1. PHYTORID system for
treatment of domestic
wastewater (Sewage)
Petrichor Emerging Technologies
India Pvt Ltd
CSIR-National Environmental
Engineering Research Institute
Nagpur,India
rakendramishra@hydrocreatives.com
himanshu@ hydrocreatives.com
Ph# +91-9818003337
Ph# +91-9999787562
November 25, 2014
At Center of India: Nagpur

2. Methods, Issues, solutions
Conventional
STP
Energy/
Consumables
Advanced
(Membrane etc.)
Domestic
Sewage
Soakpits
Septic Tanks
Energy/
Consumables
Disposal to
water bodies
Possible
GWR/ reuse
RT/ Area
Wastewater
Stabilization
Ponds
Constructed
wetlands
(Phytorid)
Septic Tanks
reuse/disposal
to water bodies
Reuse/
Recycle
Size
specific
High Energy
Minimum Energy

3. Energy Minimization though
Decentralized treatment
• Improve reachability, reduce the need for
sewage transportation system
• Allowing use of the treated water in-situ
• Minimizing pumping, transportation, thus
energy efficient
• Treatment where it is needed

4. Challenges in conventional treatment
Conventional Treatment
Remove: TSS
Treats: Bio-oxidation
NO N, P removal
mechanism
Eutrophication due to N, P
• High maintenance in
terms of cost and
energy
• Can not down-scale
• Failure due to aerators
• Sludge disposal
• Skilled manpower
Sewage

5. Phytorid: Paradigm Shift in Technological Solution
Command and Control
Ecosystem Based
Trade-off between space and
energy

6. NEERI’s PHYTORID
A Constructed Wetland System
• Based on 5 years of intense R&D in lab, pilot
• Now more than 9 years of field experience of plants
• Innovation based on:
– Our climate
– Our needs
– Our cost issues
– O&M practices
• International Patents:
– Australian Patent
– European Patent
– Indian Patent

7. Components of PHYTORID system
Processes
Sedimentation
Bacterial action
Filtration
Adsorption
Decomposition
Nutrient uptake
Vegetation system
Phytorid bed
Treated water storage
Sewage
collection
tank
Settler/screen

8. Phytorid Details
Mechanism
1)Biochemical
Oxidation of organics
2)Nitrification/denitrifi
cation
3)Phosphate uptake
4)Anaerobic
treatment zones at
bottom
• BOD reduction : O2 diffusion in liquid is limiting
factor in any STP, No matter how it is supplied
• Improved surface area helps Mass Transfer

9. Integrated approach for the
treatment
Phytorid
system
Streams from
small
Sewage villages/towns
Treated
Water
River
Sewage
Treated
Water
Basin Approach
•Reducing pollution
load from sewage
•Decentralised
treatment system at
villages and town levels
•Nallah-in-situ
treatment

10. Nallah In-situ Treatment
Central treatment system
Bank of nallah

11. Possible Environmental Intervention using
NEERI’s Phytorid Technology
Phytorid technology
•Engineered constructed
Wetland
•No alteration of existing
sewage line equired
•Can be built in river bed near
to sewage outlets or in near
by gardens
•Will not obstruct water flow
during monsoon nor any
Location: Ramdaspeth
Earlier Proposed Phytorid plan to NMC by NEERI mosquito/odour nuisance

12. River Projects under consideration
• Godavari, Nasik
• Panchganga, Kolhapur
• Nag River, Nagpur,
• Narmada Basin, MP
• Kaveri-Kambini, Mysore

13. Under Consideration
T. Nasripura,
Mysure

14. Phytorid Treating Nag River Water: Pilot Project
Raw sewage
in nallah
Treated water
Phytorid System
Plant at Agricultural
college, PKV Nagpur
Plant Capacity 100
m3/day

15. Performance of PHYTORID for Sewage typical results
Parameter Inlet sewage
quality
Treated water
quality
Standards
for inland
surface
water
Standards
Land
Irrigation
pH 7.1 to 7.5 7.2 5.5-9.0 5.5-9.0
Biochemical Oxygen
40 to 130 <5 30 100
Demand (mg/L)
Chemical Oxygen
Demand (mg/L)
130 to 350 < 12-18 250 Not Specified
Total Suspended solids
(mg/L)
80 to 90 < 15 100 200
Fecal Coli Farm
(MNP/100ml)
106 to 107 <20 --- ---
Nitrogen (mg/L) 10 to 50 4-5 5 Not Specified
Phosphate (mg/L) 10 to 50 1-4 5 Not Specified

16. Drain Cleaning
• Drain trash cleaning is important
• Possibility to use existing hardwares

17. Lake Treatment
Peripheral Phytorid
FloatingPhytorid
Contaminated
Treated

18. Lonar Lake,
Maharashtra
Lake Area: 3 hectare
Capacity: 500 KLD

19. Telibandha Lake,
Raipur
Lake Area: 11 Hectare
Phytorid Capacity 2 MLD
Proposed to develop 3 plant
at periphery

20. Kot Lake Brahmapuri, Maharashtra
Phytorid Capacity 450KLD
Project Approved

21. Shahadara Lake Project
(Under tendering
Process)

24. Design Approach
• Operating windows for sewage, parameters
• Source based selection of unit operations
• Space availability and levels
• Proximity of end use of treated water
• Quality of water required
• Soil strata
• Design of plant, conceptual, structural and
asthetics

25. Typical Performance Characteristics for Various Treatment Methods
Sr. Items Conventional
activated
sludge
UASB Extended
Aeration
Facultative
Aerated
Lagoons
PhytoRid
Technology
1 Performance
BOD Removal
%
85-92 75-78 95-98 75-85 80-95
2. Sludge First digest
then dry on
beds or use
mech devices
Directly dry on
beds or use mech
devices
No digestion
dry on sand
beds or use
mech devices
Mech.
Desludging
once in 5-
10 years
Negligible
3. Equipment
Requirement
(excluding
screening and grit
removal common
to all processes)
Aerators,
recycle pumps,
scrappers,
thickeners,
digesters,
dryers gas
equipment
Nil except gas
collection and
flaring gas
conversion to
elect is optional
Aerations,
recycle pumps
sludge,
scrappers for
large settlers
Aerators
only
None, all
flows by
gravity
4. Operational
Characteristics
Skilled
operation
reqd.
Simpler than ASP Simpler than
ASP
Simple Unskilled
operator
5. Special features Considerable
equipment and
skilled
operation reqd
specially when
gas collection
and usage
considered
Minimal to
negligible power
reqd. makes it
economical at
even if gas
revenue is
neglected
BOD removal
highest
effluent
nitrified high
power reqd.
Favoured for
small and
medium
plants
Power reqd.
similar to
ASP
operation
simpler
Plant species
and odour
less
operations

26. Various Plant Types
Forage Kochia Kochia spp
Poplar Trees Populus spp
Willow Trees Salix spp
Alfalfa Medicago sativa
Cattail Typha latifolia
Coontail Ceratophyllum demersvm L
Bullrush Scirpus spp
Reed Phragmites spp.
American pondweed Potamogeton nodosus
Common Arrowhead Sagittaria latifolia

27. ADVANTAGES
• Cost-effective
• Operation and maintenance expenses are negligible.
• Minimum electricity requirement, nearly fossil energy free
• Smaller footprint (Retention time: Typically less than 24 hrs.)
• Facilitates recycle and reuse of water
• No foul odor and No Mosquito Nuisance.
• Tolerates fluctuations in operating conditions such as flow,
temperature and pH

28. PHYTORID system is useful for treatment of waste water in
following applications
▪ Domestic wastewater (including decentralized Municipal waste water
treatment)
➢Colonies, Airports, Commercial complexes, Hotels
➢Open drainage
➢Cleaning of nallah water
▪ Agricultural wastewater
▪ Dairy waste
▪ Slaughter House Waste
▪ Fish pond discharges
▪ Pre treated industrial wastewater, Sugar Industries
▪ Municipal Landfill leachates
▪ Several other applications

30. Clear Water !!!

31. Phytorid 1.2MLD

33. Operation and Maintenance
Periods in Months 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Maintenance Item
Replantation (partial if
О О
needed)
Water Quality analysis О О О О О О О
Cleaning of Screening
Chamber [ this could be every
week, in case load of floating
matter is high]
О О О О О О О О О О О О
Harvesting of overgrown
plants and roots
О О О О
Hydraulics/ water level Checks О О
Cleaning of Settling chamber О
Pump maintenance (if pump is
installed)
О О О О

34. Technology in Field
• More than 35 plants already working (Maharashtra, Goa,
UP, Uttarakhand, Delhi…)
• Government Interest (MoUs, Dialogues)
– Municipal Corporation Delhi,
– Trans Yamuna Development Board & CM Delhi
– Govt of Maharashtra (through ULBs, MJP)
– State Planning Commission UP
– CG, Water Supply and Sanitation
– Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (for Parks & Gardens)
– Karnataka Urban Infrastructural Financial Development Council
• Under construction about 50 plants
• In active consideration more than 100

35. Comparison
PARTICULARS NAME OF TECHNOLOGY
ASP MBBR SBR UASB+EA MBR WSP
PHYTORI
D
AREA REQ . SQMT/MLD 1000 550 550 1100 450 6100 580-1000
CAPITAL COST 108 108 115 108 300 63 110
CIVIL COST (% OF CAPITAL COST) 60 40 30 65 20 90 80
Biomedia/Plantation - - - - - - 19
E&M WORK (%OF TOTAL CAPITAL
COST) 40 60 70 35 80 10 1
OPERATION& MAINTANEOUS COST
YEARLY POWER COST (LACS/MLD) 4.07 4.9 3.37 2.75 6.65 0.5 0.5
ANNUAL REPAIR COST (LACS/MLD) 2.38 1.94 1.84 2.48 1.76 0.1
CHEMICAL COST LACS/MLD 5.3 5.3 3.3 6.3 7.2 0
MANPOWER COST LACS/P.A. 12 12 12 12 12 12 2.5
TOTAL O& M COST PER YEAR 23.75 24.14 20.51 23.53 18.65 21.45 3.1
Refe:- http://moef.nic.in- Report Code: - 003_GBP_IIT_EQP_S&R_02Ver1_Dec 2010
ASP: -ACTIVATED SLUDGE PROCESS
MBBR:-MOVING BED BIOLOGICAL REACTOR
SBR:- SEQUINTIAL BATCH REACTOR
WSP:- WAST STABILIZATION POND
MBR:- MEMBRANE BIO REACTOR
UASB+EA:-UPFLOW ANAEROBIC SLUDGE BLANKET+EXTENDED AREATION

36. Comparison of Conventional Reed Bed and
Phytorid
Conventional Reed Bed Phytorid Technology
Either vertical or horizontal flow Better hydraulics with mixed flow,
advantage for better oxygen mixing
Only reed species are used for uptake of
nutrients and treatment
Combinations of several plant species
makes it tailor made wastewater
treatment. Also the plant species are local
ones
Root mass is detached after full growth
and spoils the water quality after
deterioration
No such root mass detachment and hence
no fouling
May require larger area as shallow beds Can be designed for smaller area

37. Implementation Mechanism
• Technological intervention from CSIR-NEERI
– Conceptual Design (vetting of design)
– Overall supervision
– Commissioning and water quality analysis
• Authorized Licensee
– Actual implementation in the field
– Maintenance
• Local Government
– Resolution to adopt Phytorid
– Space availability
– Fund application

38. Conclusions
• Constructed wetland is the needed innovative
technology: Ecologically benign
• Nearly free of fossil based energy therefore
sustainable and doable
• Cost effective in terms of O&M is most
important factor

39. Thank You