What is Retention Time and Is it Really necessary to understand it?
Wastewater is one of the important concerns in the 21st century and it is often observed that people focus on results rather than going through the process. Similarly, we all want pure water in the environment and often we claim it as our fundamental right to get fresh water but have you ever thought about the day when all the sources of freshwater will get exhausted? You will have to start looking for some of the alternatives which probably don’t exist. So, it is better to focus on it today so that we can save our future generation from the issues like this. When we talk about wastewater treatment then people often take it as a burden that is not required at all because if you see the root cause behind it then you will get realized how easy it is to save water for the future by treating them through some of the modern systems like effluent treatment plant and sewage treatment plant that can be easily availed through a wastewater treatment plant manufacturer. Because the major contribution to the creation of wastewater is the industries and other commercial buildings that’s why it is important to understand that if we will treat the wastewater coming out from these sources then we can easily save a lot of water which will ultimately act as a life savior for us.
So, it was all about the basics of wastewater treatment and why is it necessary but now it’s the time to submerge into one of the important as well as interesting concepts in the dimension of wastewater treatment and that is none other than the retention time in wastewater treatment, which can be defined as the amount of time when wastewater or a particular component of wastewater is kept in a treatment system. It is a crucial factor in determining the effectiveness and efficiency of wastewater treatment procedures. Retention time in a wastewater treatment system which can be easily installed by contacting an effluent Treatment Plant manufacturer is commonly determined in hours by dividing the volume of a treatment unit where the water is stored for its treatment and it might be a tank or any other container by the rate at which wastewater enters or exits the unit. The resulting value is the amount of time needed for the effluent to move through that particular unit.
Significance of Retention Time in a Wastewater System
There are so many service providers in the market but if you contact our STP Plant manufacturer then you will be guided through our experts in a well-mannered way so that you can efficiently use the system and achieve your desired result. So, as we have understood that what is the retention time but now is the time to go further and learn the importance of retention time.
- Since retention time plays a crucial role in the process then, it means that it is the requisite component that can’t be ignored while performing the process. It means that it plays a vital role because each and every treatment process requires sufficient time to get completed.
- Also, the different components in the wastewater require adequate time for treatment. We can take an example of a biological treatment process which includes an activated sludge system that also requires a certain amount of time where microorganisms take time to break the organic matter and remove the nutrients from the wastewater.
- Another significant aspect of the retention time is that it is influenced by the size and design of the unit as well as the nature of wastewater and the quality of treatment that is required. One can easily adjust the retention time which can optimize the treatment process but here one also needs to keep in mind that it should be controlled properly otherwise it might result in an insufficient treatment
Various Types of Retention Time
Till now, we have understood almost everything about the retention time in wastewater treatment but apart from this, it is also necessary to understand the types of retention time that are present there which is used to describe the different treatment processes. Actually, there are three types of retention time and they are Hydraulic Retention Time, Solids Retention Time and Sludge Retention Time. The term "hydraulic retention time" refers to the number of hours needed for water to flow through a treatment system. It is computed by dividing the treatment unit's volume by the rate of input flow.
On the other hand, when it comes to solids retention time then the duration of solids retention belongs to biological treatment methods like activated sludge systems. It speaks about the amount of time the microbes spend in a treatment system before being discarded or released. The third and last one is the sludge retention time which is similar to SRT, it is concerned with the retention of solids during the treatment process. It shows how long sludge particles or settled solids will stay in a given treatment unit.
