Environmental sustainability has become an increasingly critical issue for companies engaged in large-scale industrial manufacturing. In particular, organizations will need to monitor and treat industrial wastewater to ensure it does not pollute local water sources.
Industrial wastewater treatment uses advanced processing technologies to remove contaminants from water before they enter public water sources. Let’s take a closer look at how this process works and explore why it’s so important for long-term environmental sustainability.
What is Industrial Wastewater Treatment?
Industrial wastewater is water that has been contaminated or otherwise affected by heavy industrial processes. In most cases, industrial wastewater contains pollutants that could harm the surrounding community should it enter local waterways. Wastewater is not safe to drink and could potentially be harmful to animals and plants.
Industrial wastewater treatment systems focus on removing these contaminants from the water before it travels to another destination. Depending on the location of your industrial operations, the water may travel to a public sewage system, flow directly into an environmental water source, or be reused for industrial purposes.
Why Is Industrial Wastewater Management Important?
When engaging in industrial activities, organizations have a responsibility to limit their impact on local communities and the surrounding environment. Wastewater testing, treatment, and management are important parts of this process.
Industrial wastewater treatment has many benefits, both for your organization and for your community at large. These include:
- Minimizing pollution: Industrial wastewater treatment helps reduce the amount of polluted water in your community, creating a safer, cleaner environment for everyone.
- Supporting public health: Treating wastewater can help prevent the spread of diseases and reduce public health risks associated with industrial activities by removing harmful contaminants and pathogens before the water is released back into the environment.
- Keeping wildlife safe: By treating your industrial wastewater, you can prevent it from negatively affecting plant and animal species in the surrounding areas.
- Recycling water: In some cases, you may be able to reuse and recycle your wastewater after it’s been treated. This reduces the amount of water you consume overall to prevent waste and may even help you save money.
- Complying with environmental regulations: Finally, implementing a robust industrial wastewater treatment plan can help your organization comply with environmental regulations. There are many state and federal regulations that limit how pollutants can be discharged into communal water sources.
Why is Industrial Wastewater Difficult to Treat?
One of the biggest challenges with industrial waste treatment is that this specific type of wastewater can be very difficult to treat effectively. This is because many different types of industrial byproducts could be present in the same wastewater sample. Many of these byproducts are non-absorbing compounds, which makes them even more challenging to remove.
When multiple contaminants and industrial byproducts are present in the same wastewater sample, it can be very difficult to remove all of them safely. Modern industrial wastewater treatment technologies often use multi-step processes to address the different substances in the water and treat them without any adverse chemical reactions.
What Industries Cause Industrial Wastewater?
Many different types of businesses and activities can create industrial wastewater. Here are some of the industries that may require wastewater treatment to prevent pollution.
- Food and Agriculture: Processing food requires high volumes of water. For example, fruits, vegetables, and meats all must be washed before they can be processed, packaged, and sold. This results in wastewater with large volumes of biodegradable waste, which often includes solid material suspended in the water. Treating agricultural wastewater can require several processing strategies for the same plant, as many organizations produce different types of crops throughout the year.
- Dairy: Many liquid byproducts come with producing milk, cheese, butter, and other dairy products. Treatment typically focuses on removing organic matter, such as fats, lactose, and protein, as well as removing any existing contaminants, pathogens, or excess nutrients that can develop as a byproduct of dairy production.
- Paper and Pulp: The process of creating wood pulp and paper can generate many different types of contaminants. Treatment focuses on removing solids and addressing contaminants. In some cases, water may be recycled for future use.
- Textile: Common byproducts from textile production include fabric dyes, microplastics, and even metals. Wastewater treatment for this industry removes these contaminants using both aerobic and anaerobic biological processes and physical filtration.
- Iron, Steel, and Metalworking: Processing iron, steel, and other metals typically requires the use of water for cooling and lubrication. During this process, water is often contaminated with gases, acids, and other organic compounds. This form of wastewater requires complex treatments to remove contaminants.
- Chemical Manufacturing: Manufacturing chemical products like paints, pesticides, and detergents naturally creates contaminated wastewater. Byproducts from these chemical manufacturing processes can be dangerous and must be removed during treatment.
- Breweries: Beer production creates large volumes of wastewater containing byproducts from processed grain and cleaning agents. This wastewater is usually highly acidic. Treating wastewater from breweries typically uses aerobic processes to remove organic matter.
- Mines and Quarries: Wastewater from mines and quarries often contains small rock particles that could be harmful to nearby bodies of water. This problem is particularly challenging during periods of high rainfall. Oil used in the mining process can also contaminate water sources near mines and quarries.
- Nuclear Power: Wastewater from nuclear power plants is radioactive and needs to be treated as such. Nuclear power plants often use ion exchange and chemical treatment techniques to reduce radioactivity.
What Methods Are Used for the Treatment of Industrial Wastewater?
Industrial wastewater treatment plants use several different methods to treat wastewater. The exact methods used depend on your industry and the specific byproducts in the water.
Some common treatment methods for industrial wastewater include:
- Physical treatment: These treatment methods physically remove solids from the water using filtration, screening, and other similar methods. This can also include membrane filtration, which uses techniques like reverse osmosis to remove contaminants that have been suspended in water.
- Chemical treatment: Chemical treatment methods are used to remove specific contaminants or neutralize the pH. They create chemical reactions within the water to change its composition. Some forms of chemical treatment include oxidation, ion exchange, and pH adjustment.
- Biological treatment: These treatment methods are used to break down and neutralize organic compounds that are present in the water. This is often done using activated sludge and other microorganisms, which convert the organic materials into carbon dioxide or methane.
Breaking Down the Industrial Wastewater Treatment Process in 8 Steps
In most cases, the industrial process for water treatment is complex and uses multiple steps to address the different types of contaminants that are present in the water. Here’s a step-by-step look at industrial wastewater treatment and how it works.
1. Test Wastewater
The first step is to test the wastewater to determine what materials are currently present and in what quantities. Understanding the makeup of the wastewater will help experts determine which treatment methods to use.
There are many different types of tests that can provide more information about wastewater. For example, microbiological testing can determine what organisms are in the water, while respirometry will determine how quickly those organisms consume oxygen and release carbon dioxide. Other common tests measure the wastewater’s BOD, COD, pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, and other specific contaminant levels to better understand its chemical composition prior to treatment.
2. Evaluate Requirements of Wastewater Treatment
After testing, the next step is to assess the results and determine how contaminated the water is. You will need to identify which contaminants need to be removed, as well as any chemical and mineral levels that need to be adjusted.
In many cases, wastewater will contain materials that are not inherently dangerous but could harm the environment in large quantities or disrupt the normal operations of the receiving wastewater facility. You will need to determine how much of each material can safely be present in water to meet local environmental standards and reduce harm to your community.
3. Remove Solids
After the testing and evaluation of the wastewater is complete, it’s time to start the treatment process. The first step is to remove solids. There are many different types of solids that could make their way into your wastewater — this could be anything from pieces of food to small rocks, depending on your industry.
In most cases, solids can be removed from wastewater using sedimentation and filtration. Sedimentation uses gravity to pull solids to the bottom of the wastewater container, at which point the solids can be removed.
In cases of very fine solids, you may need to use a chemical process called flocculation. This process forces suspended solid particles to form larger clumps, which you can then remove with standard filtration or sedimentation technology.
4. Remove Oils and Grease
Another challenge when treating industrial wastewater is removing oils and grease. Some types of oils can be removed easily with a skimming device. These devices separate oil as it rises to the water’s surface, which can then be skimmed off the top without removing excess water. Some skimming devices also use heat to keep grease from solidifying.
5. Remove Biodegradable Organic Materials
Another key step in industrial wastewater treatment is removing biodegradable organic materials that stem from plants and animals. This is often done using activated sludge, which contains microorganisms that break down the organic material. The organic material is converted into carbon dioxide or other biomass or is assimilated into the sludge which can then be recycled or used for biosolids production.
You can also remove biodegradable organic material using a trickling filter. With this treatment, the water flows over a bed of rocks, gravel, or other media, which supports a layer of microbial slime. The slime is exposed to air through various aeration or design techniques, which allows for the aerobic biodegradation of the organic material.
6. Treat Synthetic Organic Materials
Wastewater may also contain synthetic organic compounds, which are much more difficult to treat. Standard biological treatment processes may not work on these compounds, so more advanced distillation or oxidation processes may be necessary to remove them.
7. Treat Acids and Alkalis
If wastewater is highly acidic or alkaline, it can be neutralized in a controlled manner with chemical pH treatment. However, some of these treatments produce gases as byproducts that must also be removed from the water.
8. Treat Toxic Materials
There are many toxic metals and organic compounds that are difficult to remove using standard biological methods. Some toxic materials can be removed with chemical treatment processes. However, many of these toxic materials will not respond to this type of treatment and will need to be removed by using physical treatment techniques. Any resulting waste containing toxic materials will need to be properly characterized and disposed of according to local, state, and federal regulations.
The Importance of Wastewater Testing
Working with a wastewater testing lab is key when planning your wastewater treatment process. Industrial wastewater treatment is a highly specific process that can vary significantly based on your industry and the exact materials present in the wastewater. Without extensive testing, you won’t have the full picture of what’s in your water and what needs to be removed.
Testing will help you develop a roadmap for wastewater treatment and determine what needs to be done. Additionally, wastewater testing can help you identify where you stand in regard to federal and local environmental regulations.
What Does the Future Hold for Wastewater Treatment?
As industrial technologies develop and change, wastewater treatment methods must also evolve. We’re already seeing an increased focus on advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). AOPs such as ozonation and photocatalysis have been shown, in some applications, to be effective at removing contaminants that are resistant to other treatment techniques. There has also been an increased focus on limiting and removing PFAS from wastewater. Techniques for removing PFAS from wastewater are being explored and, in the future, may be commonly incorporated into some wastewater treatment applications. Additionally, we may see an increased focus on recycling wastewater to conserve resources and operate more sustainably.
Wastewater Testing from RespirTek
A successful industrial wastewater treatment strategy starts with robust wastewater testing. Testing will help you better understand what’s in your wastewater and what forms of treatment are necessary.
At RespirTek, we offer a wide variety of wastewater testing options, as well as biodegradability testing and flushability testing, which will help you understand how your products break down in the long term.
Contact us today to learn more about our testing options.
