What is passive treatment?
When thinking about the word passive, it naturally evokes something negative. Writing in the passive voice should be avoided, for example. There is nothing good about passive aggressiveness. A passive person does nothing at all.
In the field of wastewater treatment, however, passive is the desirable outcome! “Passive” treatment means the process of treating or cleaning wastewater without using electricity, chemicals, and human intervention. Wastewater treatment, which is essential to protect the environment and our sources of drinking water, happens all by itself!
This type of wastewater treatment has many benefits.
Passive wastewater treatment is a low-cost, long-term technology since it requires:
- No energy input;
- No need to buy and add chemicals regularly such as chlorine;
- No mechanical parts to buy and replace;
- No costly repairs;
- Little maintenance due to no mechanical processes.
Passive treatment also has lower ecological impacts:
- The use of chemicals is harmful to the environment;
- No drainage required as biomass proliferation is controlled;
- Some sources of electricity are not renewable;
- Broken mechanical parts must be disposed of in the garbage;
- New parts must be manufactured and transported;
- The process of manufacturing the mechanized technology itself has a greater ecological impact than passive technology;
- Water treatment is not affected by power outages, reducing the risk of spills of untreated water into the environment.
Additionally, passive treatment has a big impact on septic system sustainability:
- The main parts, i.e. the underground piping, have a proven service life of 120 years when protected from the sun—so they are relatively permanent;
- The proliferation of biomass is naturally controlled, with zero maintenance, never needing to be emptied;
- The filtering media, i.e. the filtration sand under the piping, is permanent;
- No mechanical parts that can break down and leave you with an inoperable septic system with no spare parts available.
System O)) solutions
The treatment technology forming the core of System O)) solutions is fully passive. It creates an environment conducive to controlling the proliferation of biomass which feeds on pollutants that are naturally found in domestic wastewater, i.e. water from toilets, sinks, showers, dishwashers, and washing machines. Thanks to an environment that exploits microorganisms, there is a total breakdown of pollutants resulting in zero residues accumulating inside the system. In addition to avoiding the need to change any medium or mechanical parts, draining of the system is not necessary.
Beyond treatment, when site conditions permit, the System O)) gravitational design even provides the advantage of being powered without pumps. Therefore, we have a totally passive solution.
This is an ideal solution for sites with difficult access for maintenance, e.g. if you are located on an island, in a remote area, or even for buildings without electricity such as hunting camps or cottages.
Moreover, many households would like to live off grid—without using municipal sewers, drinking water systems, and even electricity utilities. When you choose System O)), it lasts a lifetime.
By choosing passive technology, you have a septic system that is as simple as it is natural, offering you peace of mind for many years to come.
Contact us if you have any questions! Our team of experts is always available to answer your questions.
