Wastewater treatment in Antarctica

Abstract

Since the exploration of Antarctica began, procedures for dealing with human wastes have changed considerably. The establishment of research stations made it necessary to provide for sewage disposal. However, the introduction of advanced wastewater treatment processes has been driven largely by an intensifying concern to protect the Antarctic environment. A key step was the adoption by Antarctic Treaty nations of the so-called Madrid Protocol, in which minimum standards for sewage treatment and disposal are prescribed. The provisions of this protocol are not particularly onerous and some countries have elected to go beyond them, and to treat Antarctic research station wastewater as they would at home. Transferring treatment technologies to Antarctica is not simple because the remoteness, isolation, weather and other local conditions impose a variety of unusual constraints on plant design. The evolution of advanced treatment plant designs is examined. Most countries have opted for biofilm-based processes, with Rotating Biological Contactors (RBC) favoured initially while more recently contact aeration systems have been preferred. Sludges are now generally repatriated, with a diversity of sludge dewatering techniques being used. The evolution of treatment process designs is expected to continue, with growing use, especially at inland stations, of sophisticated processes such as membrane technologies and thermally efficient evaporative techniques.

Physical, chemical, biological and ecotoxicological properties of wastewater discharged from Davis Station, Antarctica

“…Davis BOD ranged from a mean of 104 g per person per day (650 mg L − 1 ) up to 500 g per person per day (3160 mg L − 1 ) in the Living Quarters tank. Estimates from other stations range from 100-120 g BOD per person (Connor, 2008) to up to 1640 mg L −1 at the McMurdo Station (Crockett, 1997), which Davis clearly exceeds at its highest. A value of 60 g BOD per person per day is often used as a general standard in wastewater treatment (Connor, 2008), which is clearly an underestimate for the Antarctic stations.…”

“…Wastewater treatment and disposal has long been recognised as a practical and human health concern for countries managing Antarctic research stations and more recently is also seen as an environmental issue (Connor, 2008;Gröndahl et al, 2009). Currently 30 countries operate a combined total of 82 research stations which includes both permanently occupied stations and summer only stations, which are occupied for up to 6 months over the spring/summer period (COMNAP, 2013).…”

“…Effective treatment of wastewater in Antarctica requires an understanding of the properties of the wastewater, local conditions and the receiving environment, and of the constraints imposed by Antarctic environmental conditions on the efficacy of treatment technologies. Various mechanisms and pathways through which wastewater discharges may cause detrimental environmental impacts in Antarctica have recently been identified Hughes and Thompson, 2004;Smith and Riddle, 2009) and attention has turned to the development of new approaches to wastewater treatment specifically designed to prevent or mitigate these impacts (Barker et al, 2013;Connor, 2008;Gröndahl et al, 2009;Hughes, 2004).…”

“…There is a growing movement, however, towards regarding the obligations under the Protocol as the minimum, with several nations applying the same requirements as they would to equivalent communities within their respective countries. For example, a replacement wastewater treatment plant installed at New Zealand's Scott Base in 2001/02 was designed to meet domestic standards then in place in New Zealand (Connor, 2008).…”

“…In addition, the energy required to operate treatment facilities including heating, pumps and motors, is much more expensive than in temperate regions and is usually provided by burning fossil fuel to drive electrical power generators. Wastewater systems must also be capable of coping with high diurnal load fluctuations and marked seasonal variation in the volume of wastewater (Connor, 2008) generated by transient Antarctic station populations that range from 10 to 20 in winter to 50 to 100 over summer. The largest station, McMurdo, supports a population of 200 in winter rising to 1200 in summer.…”