Treatment of industrial wastes

[lilicia]

I want to arrive at a convenient method, to treat liquid waste from a petrochemical plant. My main aim would be to reduce the BOD, TSS,TN, and TP content of the waste stream down to acceptable levels before discharge into the public system.

Design capacity ought to be around 10 million cubic ,meters per year.

How do I go about solving this one?

 

[vintage70]

It appears you have a daily flow rate of 5.5 million gallons per day. Is that correct?
If so, Your only practical alternative is biological treatment, e.g., an activated sludge system.
If you post details, I will try to help.

 

[lilicia]

5.5 million GPD sounds about correct.

Why activated sludge though? Any particular reason?

Basic objective would be to neutralize and/or reduce the hazardous characteristics of the influent stream as characterized below, before discharge into the public domain

Information at hand:

Process: Unit & Source (Tonnes/yr)

Basic (Tonnes) TSS BOD TN Oil
Industry

__________________________________________________________
Ammonia 2x10^6 - 5873 1468 161515
Methanol 1x10^6 - 44383 - 12105
Chlro- Alkali 2376 1 - - -

__________________________________________________________
Urea 53x10^4 53 - - -

__________________________________________________________
Urea Resins 5940 1 1 - -
__________________________________________________________

Lime 49500 - - - -
___________________________________________________________

Electric arc 65x10^4 4140 9514 - -
__________________________________________________________

Secondary 165 <1 <1 - <1
Aluminium
__________________________________________________________

Natural gas 0.62x10^6 - - - -
__________________________________________________________

Electric arc
furnace Unit & Inorganic Putrscible
Source solids solid
(tonnes) (tonnes/yr)

65x10^4 5753 -

 

[vintage70]

My next question is how are you able to discharge such large volume to a public treatment system. Does it have the capacity, and the ability to treat the loads?

I will have to review your data. Maybe you could look into equalization initially. Combine the discharges. Maybe there is a dilution. If the regulatory agencies allow that. But my first guess was the AS because of the large flow rate.

I'll try to reply soon.

 

[vintage70]

lilicia

Are the wastewater streams fairly continuous? Look at equalizing the wastestreams, calculate the concentrations and loads in the final combined discharged. That may meet your acceptable limits.

V

 

[wwoper]

Activated sludge was recommended because of the relatively low cost compared to many other alternatives. The 5.5 mgd flow requirement calls for a relatively large sized plant, what treatment do you have now, or will this be a new petrochemical plant? What are your effluent requirements in terms of BOD, TSS, TN, TP, oil & grease, pH, ... Equalization was an excellent recommendation - is your flow requirement still 5.5 mgd?

 

[saxon]

ilicia, Before setting up a treatment plant to handle the expected loads, is there any possibility to reduce or eliminate the waste loads at their sources prior to entering the waste water in the first place? If you can do this, it will reduce the size of the treatment plant required and also reduce capital investment required. Also it will create a more positive overall mass balance for the plant.

Just a thought.
saxon

 

[Muggle]

Biological treatment will be iffy and sporadic, especially if you get 5.5m gallons today, 1miil tomorrow, and 7mil the 3rd day, etc.

Electrolytic treatment with subsurface aeration using membrane diffusers would reduce or eleiminate 90% of this. The treatment area would be small, and be vastly superior.

Talk with Rick Brust at Clear20 - 847-498-9817 - he can lead in the right direction.
Dave Orlebeke/Aquatic Technologies