As a core facility for environmental compliance and public health safety in medical institutions, hospital sewage treatment equipment undertakes the critical mission of purifying medical sewage, blocking the spread of pathogens, and protecting the ecological environment. Starting from the characteristics of hospital sewage, this article elaborates on equipment classification, core technologies, key selection points, compliance standards, and operation and maintenance management, providing professional references for medical institutions in equipment selection and operation, and helping them meet the requirements of industry standards such as Discharge Standard of Water Pollutants for Medical Institutions (GB18466-2005).​

I. Characteristics of Hospital Sewage: Why Is Specialized Sewage Treatment Equipment Needed?​

Hospital sewage differs significantly from ordinary domestic sewage. Its complex composition and high hazard risk determine that specialized treatment equipment must be used. The specific characteristics are as follows:​

• High-concentration pathogen pollution: It contains a large number of pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, and parasite eggs. Direct discharge can easily trigger public health incidents.​

• Difficult-to-degrade special pollutants: It contains organic pollutants, disinfectant residues, pharmaceutical metabolites, heavy metals, etc., which are much more difficult to biodegrade than ordinary sewage.​

• Large fluctuations in water quality and quantity: Affected by factors such as surgical time periods and outpatient peaks, the sewage discharge volume is unstable, placing higher requirements on the adaptability of equipment.​

• Strong demand for targeted treatment: Sewage from some departments (such as radiology and laboratory departments) contains radioactive substances or chemical reagents, requiring exclusive treatment processes.​

Therefore, specialized hospital sewage treatment equipment must simultaneously meet multiple functions such as sterilization and disinfection, pollutant degradation, and shock load resistance. It is an essential facility for medical institutions to achieve environmental compliance and safe production.​

II. Core Classification and Technical Principles of Hospital Sewage Treatment Equipment​

According to the treatment process, hospital sewage treatment equipment can be divided into four core modules: pre-treatment, biochemical treatment, advanced treatment, and disinfection treatment. Each module’s equipment performs its respective functions and jointly forms a complete sewage purification system.​

(1) Pre-treatment Equipment: The First Line of Defense in Sewage Purification​

The core goal of pre-treatment is to remove suspended solids and large-particle impurities from sewage, providing protection for the stable operation of subsequent equipment. The main equipment includes:​

• Grille equipment: Divided into mechanical grilles and manual grilles, it can effectively intercept solid wastes such as hair, gauze, and plastics, preventing pipeline blockage or pump damage.​

• Regulation tank: Balances water quality and quantity, buffers fluctuations in sewage concentration, and creates stable working conditions for subsequent treatment processes. It is usually equipped with an agitation device and a liquid level control system.​

• Oil separation tank: Targets oil-containing sewage from canteens, operating rooms, etc., separates floating oil and emulsified oil, and reduces the impact of oil on the effect of biochemical treatment.​

(2) Biochemical Treatment Equipment: The Core of Organic Pollutant Degradation​

Biochemical treatment uses the metabolic action of microorganisms to decompose organic pollutants in sewage and reduce key indicators such as Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD). Common equipment includes:​

• Biological contact oxidation tank: The tank is filled with fillers, and microorganisms attach and grow to form a biofilm. After full contact between sewage and the biofilm, organic pollutants can be efficiently degraded. This equipment has strong shock load resistance and is suitable for small and medium-sized hospitals.​

• MBR Membrane Bioreactor: Combines biodegradation and membrane separation technology, with excellent effluent quality and a suspended solid removal rate of nearly 100%. It occupies a small area and is suitable for medical institutions with limited space.​

• Anaerobic digestion equipment: Targets high-concentration organic sewage, decomposes organic matter through anaerobic microorganisms to produce biogas, and realizes energy recovery and utilization. It is suitable for large general hospitals or infectious disease hospitals.​

(3) Advanced Treatment Equipment: The Key to Meeting Strict Discharge Standards​

Advanced treatment is used to remove residual pollutants after biochemical treatment, ensuring that effluent meets discharge standards or realizes recycling and reuse. The main equipment includes:​

• Ultrafiltration (UF)/Reverse Osmosis (RO) equipment: Ultrafiltration can remove colloids and macromolecular organic substances, while reverse osmosis can deeply remove heavy metals and soluble salts. It is suitable for reclaimed water reuse scenarios (such as green irrigation and floor flushing).​

• Activated carbon adsorption equipment: Removes odors, pigments, trace organic substances, and pharmaceutical residues from sewage through adsorption, further improving effluent quality.​

• Advanced oxidation equipment: Such as UV-Fenton (ultraviolet-Fenton) and ozone oxidation equipment, which can decompose refractory organic pollutants, destroy pathogen cell walls, and enhance disinfection effects.​

(4) Disinfection Equipment: The Core of Blocking Pathogen Spread​

Disinfection is a key link in hospital sewage treatment, requiring the killing of more than 99.9% of pathogens. Common equipment is as follows:​

• Ultraviolet disinfection equipment: Uses ultraviolet rays to destroy microbial DNA, with high sterilization efficiency, no secondary pollution, and low operating costs. It is suitable for small and medium-sized hospitals.​

• Chlorine dioxide disinfection equipment: Composed of a generator and a dosing system, it has a broad sterilization spectrum, is effective against bacteria, viruses, and spores, and is not affected by pH value. It is suitable for all types of hospitals.​

• Ozone disinfection equipment: Achieves sterilization through strong oxidizing properties, and can simultaneously degrade organic substances and odors. However, it requires supporting tail gas treatment devices and has high operating costs, making it suitable for scenarios with extremely high effluent requirements.​

III. Selection of Hospital Sewage Treatment Equipment: 5 Core Principles​

When selecting equipment, medical institutions should combine their actual needs and compliance requirements to avoid blind investment. The core follows the following 5 principles:​

1. Align with sewage quality: Determine the concentration of sewage pollutants based on the number of outpatients and department composition (such as whether there is an infectious disease area or operating room), and select targeted treatment processes.​

2. Meet discharge standards: Compare local environmental protection requirements and Discharge Standard of Water Pollutants for Medical Institutions (GB18466-2005), clarify effluent indicators (such as COD ≤ 60mg/L, BOD ≤ 20mg/L, fecal coliform ≤ 500MPN/L), and select matching equipment.​

3. Adapt to site conditions: Consider the hospital’s floor area and installation space, and prioritize modular and integrated equipment (such as buried and skid-mounted types) to save land resources.​

4. Consider operating costs: Comprehensively evaluate equipment purchase price, energy consumption, chemical consumption, and maintenance costs, select the most cost-effective solution, and avoid "valuing purchase over operation".​

5. Have intelligent adaptability: Prioritize equipment with online monitoring and automatic control functions to monitor water quality indicators in real time, reduce manual intervention, and improve operation efficiency.​

IV. Key Points for Compliant Operation and Maintenance of Hospital Sewage Treatment Equipment​

The standard operation of equipment not only relies on scientific selection but also requires standardized maintenance management to avoid excessive discharge due to equipment failure. The specific key points are as follows:​

1. Regular inspection: Daily check the operation status of equipment such as pumps, fans, and disinfection devices, and record key parameters such as flow rate, pressure, and disinfection dosage.​

2. Consumable replacement: Replace consumables such as filter media, membrane modules, and ultraviolet lamps regularly according to equipment requirements (for example, the service life of ultraviolet lamps is usually 8,000-10,000 hours) to ensure treatment efficiency.​

3. Microbial cultivation: For biochemical treatment equipment, regularly monitor the concentration of activated sludge and the state of biofilm, and supplement nutrients or inoculate strains in a timely manner to maintain microbial activity.​

4. Emergency treatment: Equip with emergency water storage tanks to deal with equipment failures or sudden increases in sewage volume, and avoid direct discharge of untreated sewage.​

5. Compliance records: Establish equipment operation logs, maintenance records, and water quality test reports. Relevant materials should be retained for at least 1 year for inspection by environmental protection departments.​

V. Development Trends of the Hospital Sewage Treatment Equipment Industry​

With the continuous tightening of environmental protection policies and the continuous upgrading of the medical industry, hospital sewage treatment equipment is developing in the direction of intelligence, energy conservation, and integration. The specific trends are as follows:​

1. Intelligent upgrading: Equipped with IoT modules to realize remote monitoring, fault early warning, and automatic adjustment of operating parameters, reducing labor costs.​

2. Application of energy-saving technologies: Adopt technologies such as frequency conversion control, solar auxiliary power supply, and waste heat recovery to reduce equipment energy consumption.​

3. Modular integration: Skid-mounted integrated equipment has become the mainstream, with short installation cycles and small floor space, and can be flexibly adapted to hospitals of different sizes.​

4. Resource utilization: Realize sewage recycling and reuse through advanced treatment for green irrigation, floor flushing, etc., reducing water resource consumption.​

Conclusion​

Hospital sewage treatment equipment is the core guarantee for the environmental compliance of medical institutions. The scientific nature of its selection and the stability of its operation are directly related to public health safety and the ecological environment. Medical institutions need to select appropriate equipment types based on their own sewage characteristics, discharge standards, and site conditions, and establish a standardized operation and maintenance system to ensure that sewage meets discharge standards. In the future, intelligent and energy-saving integrated equipment will become the mainstream choice for hospital sewage treatment, helping medical institutions achieve a win-win situation of environmental and economic benefits.​