Viikinmäki Water Treatment Plant

May 5, 2015

Today we visited a water treatment plant in Viikinmäki – the place where the dirty water we produce becomes clean again, so that it can be released back to the sea.
An average amount of water that the plant is treating in a day is 280 000 cubic meters.  Water is going through mechanical and chemical treatment, where organic mater and phosphorous are removed and  biological treatment, where bacteria naturally present in waste water, converts dissolved nitrogen into nitrogen gas. The plant mostly covers its’ own electricity needs utilizing the biogas that it produces as a side product during the treatment. It also utilizes waste heat and delivers processed sludge as raw material for soil production.

All what came down the drain

Water is aerated to make happy  bacteria that clean it

Filter from styrox microspheres – housing for nitrogen converting bacteria

We experienced a different dimension of learning, when theoretical information skilfully delivered by a knowledgeable guide was supported by examples visible and smellable. Although, I should say, for what they are dealing with, it was very clean and pretty around there.