Industrial wastewater treatment involves a multi-stage process to clean large quantities of wastewater for safe release or reuse. Pre-treatment, primary treatment, secondary treatment, and final treatment are used to remove contaminants. Factories can pre-treat their water to receive discounts on sewage rates and reduce pressure on government facilities.
Industrial wastewater treatment is the process of treating large quantities of wastewater to make it safe for other uses or for release to the environment as effluent. Similarly, any large-scale plant that treats wastewater can be considered an industrial wastewater treatment plant. Some industrial plants pre-treat wastewater before sending it to a government treatment facility. This can also be considered industrial wastewater treatment.
A multi-stage process is required for wastewater passing through industrial wastewater treatment. Pretreatment, primary treatment, secondary treatment, and final treatment all work incrementally to clean the water. Some steps clean up those contaminants seen with the naked eye and other steps focus on renewing or neutralizing the microscopic elements.
The first step in the industrial wastewater treatment process is called pre-treatment. At this point the water passes through one or more screens. This filters out larger items that are washed into the sewer lines and travel to the treatment plant.
After the water has passed through the screens, the next step in the industrial wastewater treatment process further separates some of the suspended particles in the water. During this primary treatment stage, the water is held in a holding tank for a number of hours while the solids settle to the bottom and the oil and fat rise to the top. The sediments are finally pumped out and the grease and oil are removed from the top.
After the settling tank, the water begins the secondary treatment phase by entering an aeration tank. There, the microorganisms feed on the other organic matter left in the water, some of which could be harmful to humans. The water is then sent to a clarifier, which will allow any final solids in the water to settle. Some of the microorganisms used will be returned to the aeration tank, others will be discarded.
The final step involves chemically treating the wastewater to remove any remaining harmful organisms. Depending on the final use of the water, different disinfection methods can be used. Water released into a reservoir or river will not need to be fully sterilized, as the chemicals used could cause serious damage to the environment. If the water is fed directly into a potable water supply, it will require higher amounts of antimicrobial chemicals such as chlorine.
A factory that pretreats its water before sending it to a general purpose industrial wastewater treatment plant typically performs the first two steps of the process on site. This allows the factory to receive a substantial discount on its sewage rates. It also doesn’t put as much pressure on municipal or government facilities during periods of high demand.
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