What Is a Sewage Farm?

Sewage Treatment

• "Sewage farm" can describe a sewage treatment plant. Such facilities are found near population centers across the world and are used to chemically treat the raw sewage produced by humans. The basic idea is to treat and dispose of the waste in a way that is not harmful to humans or the ecosystem. This involves passing the sewage through filters to remove debris, treating it with chemicals and then disposing or reprocessing it.

Wastewater Treatment

• Wastewater treatment plants are similar to sewage treatment plants, but have a more environmental focus. The idea here is to reuse all the wastewater a community generates. The treated water can be pumped back into homes for heating, air conditioning or to flush toilets, but is piped in separately from the fresh, water which comes out of faucets. Treated wastewater can also be used for irrigation and as a coolant in industry.

Farmland

• The literal meaning of a sewage farm is an agricultural land that uses treated sewage to fertilize land and cultivate crops. The solid waste from wastewater and sewage treatment plants is transported in large tankers and distributed to farms in the form of slurry. This product has high levels of methane, nitrogen and organic compost, which is very good for the soil and is a way of recycling waste rather than producing new fertilizers with chemicals. The fertilizer used on this land is not produced directly from human waste, but the natural composting treated at the plants.

Purpose

• The purpose of all sewage farm facilities is to process and reuse waste created by humans. Basic sewage treatment is vital to stop the spreading of diseases, especially in large cities. Wastewater plants are more environmentally friendly and conserve water while literal sewage farms have found a use for the end product that otherwise would have no use at all.