Industrial wastewater treatment covers the mechanisms and processes used to treat waters that have been contaminated in some way by man's industrial or commercial activities prior to its release into the environment or its re-use.

Most industries produce some wet waste although recent trends in the developed world have been to minimise such production or recycle such waste within the production process. However, many industries remain dependent on processes that produce a water based waste stream.

Sources of Industrial wastewater

Agricultural waste

please see Agricultural wastewater treatment Agricultural wastewater treatment relates to the treatment of wastewaters produced in the course of agricultural activities. ...

Iron and steel industry

The production of iron from its ores involves powerful reduction reactions in blast furnaces. Cooling waters are inevitably contaminated with products especially ammonia, cyanide . Production of coke from coal in coking plants also requires water cooling and the use of water in by-products separation. Contamination of waste streams includes gasification products such as benzene, napthalene, anthracene, cyanide, ammonia, phenols , cresols together with a range of more complex organic compounds known collectively as polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAH). The conversion of iron or steel into sheet, wire or rods requires hot and cold mechanical transformation stages frequently employing water as a lubricant and coolant. Contaminants include hydraulic oils, tallow and particulate solids. Final treatment of iron and steel products before onward sale into manufacturing includes pickling in strong mineral acid to remove rust and prepare the surface for tin or chromium plating or for other surface treatments such as galvanisation or painting. The two acids commonly used are Hydrochloric acid and Sulphuric acid. Wastewaters include acidic rinse waters together with waste acid. Although many plants operate acid recovery plants, (particularly those using Hydrochloric acid), where the mineral acid is boiled away from the iron salts, there remains a large volume of highly acid ferrous sulphate or ferrous chloride to be disposed of. Many steel industry waste waters are contaminated by hydraulic oil also known as soluble oil General Name, Symbol, Number iron, Fe, 26 Chemical series transition metal Group, Period, Block 8 (VIIIB), 4, d Density, Hardness 7874 kg/m3, 4. ... Steel framework Steel is a metal alloy whose major component is iron, with carbon being the primary alloying material. ... Ammonia is a chemical compound with the formula NH3, since its molecule has a nitrogen atom with three hydrogen atoms all singly covalently bonded to the nitrogen as shown in the image at right. ... A cyanide is any chemical compound that contains the group C≡N, with the carbon atom triple bonded to the nitrogen atom. ... Benzene, C6H6, PhH, or benzol is a colorless and flammable liquid with a pleasant, sweet smell. ... Naphthalene (also known as naphthalin, naphthaline, tar camphor, white tar, albocarbon, or naphthene) is a crystalline white solid hydrocarbon with a typical mothball odor. ... In chemistry, anthracene is a solid polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon consisting of three benzene rings derived from coal-tar. ... Phenol, also known under the old name carbolic acid, is a colorless crystalline solid with a typical sweet tarry odor. ... Cresols are organic chemical compounds which are methylphenols. ... Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, also known as PAH, are chemical compounds that consist of fused aromatic rings and that do not contain heteroatoms and that do not carry substituents. ... Hydraulic fluids are a large group of liquids made of many kinds of chemicals. ... Tallow is rendered beef or mutton fat (suet). ... General Name, Symbol, Number tin, Sn, 50 Chemical series poor metals Group, Period, Block 14 (IVA), 5, p Density, Hardness 7310 kg/m3, 1. ... General Name, Symbol, Number chromium, Cr, 24 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 6 (VIB), 4, d Appearance silvery metallic Atomic properties Atomic weight 51. ... Galvanization, named after the Italian scientist Luigi Galvani, was originally the administration of electric shocks (in the 19th century also termed Faradism, after Michael Faraday). ... For information on the U.S. borough, see Paint, Pennsylvania. ... The chemical substance hydrochloric acid is the aqueous (water-based) solution of hydrogen chloride (HCl) gas. ... Sulfuric acid (British English: sulphuric acid), H2SO4, is a strong mineral acid. ... Iron(II) sulfate, also known as ferrous sulfate and as copperas (FeSO4) is an example of an ionic compound. ... The chemical compound iron(II) chloride, also called ferrous chloride, is an inorganic metal salt. ... Hydraulic fluids are a large group of liquids made of many kinds of chemicals. ...

Mines and Quarries

The principal waste-waters associated with mines and quarries are slurries of rock particles in water. These arise from rainfall washing exposed surfaces and haul roads and also from rock washing and grading processes. Volumes of water can be very high, especially rainfall related arisings on large sites. Some specialist separation operations such as coal washing to separate coal from native rock using density gradients can produce wastewater contaminated by fine particulate haematite and surfactants. Oils and hydraulic oils are also common contaminants. Wastewater from metal mines and ore recovery plants are inevitably contaminated by the minerals present in the native rock formations. Following crushing and extraction of the desirable materials, undesirable materials may become contaminated in the wastewater. For metal mines, this can include unwanted metals such as zinc and other materials such as arsenic. Extraction of high value metals such as gold and silver may generate slimes containing very fine particles in where physical removal of contaminants becomes particularly difficult. Coal is a fossil fuel extracted from the ground either by underground mining, open-pit mining or strip mining. ... Washing is one way of cleaning, namely with water and often some kind of soap or detergent. ... Oil is a generic term for organic liquids that are not miscible with water. ... General Name, Symbol, Number zinc, Zn, 30 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 12, 4, d Density, Hardness 7140 kg/m3, 2. ... General Name, Symbol, Number arsenic, As, 33 Chemical series metalloids Group, Period, Block 15, 4, p Appearance metallic gray Atomic mass 74. ... General Name, Symbol, Number Gold, Au, 79 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11 (IB), 6, d Density, Hardness 19300 kg/m3, 2. ... General Name, Symbol, Number silver, Ag, 47 Chemical series Transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 5, d Density, Hardness 10490 kg/m3, 2. ... Tom Cruise and Rosie ODonnell slimed on the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards in 2001. ...

Food industry

Processing of food from raw materials requires large volumes of high grade water. Vegetable washing generates waters with high loads of particulate matter and some dissolved organics. It may also contain surfactants. Particulates, alternately referred to as Particulate Matter (PM) , aerosols or fine particles are tiny particles of solid or liquid suspended in the air. ... Organic has several meanings and related topics. ... Surfactants, also known as wetting agents, lower the surface tension of a liquid, allowing easier spreading, and the interfacial tension between two liquids. ...

Animal slaughter and processing produces very strong organic waste from body fluids, such as blood , and gut contents. This wastewater is frequently contaminated by significant levels of antibiotics and growth hormones from the animals and by a variety of pesticides used to control external parasites. Insecticide residues in fleeces is a particular problem in treating waters generated in wool processing. Red blood cells (erythrocytes) are present in the blood and help carry oxygen to the rest of the cells in the body Blood is a circulating tissue composed of fluid plasma and cells (red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets). ... For the Physics term GUT, please refer to Grand unification theory The gastrointestinal or digestive tract, also referred to as the GI tract or the alimentary canal or the gut, is the system of organs within multicellular animals which takes in food, digests it to extract energy and nutrients, and... An antibiotic is a drug that kills or slows the growth of bacteria. ... A hormone (from Greek horman - to set in motion) is a chemical messenger from one cell (or group of cells) to another. ... A parasite is an organism that lives in or on the living tissue of a host organism at the expense of that host. ... Long and short hair wool at the South Central Family Farm Research Center in Boonesville, AR Wool is the fiber derived from the hair of domesticated animals, usually sheep. ...

Processing food for ale produces wastes generated from cooking which are often rich in plant organic material and may also contain salt, flavourings, colouring material and acids or alkali. Very significant quantities of oil or fats may also be present. Organic has several meanings and related topics. ... In chemistry, salt is a general term used for ionic compounds composed of positively charged cations and negatively charged anions, so that the product is neutral and without a net charge. ... Flavouring (or flavoring) is a product which is added to food in order to change or augment its taste. ... Color is an important part of the visual arts. ... An acid (often represented by the generic formula AH) is typically a water-soluble, sour-tasting chemical compound. ... For the battery, see alkaline battery The word alkali can mean:- In chemistry, an alkali is a specific type of base, formed as a carbonate, hydroxide or other ionic salt of an alkali metal or alkali earth metal element. ...

Complex organic chemicals industry

A range of industries manufacture or use complex organic chemicals. These include pesticides, Pharmaceuticals, paints and dyes, petro-chemicals, detergents, plastics etc. Waste waters can be contaminated by feed-stock materials, by-products, product material in soluble or particulate form , washing and cleaning agents, solvents and added value products such as plasticisers. An airplane spreading pesticide. ... Pharmacology (in Greek: pharmacon is drug, and logos is science) is the study of how chemical substances interfere with living systems. ... For information on the U.S. borough, see Paint, Pennsylvania. ... A dye can generally be described as a coloured substance that has an affinity to the substrate to which it is being applied. ... A petrochemical is any chemical derived from fossil fuel. ... A detergent is a compound, or a mixture of compounds, intended to assist cleaning. ... The term plastics covers a range of synthetic or semi-synthetic polymerization products. ... Plasticizers are plastic additives, most commonly phthalates, that give plastics flexibility and durability. ...

Nuclear Industry

The waste production from the nuclear and radio-chemicals industry is dealt with at Radioactive waste treatment

Water Treatment

Water treatment for the production of drinking water is dealt with elsewhere. Many industries have a need to treat water to obtain very high quality water for demanding purposes. Water treatment produces organic and mineral sludges from filtration and sedimentation. Ion exchange using natural or synthetic resins removes calcium, Magnesium and Carbonate ions from water replacing them with Hydrogen and Hydroxyl ions. Regeneration of ion exchage coumns wit strong acids and alakalis produces a waste water rich in hardness ions which are readily presipated out , especially when in admixture with other wastewaters. Ion exchange is a process in which ions are exchanged between a solution and an ion exchanger, an insoluble solid or gel. ... General Name, Symbol, Number calcium, Ca, 20 Series alkaline earth metal Group, Period, Block 2 (IIA), 4, s Density, Hardness 1550 kg/m3, 1. ... General Name, Symbol, Number magnesium, Mg, 12 Chemical series alkaline earth metals Group, Period, Block 2, 3, s Appearance silvery white Atomic mass 24. ... Carbonate is an anion with a charge of -2 and an empirical formula of CO32-. An aqueous solution of carbon dioxide contains a minute amount of H2CO3, called carbonic acid, which dissociates to form hydrogen ions and carbonate ions. ... General Name, Symbol, Number Hydrogen, H, 1 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 1 (IA), 1, s Density, Hardness 0. ... Hydroxide is a functional group consisting of oxygen and hydrogen: -O−H It has a charge of 1-. The term hydroxyl group is used when the functional group -OH is counted as a substituent of an organic compound. ...

Treatment of industrial wastewater

The different types of contamination of wastewater require a variety of strategies to remove the contamination.

Solids removal

Most solids can be removed using simple sedimentation techniques with the solids recovered as slurry or sludge. Very fine solids and solids with densities close to one pose special problems. In such case filtration or ultra-filtration may be required. Alternatively, flocculation may be used using alum salts or the addition of poly-electrolytes

Oils and greases

Many oils can be recovered from open water surfaces by skimming devices. However, hydraulic oils and the majority of oils that have degraded to any extent will also have a soluble or emulsified component that will require further treatment to eliminate. Dissolving or emulsifying oil using surfactants or solvents usually exacerbates the problem rather than solving it, producing a very difficult to treat wastewater. A solvent is a liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute, resulting in a solution. ...

Soft organics

Organic material of plant or animal origin is usually possible to treat using extended conventional Sewage treatment processes. Problems can arise if the wastewater is excessively diluted with washing water or is highly concentrated such as neat blood or milk. The presence of cleaning agents, disinfectants, pesticides, or anti-biotics can have detrimental impacts on treatment processes. Sewage treatment is the process that removes the majority of the contaminants from waste-water or sewage and produces both a liquid effluent suitable for disposal to the natural environment and a sludge. ...

Hard organics

Synthetic organic materials including solvents, paints, pharmaceuticals, pesticides, coking products etc can be very difficult to treat . Treatment methods are often specific to the material being treated . Methods include distillation, adsorption, vitrification, incineration, chemical immobilisation or landfill disposal. Some materials such as some detergents may be capable of biological degradation and in such cases, a modified form of Sewage treatment can be used. Strathisla whisky distillery in Keith, Scotland Distillation is a means of separating liquids through differences in their boiling points. ... A vitrification experiment for the study of nuclear waste disposal at Pacific Northwest National Labs. ... Incineration is the process of burning waste streams under controlled industrial conditions. ... Sewage treatment is the process that removes the majority of the contaminants from waste-water or sewage and produces both a liquid effluent suitable for disposal to the natural environment and a sludge. ...

Acids and Alkalis

Acids and alkalis can usually be neutralised under controlled conditions. Neutralisation frequently produces a precipitate that will require treatment as a solid residue that may also be toxic. In some cases, gasses may be evolved requiring treatment for the gas stream. Some other forms of treatment are usually required following neutralisation.

Waste streams rich in hardness ions as from de-ionisation processes can readliy loose the hardness ions in a buildup of precipitated calcium and magnesium salts. This preciptation process can cause severe furring of pipes and can, in extreme cases, cause the blockage of disposal pipes. A 1 metre diameter industrial marine discharge pipe serving a major chemicals complex was blocked by such salts in the 1970s. Treament is by concentration of de-ionisation waste waters and disposal to landfill or by careful pH management of the released wastewater.

Toxic materials

Toxic materials including many organic materials, metals (such as zinc, silver, cadmium, thallium etc.) acids, alkalis, non-metallic elements (such as arsenic or selenium) are generally resistant to biological processes unless very dilute. Metals can often be precipitated out by changing the pH or by treatment with other chemicals. Many, however, are resistant to treatment or mitigation and may require concentration followed by landfilling or recycling.