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value. Demand from soap plants, feed plants, and other industries can make a recovery of
waste solids a profitable operation. Such operations also reduce the amount of wastewater
treatment.
If municipal charges and surcharges are high, additional pretreatment can be economically
Pretreatment facilities are expensive and increase the complexity of the processing
operation.
Pretreatment facilities are placed on the property tax roll unless state regulations permit
tax-free waste treatment.
If pretreatment is conducted, this process should be based on facts revealed from the waste
disposal survey. Results from the plant survey and review of viable waste conservation and
water reuse systems are essential for identification, design, and cost estimates of a
pretreatment system. Cost estimates should include those parts of the pretreatment
attributable to flow, such as dissolved air flotation and grease basins. Thus, major inplant
expenses for waste conservation and water recycling can be determined based on the
estimated reduction in flow, BOD, suspended solids, and grease. Most common pretreatment
processes include flow equalization and the separation of floatable matter and SS. Separation
is frequently increased by the addition of lime and alum, ferric chloride (FeCl3), or a selected
polymer. Paddle flocculation may follow alum and lime, and lime or ferric chloride additions,
to assist in coagulation of the suspended solids. Separation is usually accomplished by gravity
or by air flotation. Screening by vibrating, rotary, or static-type screens is a step that precedes
the separation process and concentrates the separated floatables and settled solids. Flow
Equalization Flow equalization and neutralization are used to reduce hydraulic loading in the
waste stream. Facilities required are a holding device and pumping equipment designed to
reduce the fluctuation of effluent discharge. This operation can be economically
advantageous, whether processing firms treat their own wastewater or discharge into a
municipal sewage treatment facility after pretreatment. An equalizing tank has the capacity to
store wastewater for recycling or reuse, or to feed the flow uniformly to the treatment facility
day and night. This unit is characterized by a varying flow into and a constant flow from the
tank. Equalizing tanks can be lagoons, steel construction tanks, or concrete tanks, often
without a cover. It is important to integrate the discard flow of the process to the normal
capacity of the treatment equipment that has been installed. Screening The most frequently
used process for pretreatment is screening, which normally employs vibrating screens, static
screens, or a rotary screen. Vibrating and rotary screens are more frequently used because
they can permit pretreatment of a larger quantity of wastewater that contains more organic
matter. These screening devices are well adapted to a flow-away (water in forward flow and
passing through with solids constantly removed from the screen) mode of operation and can
vary widely in mechanical action and in mesh size. Mesh sizes used in pretreatment range
from approximately 12.5 mm in diameter for a static screen to approximately 0.15 mm in
diameter for high-speed circular vibratory polishing screens. Screens are sometimes used in
combination (e.g., prescreen polish screen) to attain the desired efficiency of solids removal.
Skimming This process is frequently incorporated if large, floatable solids are present. These
solids are collected and transferred into some disposal unit or preceding equipment. Lime and
FeCl3, or a selected polymer maybe added to enhance separation of solids, and paddle
flocculation may follow to assist with the coagulation of these solids. Primary Treatment The
principal purpose of primary treatment is to remove particles from the wastewater.
Sedimentation and flotation techniques are used. Sedimentation is the most common primary
treatment technique used to remove solids from wastewater influent because most sewage
contains a substantial amount of readily settleable solid material. As much as 40 to 60% of
the solids, or approximately 25 to 35% of the BOD5 load, can be removed by pretreatment
screening and primary sedimentation. Some of the solids removed are refractory (inert) and
are not measured by the BOD test.