TERI advanced oxidation technology (TADOX®) for treatment and rejuvenation of open drains and surface water bodies: making habitats sustainable

Open drains contain sewage waste and find the route to surface water bodies mainly due to the absence of dedicated conveyance of wastewater to centralized wastewater treatment facilities. This poses severe environmental, public health and occupational health hazard and there is an urgent need for onsite treatment of open drains. TADOX((R)) (TERI Advanced Oxidation Technology) from TERI (The Energy and Resources Institute, New Delhi) is an advanced approach treat drains using photocatalysis (UV/n-TiO2) as an advanced oxidation process. This paper presents a case study of an open drain, which when treated with TADOX((R)) Technology, improved water quality parameters meeting the regulatory norms. The untreated open drain did not meet Class E of the Water Quality Criteria laid down by the regulatory body, and attained Class A Water Quality Criteria after end-toend treatment within 5 h. TADOX((R)) treatment resulted in the removal of 63.5% chemical oxygen demand, 99% biochemical oxygen demand, 96% phosphate, 61% nitrogen, 3 log reduction in E. coli and 4 log reduction in total coliform values with a doubling in dissolved oxygen levels. Micropollutant load reduction of 93.5% in acetaminophen, 96% in sulfamethoxazole, 96% in ibuprofen and 89% in caffeine was also recorded in the study.

Automated summary

Open drains are a significant source of pollution and pose various environmental and health hazards due to the lack of proper wastewater treatment. TADOX technology, developed by TERI, uses photocatalysis for advanced treatment of open drains and has shown effective results in improving water quality parameters. The case study presented in this paper demonstrates that the treated drain met the regulatory norms for water quality, while the untreated drain did not. The TADOX treatment resulted in the removal of various pollutants and a significant increase in dissolved oxygen levels.