A Plant-Based Alternative in Wastewater Treatment

The Boracay cesspool became an indelible mark in the state of wastewater management in the country, most especially for tourism-dependent communities like the Subic Bay Freeport Zone and Olongapo City. This also prompted the implementation of stricter guidelines by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources through DENR AO 2016-08 (Water Quality Guidelines and General Effluent Standards) to ensure the wastewater released into our tributaries is clean and safe.

While doable, complying with the more stringent standards of DAO 2016-08 is no easy feat requiring a multitude of research, work, and resources.

Fortunately, SUBICWATER was able to forge a partnership with the Technological Institute of the Philippines (T.I.P) to look into an alternative, effective, and more cost-efficient method of treating wastewater. Support for testing and validating the project was also generated from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) through its Collaborative Research and Development to Leverage Philippine Economy (CRADLE) program.

This collaboration has resulted in the creation if Phyto Vortex Facility which utilizes a plant-based system interlaced with Vortex technology to provide supplementary treatment sewage. The pilot project is divided into two phases: the research and design phase of the technology, and; the full installation of the Phyto Vortex System at the Cubi Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) of SUBICWATER.

Despite the pandemic and other challenges encountered during the development of the Phyto Vortex System, the facility has officially been commissioned under the leadership of SUBICWATER CEO Dr. Benjamin E. Antonio III, T.I.P. Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Rosalinda Valdepenas, DOST Undersecretary for Research and Development Dr. Leah J. Buendia, and Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development Director, Dr. Enrico C. Paringit. This, coupled with the DAO 2021-19 compliant results of our initial tests on the treated sewerage, signify our entry into the project’s next phase which is to monitor the long-term effectiveness of the system in wastewater treatment.

Once the entire project is successfully completed, it is seen to benefit smaller water districts that are faced with challenge of meeting the wastewater guidelines using their limited budgets. In fact, a large-scale facility will be able to treat up to two hundred fifty (250) cubic meters of wastewater per day (about 1580 barrels) using minimal energy and zero chemicals. This makes the Phyto Vortex system an economical, environmentally friendly, and ideal wastewater alternative for safer and healthier communities around the country.