Views: 888 Author: Site Editor Publish Time: 2026-09-20 Origin: Site
Recently, the Yosun Environmental team participated in the “Following the Journey of Water — Visiting Taihe Wastewater Treatment Plant” technical visit and exchange event organized by the Water Purification Technology magazine.
As China’s first underground wastewater treatment plant integrating a storage tank and wastewater treatment facilities, Taihe Wastewater Treatment Plant demonstrates advanced concepts in process design, smart operation and maintenance, green development, and low-carbon management. Its innovative approach left a deep impression on the visiting team.
The visit featured a well-organized schedule and a wide range of activities, including:
Registration
Opening speech by Director Sun from the Water Purification Technology magazine
Introduction to the overall operation of Taihe Wastewater Treatment Plant by Ren Yi, Director of Taihe Plant
Speech by Professor Tang Yulin from Tongji University, Shanghai
Visit to the Taihe Plant big data smart water management and control platform
Visit to the Taihe Science Education Base operated by Shanghai Chengtou Wastewater Treatment Co., Ltd.
On-site visit to the underground wastewater treatment facilities and above-ground park
Visit to the Taihe Plant scale model
Group photo
Taihe Wastewater Treatment Plant is located at No. 8, Lane 99, Lianyi Road, Baoshan District, Shanghai. It is operated by Shanghai Chengtou Wastewater Treatment Co., Ltd. and is China’s first underground wastewater treatment plant integrating a storage tank and wastewater treatment facilities.
The plant covers a total area of 27 hectares, including 19 hectares for Phase I and 8 hectares for Phase II. It serves a total area of approximately 115 square kilometers and a population of around 1.24 million in the Shidongkou area.
The plant adopts a modified AAO process combined with advanced treatment and a BIM-based smart management platform. Its effluent quality is better than the national Class 1A discharge standard, with indicators such as ammonia nitrogen and total phosphorus reaching the Class IV surface water standard.
Construction of the Taihe Wastewater Treatment Plant project began on April 28, 2017.
Phase I has a treatment capacity of 400,000 m³/day and is already in operation. Phase II is currently under expansion, with an additional capacity of 200,000 m³/day. After completion, the plant’s total treatment capacity will reach 600,000 m³/day.
The ground level of the plant has been developed into a green park that is freely open to the public. The Taihe Science Education Base of Shanghai Chengtou Wastewater Treatment Co., Ltd. also organizes public educational activities, allowing visitors to learn about the entire wastewater treatment process at close range.
This design helps change the traditional public impression of wastewater treatment plants.
Through on-site observation and technical explanations, the wastewater treatment process at Taihe Plant was presented in a clear and well-organized manner.
The entire process strictly follows the standardized treatment sequence of:
Pretreatment → Biological Treatment → Advanced Treatment → Sludge Disposal → Reclaimed Water Reuse
Each stage is closely connected to ensure stable effluent quality.
Urban domestic wastewater and industrial wastewater from the surrounding area are collected through the municipal sewer network and transported to the plant.
The wastewater first enters the pretreatment area. Coarse and fine screens gradually intercept large debris, floating waste, suspended solids, and other impurities. The wastewater then passes through grit chambers to remove sand, silt, and other inorganic particles.
This process helps prevent large impurities from damaging downstream pumps, biological treatment equipment, and other facilities. It also reduces the pollutant load entering the subsequent treatment stages.
Pretreatment provides a stable water quality foundation for biological treatment and is a key first step in ensuring the smooth operation of the entire wastewater treatment system.
After pretreatment, the wastewater enters the core biological treatment area, where the modified AAO process is used for biological purification.
Through alternating anaerobic, anoxic, and aerobic conditions, specific microbial communities are activated. Microorganisms then remove key pollutants such as:
Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD)
Ammonia nitrogen
Total phosphorus
Total nitrogen
Compared with traditional processes, the modified AAO process offers stronger resistance to shock loading and more stable nitrogen and phosphorus removal performance.
It can significantly improve wastewater purification efficiency, help control eutrophication in urban water bodies, and meet the core requirements of urban water environment management.
Even after biological treatment, the water may still contain small amounts of fine suspended solids and trace pollutants. Therefore, it enters the advanced treatment stage for further purification.
The plant uses three main processes:
Coagulation and sedimentation → Filtration → Disinfection
First, highly efficient coagulants are added to the water to promote the aggregation and sedimentation of fine suspended impurities.
The water then passes through precision filtration equipment to remove remaining pollutants. Finally, professional disinfection processes are used to eliminate harmful microorganisms.
After advanced treatment, the water quality is significantly improved. The treated water performs better than conventional urban wastewater discharge standards and stably reaches the quasi-Class IV surface water standard.
It can be used for:
Ecological water replenishment
Municipal landscaping
Industrial water applications
Other reclaimed water uses
The excess sludge generated during wastewater treatment is transported to the sludge treatment workshop for professional processing.
Instead of using traditional disposal methods, the plant adopts an innovative low-temperature vacuum sludge dewatering and drying process.
The system uses the plant’s wastewater waste-heat recovery system. A high-temperature water-source heat pump extracts thermal energy from reclaimed water and provides a stable and clean heat source for sludge drying. This replaces the traditional natural gas boiler heating method.
The process supports sludge reduction, harmless treatment, and stabilization. It significantly reduces sludge volume and helps prevent secondary pollution.
The treated sludge can then be disposed of or utilized in compliance with relevant requirements, achieving both environmental and energy-saving benefits.
After treatment, part of the water is discharged into the urban water system to replenish ecological water resources.
Another part enters the reclaimed water reuse system for recycling.
At the same time, the plant applies advanced cascade energy utilization methods to maximize the resource value of wastewater. Through reclaimed water waste-heat recovery, energy-saving equipment management, and other measures, the plant reduces energy consumption and carbon emissions.
This creates a green and low-carbon wastewater treatment and operation system.
As a leading fully underground wastewater treatment plant in China, Taihe Plant maximizes the use of scarce urban land resources.
The main treatment equipment and process systems are arranged underground, while the ground level is developed into an ecological green space.
This design helps reduce the impact of odors and noise traditionally associated with wastewater treatment plants. It also integrates wastewater treatment facilities with the surrounding urban living environment.
Taihe Plant provides a valuable example of wastewater treatment facility development in densely populated urban areas.
The plant has established a big data-based smart water management and control platform.
Through a network of sensors and intelligent monitoring devices, the platform collects real-time data, including:
Influent water quality
Influent flow rate
Equipment operating parameters
Effluent quality indicators
Other operational data
Using data modeling and intelligent analysis, the platform enables smart control of the entire treatment process, including:
Biological treatment
Pump operation
Chemical dosing
Sludge treatment and disposal
This reduces the need for frequent manual intervention, improves treatment stability and operation efficiency, and lowers labor and maintenance costs.
As a result, the plant achieves more refined and intelligent environmental management.
The plant focuses on energy conservation, carbon reduction, and resource recycling through the application of multiple green technologies.
On one hand, waste heat from reclaimed water is used to replace fossil-fuel-based heating, reducing carbon emissions.
On the other hand, reclaimed water reuse reduces the consumption of municipal tap water. At the same time, sludge is reduced and treated through harmless disposal processes.
Together, these measures create an integrated green system featuring:
Water treatment + Energy saving + Consumption reduction + Resource recycling
This approach puts the principles of green and low-carbon development into practice.
The plant applies the high treatment standard of quasi-Class IV surface water.
This is significantly stricter than the discharge standards of ordinary urban wastewater treatment plants.
The treated effluent can effectively improve regional water quality, support urban aquatic ecosystem restoration, and reduce the pollutant load entering local water bodies.
It also provides strong support for improving river water quality and restoring aquatic ecosystems in the Baoshan area.
The plant therefore delivers significant ecological and social benefits.
During the visit to Taihe Wastewater Treatment Plant, the Yosun Environmental team gained a deeper understanding that:
A modern wastewater treatment plant is not only a pollution control facility. It is also an important part of urban ecological civilization.
From underground compact construction to the above-ground ecological park, from the modified AAO process to the smart water management platform, and from low-temperature sludge drying to reclaimed water waste-heat recovery, Taihe Plant demonstrates the development principles of:
Green development, smart management, intensive construction, and resource recycling.
These advanced practices also provide valuable inspiration for Yosun Environmental in the research and development, manufacturing, and system integration of solid-liquid separation equipment, including:
Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) Systems
Lamella Clarifiers
Inclined Plate Clarifiers
Other wastewater treatment equipment
In the future, Yosun Environmental will continue to follow the latest developments in the wastewater treatment industry, learn from advanced management practices, and improve its products and services.
Our goal is to provide more customers with efficient, energy-saving, and reliable water treatment solutions.
Yosun Environmental Equipment Co., Ltd. is a professional company specializing in the design, manufacturing, and installation of wastewater treatment equipment.
Our main products include:
Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) Systems
Lamella Clarifiers
Inclined Plate Clarifiers
Screw Press Sludge Dewatering Machines
Sludge Scrapers
Hydraulic Screens
Other wastewater treatment equipment
With high-quality products, reasonable prices, and professional services, Yosun has gained recognition from customers in various sectors, including:
Electronics
Chemical processing
Pharmaceutical manufacturing
Textile and dyeing
Municipal wastewater treatment
Other industrial wastewater treatment applications
