With many of the sewage treatment plants (STPs) in Punjab and a majority in the Doaba region remaining non-functional, the PPCB is now banking on bioremediation and nanobubble technology for treating waste water in the effluent-ridden drains and river bodies. The very first in-situ remediation project was set up at Bhulana drain in Kapurthala on Saturday, which the department claims is expected to reduce the BoD level in the drain by the end of two months.

Bhulana is the controversial drain which is one of prime spots causing effluent discharge into the holy Kali Bein. Bhulana drain carries wastewater of 27 colonies near Rawal village besides wastewater of Rawal village, which eventually converges into holy Bein near Hussainpura village (Kapurthala), thereby deteriorating the quality of water of the Bein by discharging untreated wastewater.

The Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB)has developed low-cost model of in-situ remediation of Bhulana, based on the combination of bioremediation and phytoremediation enhanced by the nanobubble technology to treat wastewater. Chandigarh based firm M/s KBK Environ Infrastructures Limited Chandigarh has lent the nanobubble generator machine for the oxygenation of wastewater to the PPCB.

The new nanobubble technology is designed to naturally improve water quality by exceeding the oxygenation capabilities of aeration systems. Nanobubbles are produced by an on-shore gas transfer mechanism that creates  ultra-fine bubbles that are nearly invisible to the eye; in fact, at less than 1 micrometer, they are about 400 times smaller in diameter than human hair and 1 million times smaller than ordinary bubbles. As a result of their size, nanobubbles have no natural buoyancy. Unlike floating fountains and submersed aeration systems, which use rising larger bubbles to induce circulation and transfer of atmospheric oxygen throughout the water column, nanobubbles remain within the water column for extended periods of time, providing direct oxygenation of the water.

Another interesting characteristic of nanobubbles is that they are negatively charged and, therefore, are attracted to positively charged organic matter in the water column. When they connect with positively charged metals, pollutants and dangerous cyanotoxins, nanobubbles render them inactive to keep them from causing undesirable water quality conditions. While nanobubbles are traditionally infused with oxygen from the atmosphere, they can also be infused with concentrated oxygen from small onshore generators that can easily be added to the system where faster or more immediate results are needed. 

Immediate benefits of a nanobubble treatment:-

1.Saturates water with up to 79,000x more oxygen than aeration
2.Helps mitigate excess nutrients and harmful toxins
3.Aims to sustain the rapid growth of beneficial bacteria and desirable microbes
4.Helps prevent accumulation of anaerobic bottom muck and sediments
5.Can remain within the water column for more than 2-3 months