Shrinking budgets, legal and environmental demands, as well as increasing process complexity. These challenges faced by water and wastewater industries have never been greater. Therefore optimising the chemical treatment on your effluent plant is a crucial part for enhancing your WWT process whilst minimising these challenges. All industries carry the responsibility to monitor characteristic of their discharged effluent which must meet the regulatory requirements. The conditions of company’s discharge consent will commonly be determined by the wastewater composition. These, however, can vary greatly between countries and industries, but generally include the temperature, pH, FOG (fat, oil and grease) content, COD (chemical oxygen demand), proportion of suspended solids and the levels of sulphates, heavy metals and other industry-specific chemicals polluting the effluent. In addition to the controlling measures, many local authorities also specify frequencies of sample testing which must analysed by an accredited laboratory, and also perform regular audits and spot checks in order to monitor the regulatory compliance.
Chemicals / Process optimization
Optimisation of wastewater treatment
Enhancing your wastewater treatment
Selecting the most suitable coagulant and flocculant is essential for the optimization of wastewater treatment process and technology. Selecting the most effective chemicals should be guided by these parameters – operational process of the effluent plant and types of suspended solids for removal. Making the right choice of chemicals will have a significant impact on both profitability and regulatory compliance. Additional consideration when selecting the most appropriate coagulants and flocculants for your operations should be the environmental impact of chemical use. Selecting YESfloc® products, which are organic and biodegradable polymers, is a way of reducing carbon footprints and environmental impact.
Dosing chemicals in the right way
The next step for optimising your wastewater treatment is to avoid under or overdosing the chemicals. Not just the choice of chemicals but the dosing regimes are also determined by the effluent design and composition. Therefore it is extremely important that each chemical is applied in the correct amount, at the right time, and introduced into the wastewater flow in the most effective way. Optimising your chemical wastewater treatment and the correct chemical dosage will help you:
- Reduce operational cost – The chemicals used in the process are expensive, which is why its correct consumption and strict controls for dosing regimes should be in the interest of WWT plants. Overdosing can result in unnecessarily high material costs and exceeding financial budgets. Furthermore, high levels of treatment chemicals presented in the outflow to the sewer can potentially exceed discharge consent limits. On contrary, underdosing can reduce the efficiency of the treatment process, leading to repeated breaches of licensing conditions. Underdosing can also reduce efficiency of sludge dewatering resulting in higher sludge disposal charges.
- Avoid financial sanctions, operational disruptions and business losses – exceeding the discharge consent limits can result in a complete suspension of business operations or more commonly, in financial penalties. Moreover, correct dosage of chemicals will help you to maintain a smooth production and operational run.
- Sustain green environment – correct chemical dosing, as already mentioned, will help reducing pollutants in the effluent. By reducing the pollution rates, not only will you be avoiding financial penalties, but you will also be mindful towards our planet. A ‘green’ planet is a hot topic right now. Therefore it is quite common in this day and age that more corporations prefer to partner with accredited companies promoting green ethos and agenda.
Worthwhile investment
Investing in more effective treatment chemicals or dosing hardware could potentially lead to significant cost savings on the disposal side. Our experienced wastewater treatment chemical engineers can work with you and help you to establish the most appropriate and cost-effective dosing strategy for your plant, provide you with a technical support, maintain an ongoing compliance with regulatory requirements and avoid potential financial penalties.