Maceration, in
sewage treatment
Sewage treatment (or domestic wastewater treatment, municipal wastewater treatment) is a type of wastewater treatment which aims to remove contaminants from sewage to produce an effluent that is suitable for discharge to the surrounding en ...
, is the use of a machine that reduces solids to small pieces in order to deal with rags and other solid waste. Macerating toilets use a grinding or blending mechanism to reduce
human waste
Human waste (or human excreta) refers to the waste products of the human digestive system, menses, and human metabolism including urine and faeces. As part of a sanitation system that is in place, human waste is collected, transported, treate ...
to a slurry, which can then be moved by pumping. This is useful when, for example,
water pressure
Pressure (symbol: ''p'' or ''P'') is the force applied perpendicular to the surface of an object per unit area over which that force is distributed. Gauge pressure (also spelled ''gage'' pressure)The preferred spelling varies by country and e ...
is low or one wishes to install a toilet below the
sewer drain pipe.
Maceration can be achieved by using a
chopper pump A chopper pump is a centrifugal pump which is equipped with a cutting system to facilitate chopping or maceration of solids that are present in the pumped liquid. The main advantage of this type of pump is that it prevents clogging of the pump itsel ...
in the sewage lift station or at the wastewater treatment plant.
[
]
In Antarctica
At Antarctic
The Antarctic ( or , American English also or ; commonly ) is a polar region around Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica, the Kerguelen Plateau and othe ...
research stations with an average summer population of more than 30 people, maceration is the minimum treatment level required before sewage can be disposed of in the sea. This procedure is outlined in the Madrid Protocol #redirect Madrid system
World Intellectual Property Organization treaties
Treaties concluded in 1989
Treaties entered into force in 1995
1989 in Spain
Treaties entered into by the African Intellectual Property Organization
Treaties of Albani ...
, an international treaty outlining environmental practices to be followed in Antarctica. Research stations that do not meet this population threshold are allowed to dump untreated, unmacerated sewage directly into the sea.food waste
Food loss and waste is food that is not eaten. The causes of food waste or loss are numerous and occur throughout the food system, during production, processing, distribution, retail and food service sales, and consumption. Overall, about o ...
) directly into the sea, provided that the vessel is more than 12 nautical miles from shore.[
]
Other large-scale macerative processes
In food processing
Food processing is the transformation of agricultural products into food, or of one form of food into other forms. Food processing includes many forms of processing foods, from grinding grain to make raw flour to home cooking to complex in ...
plants, maceration refers to the use of a chopper pump to create a "blended" slurry of food waste and other organic byproducts. The macerated substance, which can be described as a protein-rich slurry, is often used for animal feed, fertilizer, and for co-digestion feedstock in biogas
Biogas is a mixture of gases, primarily consisting of methane, carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulphide, produced from raw materials such as agricultural waste, manure, municipal waste, plant material, sewage, green waste and food waste. It is a ...
plants.
References
External links
macerator.org - Reasons to Consider Buying a Macerator Pump
(read 2013-02-15)
Saniflo Macerator PumpsSaniflo
Sewerage
{{waste-stub