A new data viewer from the European Environment Agency (EEA) allows users to access data on urban wastewater and treatment plants. The new data viewer, part of the Water Information System for Europe (WISE) has been developed to facilitate the use and display of data already reported under the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD). The new UWWTD data viewer...

Whether your business is a small restaurant or a large multinational manufacturing industry,if it generates a wastewater which is discharged either to a sewer or a receiving water, a licence is required with very few exceptions. Time and time again we come across businesses have either had difficulties because they have not obtained a licence...

FP7 attaches great importance to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The aim for FP7 is to allocate at least an indicative 15% of the total EU funding of roughly €50 billion for 2007–13 to SMEs. SMEs have a role in a range of environmental research topics including water recovery/recycling, water and wastewater treatment, waste management...

An Enterprise Ireland study entitled Environmental Compliance in Irelands Print, Packaging and Labelling Sector has examined the findings of approximately 100 reviews carried out on sixty client companies over the period 1995 to 2011.  The main findings of this study include the following; Wastewater management issues accounted for most non-conformances. The main difficulties arose with the...

Fats and oils found in wastewater are commonly referred to as FOG (Fats, Oils and Greases).  FOG may be derived from butter, lard, vegetable fats, oils, meats, nuts and cereals and are generated in large quantities in food businesses. FOG causes problems because it does not break down easily and solidifies at lower temperatures.  FOG...

Researchers at Pennsylvania State University have built a prototype device which they say can generate electricity from waste water and simultaneously treat the water. Reverse electrodialysis (RED) technology was developed in the Netherlands and other countries. Fresh water and seawater are placed in intermittent chambers separated by membranes, and an electrochemical charge is created. Researchers...

The Department of Environment, Community and Local Government (DoECLG) has published a The Water Services  (Amendment) Bill 2011 to regulate wastewater discharges from all homes that are not connected to the public sewer network.  All on-site septic tank systems or domestic wastewater treatment systems will have to be registered. Around 68% of the population of...

The most common treatment mechanism for the removal of phosphorous from wastewater  involves the use of metal salt based coagulants: M3+ + PO43-→ MPO4 ↓ (Where M is the metal ion) A known amount of coagulant is applied to the wastewater.  A coagulated solid is formed and phosphate is precipitated out as a settled solid. ...

Around 68% of the population of Ireland live in urban areas and are connected to sewerage systems.  The balance live in rural areas and use septic tanks for treatment of sewage. The capacities of sewerage treatment plants in Ireland vary quite substantially – from those with a capacity of less than 2,000 p.e. (p.e. meaning...