorine and ozone are among the most commonly used examples. These two work through a process known as oxidation which kills harmful organisms in the effluent.
Neutralization is also another option that can be adopted easily. The idea here is to neutralize the pH of sewerage effluent. This means that if it has been determined to be acidic, a base will be added and if it is too basic, an acidic compound will be added. Coagulation method involves the addition of a substance to the effluent with the aim of creating an insoluble product that can be easily removed.
Physical methods are also widely used. Their main characteristic is that they do not cause any biochemical changes on the sewage. Examples of such methods include sedimentation. This technique mainly relies on the force exerted by gravity on solids within the liquid waste. The solids usually settle at the bottom of a separation tank and the fluid is allowed to flow to a separate tank where it usually undergoes further treatment. Sedimentation may be done in several stages to ensure that as much of the solid as possible is removed.
Aeration is the process through which air is pumped into the effluent. The amount of oxygen within this wastewater is increased and this is favourable to aerobic bacteria. The bacteria increase in numbers rapidly and break down organic matter within the waste.
Filtration is arguably one of the methods that have been in use for a long period of time. It is also an example of a physical technique as it does not alter the effluent either biologically or chemically. The success of this method is based on different sizes water and solid molecules. When the effluent is passed through a filter medium, solids are separated from liquids. A common form of filtration used in Kenya is the sand filter system.
Biological systems have been readily embraced and are either used in isolation or alongside the other methods. Microorganisms (mostly bacteria) are released to the effluent to facilitate biochemical decomposition. The by-products of this decomposition include water and carbon dioxide and several others. The methods may be classified as aerobic or anaerobic.
The main objective of water treatment is to make it safe before it is released to the environment. This is true for all cities that operate sewage effluent treatment systems and is also true for Kenyan cities. The efficiency of the process in Kenya is quite low mostly because a volume of effluent is being directed to overstretched treatment plants. There is a need to commit more resources to this exercise by the government as well as the private sector.
The use of chemical methods is fairly common. Various chemicals have been found to get rid of unwanted toxins without affecting the safety of effluent once it is released. Chlorine and ozone are among the most commonly used examples. These two work through a process known as oxidation which kills harmful organisms in the effluent.
Neutralization is also another option that can be adopted easily. The idea here is to neutralize the pH of sewerage effluent. This means that if it has been determined to be acidic, a base will be added and if it is too basic, an acidic compound will be added. Coagulation method involves the addition of a substance to the effluent with the aim of creating an insoluble product that can be easily removed.
Physical methods are also widely used. Their main characteristic is that they do not cause any biochemical changes on the sewage. Examples of such methods include sedimentation. This technique mainly relies on the force exerted by gravity on solids within the liquid waste. The solids usually settle at the bottom of a separation tank and the fluid is allowed to flow to a separate tank where it usually undergoes further treatment. Sedimentation may be done in several stages to ensure that as much of the solid as possible is removed.
Aeration is the process through which air is pumped into the effluent. The amount of oxygen within this wastewater is increased and this is favourable to aerobic bacteria. The bacteria increase in numbers rapidly and break down organic matter within the waste.
Filtration is arguably one of the methods that have been in use for a long period of time. It is also an example of a physical technique as it does not alter the effluent either biologically or chemically. The success of this method is based on different sizes water and solid molecules. When the effluent is passed through a filter medium, solids are separated from liquids. A common form of filtration used in Kenya is the sand filter system.
Biological systems have been readily embraced and are either used in isolation or alongside the other methods. Microorganisms (mostly bacteria) are released to the effluent to facilitate biochemical decomposition. The by-products of this decomposition include water and carbon dioxide and several others. The methods may be classified as aerobic or anaerobic.
The main objective of water treatment is to make it safe before it is released to the environment. This is true for all cities that operate sewage effluent treatment systems and is also true for Kenyan cities. The efficiency of the process in Kenya is quite low mostly because a volume of effluent is being directed to overstretched treatment plants. There is a need to commit more resources to this exercise by the government as well as the private sector.
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