Industrial Wastewater Equipment: Treating Your Own Effluent
In this article the wastewater treatment experts at WTS take a look at some of the most popular types of mechanical processes used to improve the treatment of industrial wastewater and trade effluent.
How to select the right equipment for your wastewater treatment processes?
Many businesses create wastewater and trade effluent as part of their daily operations. There are strict rules and limits surrounding the management of wastewater and how it can be discharged.
The best, and often most cost effective option is to treat your own wastewater, so you can safely dispose of it and cause no harm to the environment. However, you must still be sure you are compliant with all rules and regulations regarding the discharge of wastewater and trade effluents.
There are many types of equipment you can invest in to help you perform this task. The exact type of equipment you use will depend on your business and the composition of the wastewater you are left with. In this article, we go through several different types of wastewater treatment and equipment that may prove useful. This is not an exhaustive list. There are other options as well, and you may find you require more than one treatment method to get the job done to the best standard.
What is dissolved air flotation or DAF?
Dissolved air flotation, commonly known as DAF, is a system that’s intended to remove solids and oils that are suspended in wastewater streams produced. A DAF system works under pressure to remove them. It causes waste products to thicken into sludge which can then be easily removed with a chain. It’s similar to the idea of skimming fat off gravy made with the juices from the Sunday roast – that gives a rough idea of how it works, albeit on an industrial scale in this example.
Screening wastewater for solid objects
These specialist screens come in both coarse and fine types, each intended to remove various solid objects from wastewater as it flows through them. Screens act like large filters and are ideal for use early in the wastewater treatment process, as they easily get rid of larger objects floating in the water.
We can also add microscreens to this section, which are usually separate options. This type of equipment typically uses a drum with a microscreen inside it, so that effluent can flow through. The screen will periodically be washed to get rid of any waste solids caught there.
Using ultrafiltration systems to treat wastewater
Continuing the filtration process approach, we have ultrafiltration or UF systems. These are typically fine filters that are designed to get rid of particulates suspended in the waste water. Some are so fine that they can remove pathogens and bacteria among other things, from the wastewater. They are highly effective and powerful enough to provide clean water the public can use. Alternatively, further purification, if it is required is possible following this stage.
Sludge dewatering
Sludge dewatering, also known as a screw press, offers an excellent option for businesses looking for a method to get rid of sludge in their trade effluent. This process can remove up to 85% of all sludge in the wastewater being treated. It also works with many types of sludge, including oily residues and other sludges created via a range of industrial processes. Dewatering systems are also self-cleaning and work automatically, so it’s a great option for any business that wants something that won’t require an employee to run it 24 hours a day.
Tramp oil separators
This type of oil separator is ideal for businesses that generate water contaminated with oil during their processes. Separators contain baffles that remove the oil from the water. The oil then goes into a porous media bed and the treated water can then be removed and is ready to use again.
Sequencing batch reactors
A sequencing batch reactor or SBR is designed to get rid of all solids from wastewater streams. The SBR does this by sending the water through several chambers to filter out all the solids. It does this more than once too, with the second go-round adding oxygen to generate microorganisms to aid further cleaning.
The SBR method is worth mentioning because of its efficiency and ability to store wastewater ahead of further treatment if required. It can also get rid of large quantities of solids, resulting in high quality water at the end of the process.
Identifying the best wastewater treatments for your needs?
The best approach is to seek the advice of an expert in wastewater treatment and management, such as Water Treatment Services. They can review your business and its internal processes to identify the easiest and most cost efficient ways to treat your wastewater, making it safe to discharge without causing unwanted environmental damage or risking fines from regulators.
This may mean investing in one piece of wastewater treatment equipment or several. There are many external companies who can handle wastewater treatment for you, but getting a proper evaluation of your site and its requirements is usually the best option.
Obviously, a lot depends on what sort of business you have, and which contaminants are likely to end up in your effluent once it has been used. Food-based businesses are more likely to add fats, oils or greases, for example, whereas other businesses may have plenty of solid particles to get rid of. Some may even have both, along with other metals, particles or bacteria that require removal via a separate process.
What are the benefits of treating your own wastewater?
There are lots of alternatives when considering the treatment of industrial wastewater and trade effluents, certainly, but if you decide you are going to discharge your wastewater into the sewers, you’ll probably have already agreed specified limits that you need to stay within. Will this be possible? If not, you can expect a fine. That’s not a good image for your business to have.
The positive publicity associated with taking control, and treating your own wastewater cannot be denied. Some businesses make a point of advertising everything they’re doing to help the environment. It’s good publicity, it can build your environmental credentials, and help you generate more business.
So, while you may apply for and receive consent to discharge your wastewater as surface water, this may not be the best solution for your business. Not only do you need to go through the regulatory consent process, but it also doesn’t look the best way to deal with it. Your customers or clients may view a more proactive approach to the treatment of your wastewater and the environment more positively.
With so many varied ways of treating industrial wastewater … with chemicals, mechanical processes and equipment, every business can find the right method(s) to suit. With expert guidance from the specialists at Water Treatment Services on hand before deciding what to do, it becomes easier to understand how to strip your wastewater of anything that shouldn’t be in there. Identifying what is in there to start with will provide information to assist in finding and investing in the best wastewater equipment for the purpose.
Industrial wastewater management solutions
Water Treatment Services offer a comprehensive range of innovative wastewater management solutions for business. Our experts can provide advice and support to help you identify the most appropriate strategies for the identification, investigation and implementation of environmentally sensitive testing, monitoring and treatment solutions for all industrial wastewaters and trade effluents.
With offices in London serving the South and South East England, Manchester (North West), Birmingham (Midlands), Bristol (South East England and Wales), Leeds (North and North East) and Glasgow (Scotland), supported by regional teams of specially trained environmental engineers and wastewater treatment specialists we offer cost effective environmental support solutions across the whole of the UK and internationally.
Contact us today to learn how our wastewater management solutions can help you optimise your treatment costs and improve environmental performance.
