AdTech treats AND recycles AFFF wastewater
 Every Drop’s parent company, AdTech Environmental has been treating AFFF contaminated water for Amberley RAAF Base QLD for over 12 months. Until recently the treated water was discharged to sewer… but now it’s being captured and re-used on the base for a variety of purposes - a huge bonus, given the ‘Level 6’ water restrictions now in place in South-East Queensland.
AFFF (Aqueous Film Forming Foam) is used extensively in fire fighting operations, especially in the aviation industry. One of the main ingredients in AFFF is a non-biodegradable surfactant that renders wastewater containing AFFF (produced in fire training and fire-fighting equipment checks), unsuitable for general discharge.
RAAF Amberley Fire and Rescue staff generate this waste at their fire training area and it then drains to a large underground storage tank. As far as we’re aware, AdTech Enviromental is the only company in Australia effectively able to treat AFFF contaminated water and has been doing so at Amberley RAAF Base for over 12 months. The quality of the treated water is such that Base staff suggested it could be re-used for a variety of purposes including fire training, irrigation and dust suppression in construction areas. A 50 kl holding tank for treated water has been installed and treated water is now being re-used as and when required.
Testing of samples from this process at both RAAF Amberley and RAAF Richmond NSW has been conducted on behalf of the Defence Department by independent laboratories. All tests have shown a removal rate of AFFF greater than 99.7%.
The costs of on-site AFFF treatment are considerably less than those for the off-site disposal of this waste stream. And to be able to re-use the water is a big added bonus, given the ‘Level 6’ water restrictions now in place in South-East Queensland.
The AdTech process is innovative, cost effective and environmentally responsible and provides the waste generator with the added protection of being able to properly supervise the treatment on site. For any enquiries concerning AFFF wastewater treatment, contact: greg@adtechenviro.com
Rudd Government's ‘Water for the Future’ plan revealed
 Last month the Minister for Climate Change and Water, Penny Wong, announced the federal government’s new ‘Water for the Future’ national water plan. The government has committed to establishing a $12.9 billion water investment program over 10 years, with $3.1 billion being spent on buying-back water licences from irrigators in the Murray-Darling Basin.
The federal government’s ‘Water for the Future’ plan promises a single, coherent, national framework that integrates rural and urban water issues. It’s a strategy aimed at securing the long-term water supply of all Australians. Minister Penny Wong in announcing the plan said:
“Water for the Future recognises that water shortages are a serious threat to our economy and way of life. It’s built on four key priorities that integrate what all levels of government should be striving to achieve in the area of water:
- taking action on climate change
- using water wisely
- securing water supplies; and
- supporting healthy rivers”
The plan delivers a much-needed focus on the water crisis in the Murray Darling Basin that will take account of future climate change and address the legacy of past over-allocation. This Basin Plan will also make provisions to secure the critical human needs of people reliant on the Murray for drinking water.
Water for the Future also includes a $250 million commitment to a National Greywater and Rainwater Initiative. Through direct incentives for household rainwater and greywater use, this program supports the very many Australians who are prepared to take personal responsibility for conserving our drinking water supplies. And it focuses on improving the efficiency of irrigation - by far the biggest user of water in Australia. It is estimated that the amount of irrigation water lost to leakage and evaporation each year is about the same as that consumed by all of our major capital cities!
Mike Young, Professor of water economics at Adelaide University and a member of the Wentworth Group of Concerned Scientists, applauds the Rudd Government's decade-long “Water for the Future Plan”… but he says the parched Murray-Darling Basin can't wait 10 years.
On the ABC’s ‘PM’ program, Professor Young said: “The system is running on empty, in fact running below empty and at the bottom of the system it's now in a state of collapse. If it doesn't rain this winter, we need to talk about a much faster agenda, one that fixes this problem totally and completely within two to three years.”
5th World Water Forum announced
 On May 13 2008, the 5th World Water Forum, the largest water-related event in the world, was announced during the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD-16) in New York. The 5th Forum will be held in Istanbul from March 16-22, 2009.
With over 300 participating organisations, the 5th World Water Forum (to be held in Istanbul from March 16 - 22, 2009), promises to garner unprecedented international interest surrounding global water issues.
Water conservation and management are massive global concerns. According to the United Nations Environment Program, two out of every three people on Earth will live in water-stressed conditions by the year 2025 if present consumption patterns continue. Moreover, sustainability is a fast-growing problem that is directly affected by most global environmental issues, such as pollution, population growth, land use changes and climate change. Without worldwide efforts towards sustainability, more extreme and devastating events are expected to occur.
“The ultimate goal of the 5th World Water Forum is to motivate action to improve the management of water resources in the world, by raising awareness of the importance of water-related issues,” says Forum Ambassador Klaus Topfer, former Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Program and former Environment Minister of Germany. “Collective awareness must be backed up by proper legislation, funding, governance and empowerment, all of which are promoted through the Forum.”
An estimated 20,000 participants are expected to attend the 5th World Water Forum, with approximately 100 sessions. Attendees will include varied public: water users, water professionals, activists, government officials, parliamentarians, local authorities, UN representatives and other interested parties. The Forum will bring together contrasting viewpoints, supply and demand, rich and poor, developed and developing worlds.
For more information on the 5th World Water Forum, please visit www.worldwaterforum5.org
Facts about the global drinking water crisis
 The world faces a massive crisis. About one fifth of our fellow human beings on Earth do not have daily, immediate access to the most basic of necessities: safe drinking water.
The lack of safe drinking water affects one-in-six people globally and water-related illnesses are the leading cause of human sickness and death. In many countries the water problem is the primary reason people are unable to rise out of poverty. Women and children bear the burdens disproportionately, often spending six hours or more each day, fetching water for their families and communities.
The Facts
- 1.1 billion people in the world do not have access to safe drinking water, roughly one-sixth of the world's population.
- 2.2 million people in developing countries, most of them children, die every year from diseases associated with lack of access to safe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene.
- Some 6,000 children die every day from disease associated with lack of access to safe drinking water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene – that’s equivalent to 20 jumbo jets crashing every day.
- In the past 10 years, diarrhoea has killed more children than all the people lost to armed conflict since World War II.
- It is estimated that pneumonia, diarrhoea, tuberculosis and malaria, which account for 20% of global disease, receive less than one percent of total public and private funds devoted to health research.
- In China, India and Indonesia, twice as many people are dying from diarrheal diseases as from HIV/AIDS.
- The average person in the developing world uses 2.64 gallons of water a day. The average person in the United Kingdom uses 35.66 gallons of water per day.
- An estimated 25% of people from cities in developing countries purchase their water from vendors at a significantly higher price than piped water - in some cases, at the cost of more than a quarter of their household incomes.
These statistics are generally accepted by The United Nations and the World Health Organisation. As depressing as the facts are, there is hope. Proven solutions to the water problem, such as digging wells and rainwater harvesting, currently exist. Proper funding and a collective will can make universal safe drinking water a reality.
|
AdTech recently launched the Every Drop brand to raise awareness about the world water crisis that has now overtaken us. We want to make people realise that the technologies and services offered by AdTech can help redress this crisis. The new name reinforces a vital message and will now be part of all communication issued by the company.
E