Special Feature

Photographer: Nathalie Heidel.

Where have all the flowers gone?

Tomher Infinity BioSolv sewage treatment using micro-nutrient aeration technology provides solution to reduce pollution and contribute to a greener environment.
(Contributed by Dr Frank Wilson, Technical Sales Director, Tomher Environmental Sdn Bhd)

THIS WAS THE opening line to one of Bob Dylans famous songs in the 1960s which I remember well, but perhaps we should in this day and age ask Where does all the sewage go?. Sewage is generally a taboo subject and once the toilet is flushed, most people forget about it. The world population is growing at an enormous rate so the problems associated with sewage go cap in hand with the population growth rate. In the early days sewage could be flushed into the local river and Mother Earth, being so accommodating, would soon take care of it. But eventually enough is enough and rivers start to die because the sewage is taking all the oxygen and plant and aquatic life begin to die. The rivers reach the sea and sewage pollution is then found on the beaches. This is an international problem not only found in Asia with serious beach pollution but also
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found in the developed countries such as the USA and Europe. Being the birth place of the Industrial Revolution, excellent sewage treatment systems were developed in the UK in the 1900s and were soon in place worldwide. They were designed to treat the sewage so that the treated effluent could be safely discharged into the adjacent river or to the sea and better yet, used for irrigation. Unfortunately, the rapid growth of the worlds population put demands on the sewage treatment systems to produce better and better effluents so the adjacent rivers and sea could accommodate the extra loading. Thus sewage systems became more complicated to operate and demanded a far hig her standard of op er at ive. Regrettably, due to financial constraints in developing countries, the required calibre of operational staff was not always available

which leads to failure of the systems. The Danish Cooperation for Environment and Developement (DANCED) report conducted in Sabah in 2002 showed that the majority of sewage plants were not operating or were operating badly and the situation has not improved. The net result is that many of Sabahs rivers and coastline beaches are polluted. There is a misconception that a septic tank is a sewage treatment system which it certainly is not. The contact time in a freshly desludged septic tank is generally about 24 to 36 hours and so little time is available for sewage digestion. What happens is that the solids in the sludge drop out allowing a liquid effluent to be discharged. The effluent should be discharged into a land soak away or similar where the soil bacteria will break down the sewage. The septic tanks will require desludging annually but

Special Feature
As part of our effort to protect and preserve the ecology of this jewel-like island in the Sulu Sea, Lankayan Island has always taken the green approach to promote eco-tourism in every aspects including waste management. We are proud to be have the first Infinity BioSolv advanced waste water treatment system in operation on our island as it ensures that sewage waste is properly treated and easily exceeds the required Malaysian Effluent Standard A. One thing we really like about this system is that its design strongly emphasises the need for its own byproducts being green, which is in line with what we aim for as an eco resort. I would strongly recommend this system especially if you are operating in an environmentally sensitive area.
Ken Chung Owner Pulau Sipadan Resort & Tours Sdn Bhd http://www.dive-malaysia.com/index.html

TOP : Dried sludge. BOTTOM : Tomher Infinity BioSolv sewage treatment system. OPPOSITE : Lankayan Island Dive Resort.

this seldom if ever takes place in Sabah because there are no sludge treatment facilities available. It is worth noting that septic tanks in Kuching must be registered and desludged annually. The sludge is then treated in the purpose built system on the outskirts of Kuching. This is far-sighted and other cities and towns should follow suit. Many villages and tourist centres along the coast of Sabah and on many of the islands flush their sewage directly into the sea or into septic tanks beneath the holiday chalets that discharge into the sea, often adjacent to tourist beaches, which is totally unacceptable environmentally. The pollution being flushed out to sea is having a deleterious effect on the coral surrounding Sabah. The beautiful islands

and associated coral reefs around Sabah are a magnet for tourists from all over the world and Sabah has some of the best diving sites in the world; Pulau Sipadan being recognised as one of the top five dive sites in the world. Sabah Parks now restrict daily visitors to the island to try and ensure environmental damage does not occur. It is essential that this far-sighted attitude is being practised by others to minimise the effect on the environment. Pulau Lankayan is an island that is situated in the Sulu Sea about 1.5 hours fast boat ride from Sandakan. The island is idyllic with clean beautiful pale blue seas and white sandy beaches. The owner is an environmental engineer and was aware of the potential problems associated with sewage. To protect its coral reef, he completely discarded his septic tank system that fed its effluent into a hydroponics system w i t h a To m h e r In f i n i t y BioSolv sewage treatment system. This system is based on the latest USA and EU technologies to produce an excellent final effluent not seen in Sabah before; far exceeding the Standard A effluent quality. Its micro-

nutrient aeration technology is designed to produce up to 7 times more dissolved oxygen (DO) level than conventional systems at significantly lower operating cost. To put it in perspective, such improvement in aeration efficiency has enough oxygen to feed an extra 10 million units of crabs in an Olympic size swimming pool. Because of its high dissolved oxygen level, the sewage retention time is greatly reduced from 24 hours to just merely six hours. This resulted in a significant reduction in plant footprint that simply equates to only about one third (1/3) of the conventional treatment plant. In terms of its contribution to a greener environment, the sludge produced as the by-product, once dried, is of high nutrient quality and can be used as organic fertilizer. When spread around trees and bushes, this organic fertilizer minimises the ground water losses due to evaporation in the hot sun and releases nutrients into the soil when it rains. It eventually breaks down and adds to the quality of the soil. So now that you know where the sewage has gone, its all up to you how you start addressing your sewage disposal responsibly.

For more details, visit www.tomherenvironmental.com or call +6088-231 498.

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