The world is on the verge of water shortage, hence it is very important to find proper management of water resources in order to meet the demand for water in today’s growing population. Collection and reuse of wastewater have become a priority today. Wastewater could create public health issues by polluting natural water resources, therefore treatment could have a positive effect on it. The processes could be biological or physiochemical.
Water waste management has become very popular all over the world, but the need to establish a low-cost treatment is necessary. The recycling of kitchen water waste can be used in agriculture, but they require proper treatment before it is used for irrigation purposes. Let us discuss some treatments that are coming up to reuse kitchen water waste.
# Kitchen wastewater treatment by the aerobic method: This method uses activated sludge, wherein the pre and post-treatment parameters analyzed biochemical oxygen design, chemical oxygen demand, electrical conductivity, oil content, turbidity, total suspended solids, and total dissolved substances. This improved the water quality after 45 days, and now this system is suitable for the treatment of kitchen wastewater and can be used for irrigating vegetables and nursery plants.
# Microbial Treatment: Domestic water is found to have 47% of organic material which can promote the growth of microorganisms as it is a source of energy for them. Microbial treatment of wastewater is an effective way to degrade organic compounds.
# Oil and Grease Trap Method: Water waste emerging from the kitchen sink is high in organic material as it is the leftover food dishes that contain oil and grease from cooking methods. This water can be treated by a simple method known as the oil and grease method with a filter being planted for reuse of the kitchen water waste for the garden.
As for the produce in the garden, it is not safe to use greywater on the edible parts of the plants which would be used for cooking. But greywater can be used on trees, shrubs, and large herbs where the edible part is well away from the soil.
The kitchen water waste from the kitchen usually comes from washing soaked daals or rice, pasta before cooking. The most nutrient-rich kitchen water is used to boil pasta and vegetables, this water serves a very good purpose in watering plants after it cools down. This water can be used to water the plants in the garden. This way you are saving time on watering as well as saving water.
Another way of saving wastewater is by keeping mugs and dishes under the faucet so that they are half clean when you wash your hands over them. This water can be dumped into a bucket and later used for plants in the garden. One of the easiest ways to reuse kitchen wastewater is to let it out through a pipe and use it to water ornamental plants and fruit trees.
# Conservation of kitchen wastewater straight from the sink: Kitchen Wastewater from the sink can be recycled for irrigation, and cut down on water waste thus saving your landscape in times of drought. Plants anyway do not need clean water like us, therefore greywater from the kitchen would be good for them. This method helps in the conservation of water and reduces energy, chemicals, and the cost involved in treating water. Just remember to use environmentally friendly dishwashing bars and liquids. Kitchen sinks are one place that produces plenty of water, be it for washing vessels, vegetables and fruits, daals and this water could be diverted from the drain to the outside. Greywater systems can save water, extend the life of septic tanks and save your time on watering plants.
We saw all the different ways to reuse kitchen wastewater and their advantages. Let us quickly go through some disadvantages and try to see if they can be overcome.
- Treatment of wastewater in the kitchen is needed before usage.
- May need to refit the plumbing system in your house before you collect greywater.
- There may be legal barriers preventing kitchen wastewater reuse.
- Disease-carrying mosquito populations may increase if home treatment involves stagnant water.
- DIY greywater systems can be smelly affairs.
A significant advance in kitchen greywater recycling technology called ‘Hydraloop’ is being adapted now. This is an award-winning system in 2020 CES Consumer Technology Association Innovation and is successful in bringing a commercially available home water conservation system to the market. Thus kitchen wastewater reuse has become more common since it reduces the burden on urban treatment along with protecting the quickly eroding natural resource.
