How to Treat Sewage Water Without Chlorine
Problem
Sewage water (wastewater from homes, businesses, etc.) contains a variety of pollutants:
- Organic matter (faeces, food waste, soaps, etc.)
- Pathogens (bacteria, viruses)
- Chemicals (detergents, industrial solvents, microplastics, pharmaceutical residues)
- Nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus) that in high concentrations lead to algal blooms, oxygen loss in water bodies
Traditionally, many sewage treatment systems use chlorine or chlorine-based compounds to disinfect water, killing pathogens and bacteria.
Consequences (of using chlorine and/or letting sewage run untreated)
Using chlorine (or letting sewage water remain untreated) has several risks:
- Formation of harmful by-products: Chlorine reacts with organic compounds to form chlorinated by-products (like trihalomethanes) that can be toxic.
- Damage to aquatic ecosystems: Residual chlorine harms aquatic life—fish, plants, beneficial microorganisms.
- Corrosion and chemical hazards: Chlorine is a strong oxidant, can corrode pipes and infrastructure, and is dangerous to handle.
- Inhibits natural beneficial microbial processes: Many natural bacteria that help clean water are non‐chlorine tolerant; heavy chlorination can wipe them out.
On the other hand, if sewage is untreated (or under‐treated):
- Pathogens will spread disease
- Pollution of rivers, lakes, groundwater
- Nutrient overload → algal blooms → “dead zones” (low oxygen)
- Smells, bad quality water for reuse etc.
Solution (Chlorine-Free, Natural Treatment + How Bioglobe Can Help)
There are ways to treat sewage water effectively without chlorine, using more natural, biologically based treatments. Bioglobe offers solutions in this domain. Here’s how it can work:
Natural / Biological Treatment Principles
- Enzymes and Microorganisms
Enzymes are proteins (or catalysts) that speed up chemical reactions. Specific enzymes can break down organic matter, degrade pollutants (like oils, certain chemicals, even microplastics), reduce cod (chemical oxygen demand) and bod (biological oxygen demand), etc. Microorganisms (bacteria, fungi, etc.) also play a role; many degrade waste naturally. - Aerobic and Anaerobic Processes
- Aerobic treatment (with oxygen): microbial oxidation of organic matter
- Anaerobic treatment (without oxygen): useful especially for sludge; can produce biogas (methane) as a by‐product.
- Immobilised Enzyme Technologies / Enzyme Hydrogels
Enzymes can be immobilised (e.g. in hydrogels or supports) so they retain activity longer, protect them from harsh conditions (heavy metals, pH extremes), allow reuse, etc. This reduces costs and harm. - Tailored, Bespoke Enzyme Blends
Since the pollutant mix in sewage differs by location (industry vs domestic, heavy metals vs organic pollution vs microplastics), customised enzyme (and microbial) blends can be made for maximum efficacy.
What Bioglobe Offers
From what is available publicly on the Bioglobe site:
- Bioglobe provides organic enzymatic solutions for industrial and environmental remediation.
- Their enzymes are biodegradable proteins. After doing their work, they break down to amino acids naturally recycled by the ecosystem.
- They have worked with raw sewage / organic matter applications.
- They offer enzyme hydrogels for wastewater remediation, which are robust in presence of heavy metals, reusable, and selective for organic pollutants.
- They also work on reducing BOD & COD, and on treating pollutants like microplastics via enzyme solutions.
How Bioglobe’s Chlorine-Free Treatment Might Work in Practice
Putting it all together, a chlorine-free sewage treatment approach using Bioglobe technology might look like this:
| Stage | What happens | How Bioglobe’s Enzyme / Microbe approach helps |
|---|---|---|
| Primary treatment | Large solids removed (screening, settling) | Bioglobe’s enzyme blends begin to degrade organic solids, help reduce odor and sludge volume early. |
| Secondary treatment (biological) | Aerobic microbes degrade organic waste, reduce BOD/COD | Bioglobe’s tailored enzymes help speed up or enhance microbial breakdown; if using hydrogels or immobilised enzymes, treatment is more stable even with fluctuations in sewage strength or toxic substances. |
| Sludge treatment / anaerobic digestion | Sludge (solid waste) is digested to remove pathogens, reduce volume, possibly generate biogas | Enzyme blends help pre‐treat sludge (improve dewaterability, reduce solids), help microbes, possibly increase gas yield. |
| Polishing / final treatment | Removing remaining pathogens, microplastics, chemicals | Use of specific enzymes (e.g. microbes or enzymes that degrade microplastics, chlorinated compounds) from Bioglobe’s R&D, so that final effluent is safe without using chlorine. |
Advantages of Bioglobe’s Approach
- Safe for ecosystems: The enzymes after use degrade naturally; minimal toxic byproducts.
- Reduced chemical usage: No need for chlorine → less corrosion, less handling risks, less chemical residues.
- Customization: Because Bioglobe can analyse the pollutant profile and supply bespoke enzyme blends, treatment is more efficient.
- Cost and sustainability: Reusable enzymes/hydrogels; possible energy savings (e.g. less chemical manufacture, less chemical transport), less chemical disposal.
- Improved sludge handling & possibly biogas: Helping digestion processes and sludge dewatering helps reduce waste and produces renewable energy (if using anaerobic digester).
Recent Science & Trends (Supporting Bioglobe’s Approach)
Some recent research shows technologies similar in principle:
- Researchers have engineered enzymes that can break down microplastics (such as PET) in sewage sludge, converting them into harmless compounds.
- Studies of sludge pretreatment with enzyme blends (proteases, cellulases, lipases, etc.) show improvements in sludge dewaterability and reduction in solids / suspended matter.
- Work on pollutant‐eating bacteria (that use enzymes to remove chlorine atoms from chlorinated solvents) indicates the possibility of detoxifying certain industrial chemicals without heavy chemical treatment.
Putting It All Together
Treating sewage water without chlorine is not only possible, but becoming more scientifically and commercially viable. Bioglobe is well placed to deliver such solutions, especially when:
- You need effective disinfection and pollutant removal without harsh chemicals
- You want to protect aquatic life, rivers, ecosystems
- You desire sustainable, cost-effective, biologically friendly options
By using enzyme blends, immobilised enzymes/hydrogels, combining aerobic/anaerobic processes, and tailoring solutions based on analysis, Bioglobe can help ordinary communities, local councils, or industrial sites manage sewage without chlorine, in a way that is safe for people and nature.
FAQs
Is chlorine-free sewage treatment safe?
Yes — if done properly. Safety depends on ensuring pathogens (bacteria, viruses) are adequately removed or inactivated, ensuring effluent meets regulatory limits, and ensuring no harmful by‐products are formed. Biological treatment with enzymes and microbes, followed by polishing.
Bioglobe’s enzyme systems are designed to degrade organic matter and pollutants while preserving or supporting beneficial microbial communities. Because the enzymes are biodegradable themselves, and because the approach avoids harsh chemicals, the risk of harmful residues or toxic byproducts is much lower than with chlorine.
What happens to bacteria in the water?
- Harmful bacteria and pathogens are broken down or inactivated via the action of enzymes and competitive beneficial microbes.
- Beneficial microbes (those that help degrade waste) remain active or are even supported by the enzyme blends, because the environment is more balanced and less harsh (no chlorine).
- In sludge, anaerobic bacteria (including those producing biogas) can operate more efficiently when inhibitory substances are reduced (chlorine often inhibits bacteria).
Can natural treatment meet government standards?
Yes — in many cases. Regulatory standards (for disinfection, chemical oxygen demand, suspended solids, etc.) can be met by biological/enzymatic systems, especially when they are well designed, monitored, and tailored. Some recent research and Bioglobe’s own case studies indicate that enzyme remediation can reduce COD & BOD to required levels, improve pathogen removal, and even tackle microplastics or chemical contaminants.
However, achieving this depends on:
- Correct matching of enzyme blend to local pollution profile
- Sufficient residence time (time water stays in treatment)
- Proper infrastructure (e.g. for aerobic/anaerobic processes, filters, hydrogels, polishing stages)
- Good monitoring and control (pH, temperature, oxygen, etc.)
Bioglobe offer Organic Enzyme pollution remediation for major oil-spills, oceans and coastal waters, marinas and inland water, sewage and nitrate remediation and agriculture and brown-field sites, throughout the UK and Europe.
We have created our own Enzyme based bioremediation in our own laboratory in Cyprus and we are able to create bespoke variants for maximum efficacy.
Our team are able to identify the pollution, we then assess the problem, conduct site tests and send samples to our lab where we can create a bespoke variant, we then conduct a pilot test and proceed from there.
Our Enzyme solutions are available around the world, remediation pollution organically without any harm to the ecosystem.
For further information:
BioGlobe LTD (UK),
Phone: +44(0) 116 4736303| Email: info@bioglobe.co.uk