New Plant Tackles Hospital Wastewater

A new wastewater plant in Denmark may help solve the challenges posed by hospital wastewater, which can present a public health threat when released into public sewage systems.

"The new treatment plant involves biological purification processes as well as a system of ceramic filtration membranes and a final 'polishing' with activated carbon and ozone. The system is extremely flexible: each element in this modular system can be expanded, removed or adjusted to accommodate changing needs," The Guardian reported.

The plant is markedly different than other treatment facilities, according to Poul Madsen, an official at Grundfos, which designed the plant.

“Wastewater from hospitals is typically fed into large, municipal treatment plants that take up a lot of space and require long pipelines from the hospital to the treatment plant,” Madsen said, per the report.

“We have developed a compact water treatment plant that can be delivered in four or five pre-fabricated modules. It’s no bigger than a small house, and it enables hospital wastewater to be treated locally and then safely released into the local environment,” he continued.

The effort began when the government of Greater Copenhagen created a partnership including Herlev Hospital and other public and private entities, the report said.

"The goal of this partnership was to find a solution that actually removes the problematic substances in hospital wastewater rather than simply diluting it with other wastewater streams in the public treatment system," the report said.

Grundfos was part of the partnership. Chairperson of the capital region Sophie Hæstorp Andersen explained why this company played an important role in the effort.

“Grundfos had previously tested some really good technologies on a laboratory scale together with a couple of other hospitals in our region,” she said, per the report. “Bringing Grundfos into our partnership allowed us to build on this experience.”

In October, the partnership unveiled the wastewater treatment plant, positioned near the hospital. Keeping the treatment process local was a key part of the plan.

“Our plant receives wastewater directly from the hospital. It is not mixed with the water from the public wastewater treatment system. This makes it possible for us to specifically target the substances in hospital wastewater,” Madsen said, per the report.

The wastewater discharged by hospitals may introduce dangerous content into the environment that could pose a threat to public health, according to a study published this year by the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.

"Many hospitals, in particular those that are not connected to any municipal treatment plant, have their own sewage treatment plants," according to the World Health Organization.