S. Vishnu Sharma
IIT Madras development is all about development of co-composting methods.
IIT Madras researchers along with their German counterparts have developed co-composting methods that can be used to safely dispose toxic pharmaceutical wastewater sludge.
IIT Madras development
They have already established composting facilities in various villages across India based on their studies through which stabilized compost that meets international quality standards can be obtained within 20 days.
Research team associated with IIT Madras development is now in discussion with the Government of India for setting up more such facilities for septage management.
While the initial objective of the study was to understand how pharmaceuticals and personal care products affect the composting process, the results obtained in the study have opened up the avenue of use of ‘Co-composting’ to treat toxic wastewater sludge.
Research team associated with IIT Madras development was led by Professor Ligy Philip, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Madras, and included Ms. Anu Rachel Thomas from IIT Madras and Professor Martin Kranert from the Germany-based Institute for Sanitary Engineering, Water Quality and Solid Waste Management, Stuttgart University.
The paper on this IIT Madras development was co-authored by Ms. Anu Rachel Thomas, Ph.D Student, IIT Madras, and Professor Martin Kranet along with Professor Ligy Philip.
The results of this study have been published recently in the prestigious peer-reviewed journal Waste Management.
Speaking about IIT Madras development Professor Ligy Philip said even though pharmaceuticals and personal care products are less susceptible to biodegradation, the addition of mixed organic waste and coir pith (bulking agent) during septage composting provided an appropriate conducive environment for significant carbamazepine removal.
Therefore, in-vessel ‘co-composting’ of septage can be considered as a resource recovery option for septage treatment, she said.
Speaking more about IIT Madras development she said their study reveals that more than 80 per cent of triclosan and carbamazepine removal occurred during both single and multiple pollutant degradation at an environmental concentration of 5 mg per kg of dry weight.
The background concentration of triclosan and carbamazepine in the present study were 0.59±25 mg per kg of dry weight and 0.290±41 mg per kg of dry weight, respectively, she said.
There are two reasons why chemicals released from personal products and medicines pose a challenge to waste management, she said.
The first reason is that these chemiclas dont decompose easily and also affect the decomposition rate of other organic waste in the septic tank.
The other reason is that the The untreated waste containing these chemicals damages, the flora and fauna of the aquatic bodies and fields where it is thrown.
Studies have shown that 10-90% of pharmaceuticals and personal care products are excreted in the parent form and rest in the conjugated form, said researchers associated with IIT Madras development.
The pharmaceuticals, particularly antibiotics, are a major issue as their presence in the water bodies can give rise to the bigger health issue of antibiotic resistance.
With the increasing population, the usage of onsite sanitation systems like septic tanks have been increasing every year, leading to the disposal of an enormous quantity of septage into the environment without proper treatment.
Untreated septage disposal creates environmental degradation which includes contamination of precious surface and groundwater sources, serious health threats and potential greenhouse gas emissions, explained Professor Ligy Philip.
Researchers who were associated with IIT Madras development carried out a study to understand the impact of pharmaceuticals and personal care products on the compost dynamics.
Prof. Ligy Philip’s laboratory has been working in the area of waste management and has also developed a treatment strategy based on ‘In-vessel co-composting’ for septage management in septic tanks.
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The team associated with IIT Madras development decided to determine the degradation pattern of Triclosan and carbamazepine.
While triclosan is a commonly used antimicrobial compound in toothpaste, detergents and soap, among other products. Carbamazepine is a widely used antiepileptic drug.
For this study, the team associated with IIT Madras development decided to determine the degradation pattern of Triclosan and carbamazepine.
While triclosan is a commonly used antimicrobial compound in toothpaste, detergents and soap, among other products. Carbamazepine is a widely used antiepileptic drug.
The team associated with IIT Madras development found that at a lower concentration of 5mg per kg of dry weight, carbamazepine degraded up to 83% and triclosan up to 86 per cent.
However, when both the pollutants were used carbamazepine degraded up to 66 per cent and triclosan up to 83 per cent.
Carbamazepine was found to have a more negative impact on compost dynamics as compared to triclosan and it was also observed that the higher concentration of these pollutants results in lower temperature which further leads to lower pollutant removal in the compost.