Environmental Management System (EMS)

What is EMS?

An environmental management system is the process used by an organization to manage, review, correct, and improve the organization’s approach to business. Employees are asked to consider how they affect the environment every day.  An EMS offers a structured way to incorporate environmental considerations into day-to-day operations; it promotes continual improvement of the environment and human health.

EMS key all about

1. Systematic way of managing an organization's environmental affairs

2. Based on Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycle. Some EMS approach being made Policy-Planning-Implementation- Checking corrective action- Management review.

3. Focussed on continual improvement of system

4. Addresses short term and long term impact of a product or services provided by the company to environment

5. A tool/method to improvement environmental's performances

Conducting EMS in an organization require commitment from all department. Some senior management likely stepping back to commitment because EMS depending on voluntary approach.

Conducting EMS in an organization will reduce waste, increase process effieciency, increase environment safety, eliminate insurans claims, provide uniform operations, increase productivity and saving operation cost.

What is Hydraulic Retention Time

The Hydraulic retention time (HRT) also known as Hydraulic residence time or t (tau), is a measure of the average length of time that a compound remains in a constructed reactor.

Hyraulic retention time is the volume of the aeration tank divided by the influent flowrate:

HRT represent differently according to type of bioreactor. HRT is usually expressed in hours (or sometimes days).

Phosphorus Removal in Activated Sludge Process (by PAOs)

In Anaerobic Treatment Tank

1. Polyphosphate accumulating organisms (PAOs) decompose polyphosphate (PP) and produce orthophosphoric acid (called orthophosphates)

2. By decomposing, PAOs gain energy and assimilate organic substances (volatile fatty acid, acetate). It is accumulated in PAOs body as polyhydroxoalkanoate (PHA) (called polyhydroxybutyrate, PHB)

In Aerobic Treatment Tank

3. PAOs decompose PHA which earlier stored in their body

4. By decomposing, PAOs gain energy (live and grow) and uptake orthophosphoric acid and accumulate in PAOs body as PP

5. Phosphorus element being discard from system through wasting (WAS) PAOs from final sedimentation tank.

Preparation of Dewatering Polymer

Procedure 1: Preparation of dewatering polymer (0.1%)


1. Fill polymer mixing tank with tap water (500L, 1000L, or 1500L).

2. Weight dry powder polymer (0.5kg, 1.0kg or 1.5kg)

3. Start polymer mixer and run continuously.

4. Pour the weighted dry polymer slowly into moving water. Be careful during pouring to prevent bulk powder entering the water and dust from flying over.

5. Mix the solution (dry powder polymer + water) 45 minutes to 1 hour until homogenous solution achieved (no powder/particle suspended in the solution).