Industrial Waste Water Treatment

Wastewater Treatment in industries can help save costs and prevents hazards. There are various types of contamination of wastewater that need treatment.



Water contamination from solids is treated using sedimentation, filtration or ultra-filtration. The uncomplicated sedimentation techniques are useful in many cases while the slurry or sludge is removed in a cost effective manner.


Where the density of the solid is closer to the density of water serious problems may arise and these are treated using filtration or ultra-filtration techniques. In case sedimentation or filterability of small particles is a problem flocculants are used in the treatment process to resolve the problem. These are also used in swimming pool or drinking water filtration to help eradicate microscopic elements.


Where wastewater is contaminated by oil and grease an American Petroleum Institute (API) oil-water separator is used. Certain oils can be removed from the surface of water using skimming apparatus while hydraulic oils and those that have sullied to a certain degree require further treatment. With the separator the oil rises to the surface while the solids settle down. The water layer is sent for further removal of residual oil and then to a biological treatment unit for removal of detrimental dissolved chemical compounds. Another option is the parallel plate separator that includes tilted parallel plate assemblies also called as parallel packs. It requires significantly less space than a conventional API separator to achieve the same results.





In the category of soft organics, organic material from plants and animals can be treated using extended conventional wastewater treatment processes such as activated sludge or trickling filter. Problems can arise When the wastewater is excessively diluted with washing water or concentrated with blood problem can arise. Cleaning agents, disinfectants, pesticides, or antibiotics can have a harmful impacts on treatment processes.


Hard organics are synthetic organics such as solvents, paints, pharmaceuticals, pesticides and coking products. Water treatment methods include distillation, adsorption, incineration, chemical immobilization or landfill disposal. Some detergents can cause biological degradation and require a customized form of wastewater treatment. Water has to be tested to verify the characteristic of the pollutant. Another type of contamination found in industrial wastewater is caused by acids and alkalis. This can be treated using Neutralization. This process results in a solid residue that can also be toxic and requires treatment.


Wastewater streams with hardness ions can be easily treated through a process of de-ionization. Toxic materials in wastewater are metals, acids and alkalis, non-metallic elements such as arsenic or selenium. These can often be precipitated out by changing the pH or by treatment with other chemicals.

Residential And Industrial Wastewater Treatments

The potable water becomes wastewater after infecting natural or artificial microbiological compounds that arise out of human activities, commercial and industrial sources. Their contamination can accompany with surface water, ground water and storm water. Wastewater is sewage, storm-water and water that have been used for a variety of purposes around the community. Unless properly treated, wastewater can harm public health and the environment. The majority of communities generate wastewater from both residential and non-residential resources.

Residential wastewater is a combination of various types of toxic waste present in flush water and all types of wastewater generated from every room in a house. It is generally known as sewage and is much diluted. There are two types of domestic sewage: black-water or wastewater from toilets, and grey water, which is wastewater from all sources except toilets. Black-water and gray-water have different characteristics, but both contain pollutants and carry agents which can cause lethal diseases. Sewage varies regionally in the United States and from home to home. These are based on issues such as the number and type of water-using fixtures and appliances used at homes and even their habits, such as the types of food they eat.

In places such as industrial complexes, factories, offices, restaurants, farms and hospitals non-residential wastewater characteristics, communities need to evaluate each source individually to ensure that sufficient water treatment is provided. For example, laundries differ from many other industrial sources because they produce high volumes of wastewater containing lint fibers. Restaurants typically generate a lot of oil and grease. In addition, many industries produce wastewater high in chemical and biological pollutants that, can overburden onsite and community wastewater treatment systems.

Storm-water is a nonresidential source and carries trash and other pollutants from streets, as well as pesticides and fertilizers from yards and fields. Communities may require these types of nonresidential sources to provide preliminary treatment to protect community systems and public health.