THE PROJECT
A leading corporate group engaged in the production of steel has both coke oven and coal gasifier for steel production activities along with power plant at their flagship premises.
The PROBLEM
The premises has a full fledged Biological Wastewater treatment comprising chemical pre treatment and effluent treatment plant steel industry activated sludge process with conventional clarifier. However, due to various issues related to the plant and poor commissioning process followed during the start up phase, the plant was not achieving the desired results at the biological process for Phenols, Ammonia, Cyanide and COD reduction.
The client required to achieve better performance achieving latest PCB discharge criteria of COD< 150 ppm, Ammonia < 5 ppm , Phenol < 1 ppm and Cyanide < 0.2 ppm for the Bio-ETP.
THE SOLUTION
After initial consultation with the clients, Levapor India Pvt Ltd were assigned the project to correct the effluent treatment plant steel industry performance of the ETP and achieve the desired results at the treatment capacity of 350 m3/hr flow rate
Based on our preliminary analysis of the data furnished and numerous site visits, a detailed plan for the revival of the ETP was laid out with principal steps taken as below:
- Optimize the chemical pre-treatment performance for the removal of target pollutants like Oil & Grease, Cyanide.
- Optimize nutrient dosing to keep right COD: N : P ratio
- Addition of soda ash for the alkalinity supplement for nitrification
- Addition of special bioculture for Phenol , Cyanide degradation and nitrification
- Adjustment of Blowers, RAS pumps operation
- Continuous onsite training of the plant operators
- Rigorous monitoring of various operating parameters like DO, MLSS, SVI, PO4, Alkalinity dosin
THE RESULTS
Over the period of one and half year, after rigorous process control and continuous improvement and adjustment of the plant operating window, the plant has developed full functional biomass nitrifying to Ammonia < 1 ppm levels and also achieving COD < 150 ppm, Phenol < 1 ppm under varying operating conditions of inlet wastewater qualitative and quantitative fluctuations.
The biomass developed is so good that with minimal chemical treatment, it is achieving desired levels of pollutants removal rendering clients huge savings on the chemical cost for the primary treatment of the so called biodegradable pollutants.
THE BENEFITS
- Consistently achieving COD < 150 ppm, Ammonia < 1 ppm, Phenols < 1 ppm
- Reduced chemical cost and savings up to 50-70 lacs per month
- Better quality of treated effluent at the secondary clarifier outlet reducing post treatment cost
- Better performance of the tertiary treatment
Amit Christian, having MSc degree in Environmental Science from UK university is in the field of water and wastewater treatment from 1998. He has expertise in MBBR and IFAS process design, engineering and process start up /commissioning.
