A compact wastewater treatment system developed by the Department of Science and Technology-Industrial Technology Development Institute (ITDI) is now available for adoption as part of DoST efforts to help reduce environmental degradation in Boracay and Manila Bay.

The compact wastewater treatment system is designed to handle wastewater problems of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that have limited space.

"It can help these SMEs comply with Department of Environment and Natural Resources Effluent Standards for Class C receiving bodies of water.

The technology will be able to help fast-food restaurants reduce their wastewater discharged," DoST said.

The agency said that the system employs a biological treatment in which microbes "eat up" pollutants present in the wastewater.

To ensure effectiveness of the microbes, DoST-ITDI researchers obtained these microbes from fastfood wastewater which can withstand wastewater with elevated levels of oil and grease.

"They also determined the optimum operating conditions for these microbes to thrive. As such, pollutants can easily be converted by the microbes into forms that would not harm the environment. In the process of optimization, DoST-ITDI researchers were able to configure a system that requires lesser footprint," DoST said.

An aerator that requires less maintenance and lower power consumption made the system cost-effective.

At present, two systems will be deployed in Malay, Aklan and Bulacan.

The technology has been showcased in the DoST’s ExperTalk Online last Jan. 13 with Engr. Reynaldo L. Esguerra, chief of the DoST-ITDI’s Environment and Biotechnology Division (EBD), as resource person.