CSIR-NIIST Transfers Onsite Wastewater Treatment Tech to More Agencies

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
CSIR-National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology (NIIST) has transferred its Onsite Wastewater Technology Treatment technology to more agencies, scaling up the efforts to disseminate outcome of scientific research for environmental and public health safeguards.

NIIST singed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Wednesday with E-Nadu Youth Cooperative Society, Veliyanoor, Kottayam, and FOAB Solutions Pvt Ltd for transferring its NOWA technology, in the presence of the Minister for Cooperation, Ports and Devaswoms, V.N. Vasavan.

NIIST Director Dr. C. Anandharamakrishnan and representatives from the two agencies exchanged the MOUs.

NOWA is an engineered biological treatment system capable of recovering reuse quality water, bioenergy and organic manure from wastewater.

Unlike most current practices like MBBR, SBR, DEWATS and Electrocoagulation, the technology developed by NIIST has many advantages such as less space requirement, free from frequent sludge disposal, less power consumption and low operational and maintenance cost.

The NOWA technology is designed for Indian conditions, and it will be a replacement for imported technologies.

The NIIST technology is a combined anaerobic-aerobic/anoxic bioprocess unit with a unique microbial system. This will find wider application for greywater as well as high strength organic wastewater treatment.

This patented technology was developed by a team of researchers led by the Senior principal scientist, Dr Krishnakumar B. It has been approved by Kerala state Suchitwa Mission and field units are already working at different industrial sites.

Dr. C. Anandharamakrishnan said the research programmes at NIIST in sanitation sector will support the state’s scientific and sustainable waste management Malinya Muktham Nava Keralam.

The institute is looking forward to partnership with more start-ups and private companies in its diverse interdisciplinary research activities so that the outcome of R&D activities can be translated to the field to address real problems of the society, he added.

NIIST business development team head, Dr Nishy P, Environmental technology Division Head, Dr Kesavachandran C, Veliyanoor Panchayat president Sajesh Sasi, FOAB Solutions Pvt Ltd MD Rajeev George and director Sreekumar M, NIIST Senior Principal Scientist Dr. Krishnakumar B and scientist Dr Akshay Shende were present on the occasion.