Waste water aeration is a process where waste water is mixed in order to induce a biological process. It also keeps the solids in the waste water floating to allow a more effective water treatment. There are two methods used in aeration systems: one is the use of a mechanical surface aeration where air is infused through agitation and the other method is through the introduction of air or pure oxygen using diffusers submerged in the waste water.

The biochemical process resulting from aerating the waste water system encourages the development of “aerobic bacteria” which are more active “eaters than the anaerobic bacteria. This kind of bacteria needs air to survive however and this is the reason why aeration systems are designed to bring air in the sewage or septic tank. With this biochemical activity in place, the aerobic bacteria will clean up the fluid in the septic tank and will also make the way in the same process to the lines of the leach field or the septic drain fields. Because of this the contaminants will be removed and any impurities in the water that will appear from the septic tank. Leach field is effective in the disposal of organic materials which will be broken down by the anaerobic bacteria which will result to the clearing of the bio-materials that has been building up through out the years and clogging the septic drains themselves thus preventing a good flow and breakdown of bio materials in the septic tank.

An effective pond aerator system is essential and most of the time necessary in maintaining a good septic tank system, proves to be energy consuming. That is why it is a good initiative to optimize some of its variables in order to minimize the energy consumption of the system. Looking into how the aeration system works the optimization or control of the solid retention time. By maintaining a high or low solid retention time will have a corresponding effect on the volume of the excess sludge that will be wasted together with the excess energy consumed by the aeration system. If the sludge disposal cost are not high, the reduction of the solid retention time will be a viable alternative since this setup you can reduce the number of aeration tanks that are functioning.

If the facility is required to nitrify method to reduce the energy use is by creating an anoxic zone at the head end of the aeration basin. This works by allowing to have an oxygen-deficient zone to allow the activated sludge bacteria to use the nitrate to oxidize waste biochemical oxygen demand. In short, this is created by reducing the air flow significantly to just allow enough air to induce mixing.

The reduction of biochemical oxygen demand is perhaps the most left out methods in keeping a cost efficient aeration system since the lower the oxygen demand in one’s aeration system will maximize the efficiency of the aeration system by requiring less oxygen in the tank.

Another way in maintaining the efficiency of the aeration system is by implementing an automated control system. In order to do this, one should install dissolved oxygen probes or analyzers in order to properly measure the level of oxygen dissolved in the wastewater which can be utilized to notify the automated adjustment in the air flow, the level of the tank or even the speed of the mechanical aerator.

A proper running aerator system with sewage and septic tank is an important tool in maintaining the health of everyone as bio chemical hazards may bring sickness and contamination in the water which may not only affect families but also the environment. Keeping the aeration system working at its optimum level also ensures a proper water treatment of the wastewater in our sewage system flowing through creeks, rivers then the sea.

Despite this critical need, it is also undeniable that aeration systems are consuming a lot of energy and is also a concern that needs to be reviewed, analyzed and taken care of. By implementing some minor adjustments, improvements and initiatives the way we are running our aeration systems, we will not only have a secure waste water and biochemical disposal facilities, but we will also have an energy efficient system to go along with it.