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A combined water and waste treatment system
Pharmafilter removes all (residual) medical substances, including contrast agents and (multidrug-)resistant bacteria, from waste water. The water is clean enough to be reused, e.g. for flushing toilets. It is safe to discharge the treated water directly to surface water.
The Pharmafilter system also processes medical waste streams coming from the waste shredders using sustainable and affordable methods. The Pharmafilter waste and wastewater treatment plant, in combination with the internal and external processing methods for waste provide many opportunities for adding external solutions.
The planet is crying out for clean water and circular waste flows
The internal sewer system transports waste water and solid waste streams to the Pharmafilter installation, which is located at the main sewer site on the hospital grounds. The following processes involving the treatment of waste water take place here:
1
The solid streams from the shredders are filtered out of the waste water.
2
The waste water then passes into the bioreactor where activated sludge removes heavy metals, nitrogen and phosphates.
3
The bioreactor is followed by membrane filtration, these membranes remove bacteria and viruses and microscopic airborne impurities.
4
In order to remove dissolved substances, the water undergoes an ozonisation step. This oxidisation process breaks down complex chemical structures into short chains.
5
Activated carbon filters capture the shorter chains and remove the last contrast agents and endocrine disruptors.
6
The filtered water then undergoes UV treatment, which eliminates any microbiological growth that may have occurred during the activated carbon process.
7
Lastly, in order to meet the water requirements for reuse or discharge, the installation has a built-in Reverse Osmosis unit.
When all these steps have been completed the water is ready to be reused as grey water for toilets and waste shredders in the hospital or for other technical applications. It can also be discharged directly into surface water nearby. This saves costs on treatment charges, sewage charges and the purchase of drinking water.
Solid waste
The solid waste that is filtered in the first step of the process is also treated in the Pharmafilter installation. The organic fraction of this waste stream is subject to fermentation, yielding biogas for the production of sustainable-renewable electricity and heat. The remaining waste undergoes a process of dewatering and decontamination.
Following this, the waste can be safely separated so that plastics and precious metals can be reused. This waste disposal method increases circularity options and reduces the hospital's CO2 footprint, as well as waste collection and disposal costs.
Only benefits
The Pharmafilter approach yields benefits for stakeholders across the entire spectrum of hospital management: clinical, executive and financial, operations and facilities, the environment and sustainability. The result is a value proposition that enables your hospital to devise a robust economic and clinical justification for investments in sustainable, clean technology.
The Pharmafilter-platform
The planet is crying out for clean water and circular waste flows
The internal sewer system transports waste water and solid waste streams to the Pharmafilter installation, which is located at the main sewer site on the hospital grounds. The following processes involving the treatment of waste water take place here:
Want to know more about what Pharmafilter and the Tonto can do for the sustainability targets of your hospital? Contact us directly.
