Wastewater Treatment In Industries

Industrial wastewater treatment is a major issue that is talked about on different international platforms. Wastewater is a byproduct of commercial or industrial activities, which has to be treated so that it can be reused. However, still in parts of the world wastewater is mixed into water bodies causing health hazards not only for marine life but also humans. This is why wastewater treatment is an important topic, and there are also laws governing it.

Covered below are the processes involved in the treatment of waste-water.

Primary Treatment

Wastewater treatment in industries usually first includes the removal of solid from the water. This is one of the easiest treatment options and can be done using simple sedimentation techniques. However, certain solids, such as solids with densities similar to the water, may pose problems. In such cases treatment options like filtration and flocculation are used.

Also called mechanical treatment, this treatment can reduce biodegradable organics and total solids based on the nature of the solids present in the water.

Secondary Treatment:

Also known as biological treatment, this method aims at removing the dissolved organic matter that was not removed in the first stage. The name 'biological treatment' comes from the fact that the treatment option uses microbes that consume the organic matter and convert it into water, energy and carbon dioxide for their own use.

This stage is very effective and can remove almost all matter present in the water. This treatment option uses sludge process, trickling filters to break down matter.

Tertiary Treatment:

This is the last stage of wastewater treatment in industries. However, this is not commonly used everywhere. This can remove all impurities present in water and make it drinkable. This technology, though not new, is extremely expensive. In addition to this, one needs technical knowledge to be able to run the plants used in this treatment option.

Water at this stage does not contain many solids, and the treatment involves removal of other items like nitrogen and phosphorus.

Wastewater treatment in industries is usually restricted to these three steps. However, water is generally disinfected with the help of chlorine before it can be reused. Conversely, there is some concern regarding the use of chlorine for this purpose as many experts believe it can be harmful. Furthermore, the high cost of buying chlorine is the reason why a number of industries shy away from introducing chlorine disinfection treatment in their wastewater treatment processes.


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