EFFLUENT TREATMENT PLANT

Presented by -
Sipra Priyadarshinee(GET)
Environment Health and Safety
What is ETP?
 Abbreviation of Effluent Treatment Plant.

 A process plant wherein the waste effluent from the

parent plant is treated through a series of filters and
techniques so as to purify water and remove any toxic and
non-toxic or chemicals from it.
Why ETP?

 Water is basic necessity.

 Industries generally take water from rivers or lakes but
they have to pay heavy taxes for that.
 So it is necessary for them to recycle the used water in
order to reduce cost and also conserve it.
 Main function is to clean the waste water and make it
efficient enough for further uses.
 The ETP treated water can be used in cooling towers,
watering plants, washrooms and so on.
Process Description

Raw effluent from plant

Screen separation
chamber

Neutralization tank I

Neutralization tank II

Feed filter
tank
Lamella settling tank

Sludge Separator Tank

 Feed filter tank

Multigrade filter tank

Used in
Final Treated Water
watering
plants, in
washrooms
and so on
Cooling Tank
 Stages of treatment
Treatment Level Description Process

Preliminary Removal of large solids Physical

such as rags, sticks,
grit and grease that
may damage the
equipment or result in
operational problems
Primary Removal of floating and Physical and Chemical
settle-able materials
such as suspended
solids and organic
matter
Secondary Removal of Biological and chemical
biodegradable organic
matter and suspended
solids
Tertiary Removal of residual Physical, chemical and
suspended solids and bio-chemical
dissolved solids
Screen Chamber

 Screening is a unit operation that separates large floating

materials present in water.
 Screens are provided to protect:
 Pumps
 Valves
 Pipe lines and other appurtenances from damage or
clogging by rags and other large objects
Screens are categorized on the basis of the
particles to be screened:

 Coarse screen : >50 mm

 Medium screen : 6-40 mm
 Fine screen :1.5-3 mm
Neutralization Tank I
 Mixed flow reactor
 Capacity: 1.5kL
 Agitators are provided for uniform mixing
 Alkalinity is checked
 Caustic soda is added in order to maintain the pH of the solution
 pH of the solution should fall within 7.5-8.5. So accordingly caustic soda is
added.

Reaction taking place in Neutralization tank I

NaoH Na+ + OH-

OH- + H+ H2O
Figure 2: Neutralization tank 1
Why pH is maintained?

 A certain pH is required for the microorganisms to act.

 When pH is <8.5, the scale formation is normally not a
problem. But when pH becomes>8.5, the alkalinity present
in the water in bicarbonate form converts to carbonates
and settles down otherwise known as scales.
 This in return damages the pipes and equipment along with
a decrease in rate of heat transfer and in an increase in
energy consumption.
 When pH is <7.5, the water is so acidic that it leads to
corrosion of pipes and equipment.
Neutralization tank II

 Mixed flow reactor

 Capacity: 1.5kL
 Agitators are provided for uniform mixing
 Alum and polyelectrolyte are added for
coagulation and flocculation
 Daily dosage: 500gm each
Figure 3: Neutralization tank II
 Difference between coagulation and
flocculation
Coagulation Flocculation
To curdle(to separate) To form flocs
Destabilization of non settable Physical or mechanical process in
particles takes place which then which coagulated clumps or floc
forms clumps are joined together to form
masses as a cloud then
precipitate
Example: Polyamine and Example:AETAC (N,N-
PolyDADMAC, Melamine Dimethylaminoethyl Acrylate
Formaldehydes and Tannins, Methyl Chloride Quaternary) or
Aluminum Sulfate (Alum), METAC (N,N-
Aluminum Chloride, Ferric Dimethylaminoethyl
Chloride Methacrylate Methyl Chloride
Quaternary) and acrylamide
  The negative surface charge present on the colloids are
neutralized by the coagulants thus repelling force
between the particles is greatly reduced.
 It is divided into three steps:
• Flash mixing
• Flocculation
• settling

Reaction taking place in Neutralization tank I

Al2(SO4)3.18H2O +6HCO3- 2Al(OH)3 + 6CO2 +SO42- +

18H2O

H2O+CO2 H2CO3 H+ +HCO3-

Agglomeration
 Charge-neutralized solids can be further agglomerated by
using flocculants.
 Flocculants can be thought of a sort of a “high-tech rope”
tying particles together, thereby increasing particle size.
 Flocculants comes in various charges, charge densities,
molecular weights and forms.
 Flocculants are categorised into two: cationic and anionic.
 Cationic flocculants can perform a dual function by both
coagulating with their positive ion and flocculating with
their high molecular weight.
 Anionic flocculants possess a negative ion charge and work
by binding with residual cationic charge on coagulant
adsorbed to coagulated colloids.
Bacteria Growth

To neutralization tank I and II, the followings are added in

order to grow bacteria:
 DAP(Diammonium phosphate): 5kg
 Cow dung: 50kg
 Urea: 5kg
Inlet and outlet are closed during the period of 15 days
which is the time required for the bacteria to grow.
Lamella settling tank

There are in broad terms two methods of separating solids

by gravity from a slurry:
 Deep depth sedimentation
 Shallow depth sedimentation
Both are designed to handle suspensions with low
concentration slurries and solid particles that exhibit free
and independent settling
In both categories laminar conditions are required to obtain
a sharp separation between the settling solids and the liquid
so that the upward velocity of the liquid is lower than the
settling velocity of the finest solid matter. Since velocity is
directly related to surface area the larger the area the
better the separation.
Figure 4 Lamella settling tank
The Lamella Settler consists of 4 major compartments positioned along a
rectangular settler tank with an inclined backside at a slope of 45-60 degrees.
The sections are:
 A central slurry feed launder with a feed connection.

 Two plate pack compartments with overflow launders that straddle the
feed launder. Each stack consists of a set of plates at an inclination of 45-
60 degrees and a clearance of 5-10 cm depending on the volume and sliding
characteristics of the settling sludge as it enters hindrance.
 Two overflow launders that connect to a box or a manifold with an overflow
connection positioned across the tank.

 A sludge hopper at the bottom of the settler tank with an outlet

connection.

Working:
The slurry enters through the feed inlet and directed down and sideways
towards the two plate stack compartments. As the slurry reaches the bottom
end of the inclined plates stack it turns upwards and enters between the
parallel plates in a laminar flow pattern. Here the free settling solid particles
thicken to a sludge that slides down the plates while the gradually clarifying
liquid moves up in a counter-current pattern. When the clear liquid reaches the
to top of the compartment it flows through orifices that ensure even
distribution of the flow across all the lamella plates.
Advantages
 Continuous operation.
 Due to its small volume no need to allocate large storage
when emptying.
 No drive nor mechanical parts.
 Filling and emptying time is short.
 Small floor area footprint.
 Modular design for future expansions.

Disadvantages
 No buffer volume for flow fluctuations which may cause
resuspension of solids.
 Many surfaces for accumulation of scale and deposits.
 No storage capacity for the settled sludge.
Application

 Water following physical-chemical treatment.

 Tailings in mining and metallurgical beneficiation.
 Solutions from gold leaching processes.
 Wet scrubbing effluents.
 Effluent treatment in pulp and paper mills.
 Filter backwash.
Multigrade filter
 Also known as pressure and sand filter
 It consists of vertical or horizontal pressure sand filters
that contains multiple layers of coarse and fine
sand(pebbles and gravels) in a fixed proportion.
 Deep filter bed with adequate pore dimension for large
and small suspended solids and un-dissolved impurities like
dust particles.
 It works under higher specific flow rates.
 It is also a low cost pre-treatment for ion
exchangers(deionisers and softener) and membrane
systems such as reverse osmosis, etc.
 With high throughputs, high dirt holding capacity and
capacity to reduce turbidity and total suspended
solids(<5ppm) from waste water it protects ion-
exchangers resins and membrane from physical fouling
due to the suspended impurities present in the water.
 1. Filter Mode

Inlet 1 Outlet
3 2 2.Backwash mode
3. Fast rinse
method

Sand media
Drain

Pebbles media

Activated carbon

Figure 5 Multigrade filter

 Features :
• Higher specific velocity.
• Raw water can be used for backwashing the filter.

 Advantages :
• Higher specific flow rate than conventional down flow filters thereby
saving on Space & cost.
• Very little maintenance required.
• Lower backwash water requirement.
• In most cases, raw water can be used for backwash.

 Applications :
• The Multigrade sand filters filter is an ideal choice for all applications
where a conventional sand filter is used.
• It is extensively used in side stream filtration of cooling water & in
potable water treatment.
• It is ideal for filtration of clarified water.
• In addition it finds application in sea water filtration & in filtration of
chemical solutions.
• For these types of filtrations rubber lined or epoxy painted filters can
be offered.
Specifications :
 One vertical cylindrical Mild steel/FRP pressure vessels with dished
ends. Mild Steel pressure vessel are painted internally with anticorrosive
bitumastic paint and externally with a protective coat of red oxide
primer.
 One set of internal water distribution & collection system.
 One initial charge of filter sand & under bed material
 One set of frontal pipe work & valves.
 Two pressure gauges to monitor head loss across the filter.
 One orifice board (optional) for indicating wash water flow to be fitted
in drain sump. Maximum / minimum operating pressure will be 3.5kg/cm2g
& 2.0 kg/cm2g respectively.
 Multigrade sand filters are available from 600 to 3000mn diameters
Sampling and Analysis
 pH
 Total dissolved solids
 Total suspended solids
 Oil and grease
 Biological oxygen demand(BOD)
 Chemical oxygen demand(COD)
 Chloride
 Sulphate
pH
 A term used to express the intensity of the acid or alkalinity source. pH
represents the effective concentration (activity) of hydrogen ions in water.
This concentration could be expressed in the same kind of units as other
dissolved species, but H+ concentrations are much smaller than other species in
most waters.
 The activity of hydrogen ions can be expressed most conveniently in logarithmic
units. pH is defined as the negative logarithm of the activity of H + ions:
pH = − log[H+]
 The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14. However, pH values less than 0 and
greater than 14 have been observed in very rare concentrated solutions.
 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) sets a secondary standard
for pH levels in drinking water: the water should be between pH 6.5 and 8.5
 Very high (greater than 9.5) or very low (less than 4.5) pH values are unsuitable
for most aquatic organisms. Young fish and immature stages of aquatic insects
are extremely sensitive to pH levels below 5 and may die at these low pH values.
High pH levels (9-14) can harm fish by denaturing cellular membranes.
 Changes in pH can also affect aquatic life indirectly by altering other aspects of
water chemistry. Low pH levels accelerate the release of metals from rocks or
sediments in the stream. These metals can affect a fish’s metabolism and the
fish’s ability to take water in through the gills, and can kill fish fry.
Total dissolved solids
 TDS are the solids that are actually in solution, similar for example to
mix sugar into hot coffee.
 Dissolved solids generally pass through the system unaffected.
 TDS is the sum total of all of the dissolved things in a given body of
water.
 It is everything in the water that's not actually water. It includes
hardness, alkalinity, cyanuric acid, chlorides, bromides, sulfates,
silicates, and all manner of organic compounds.
 Every time we add anything to the water, we are increasing its TDS. This
includes not only sanitizing and pH adjusting chemicals, but also
conditioner, algaecides, and tile and surface cleaners.
 TDS also includes airborne pollutants and bather waste as well as
dissolved minerals in the fill water.
 TDS is referred to as the total amount of mobile charged ions, including
minerals, salts or metals dissolved in a given volume of water, and is
expressed in units of mg per unit volume of water (mg/L), or as parts per
million (ppm).
Total suspended solids
 TSS is mainly organic in nature, are visible and can be
removed from the wastewater by physical/ mechanical
means e.g. screening and sedimentation.
 TSS is measured by filtering a certain quantity of
effluent and then drying the filtrate at certain
temperature e.g. 105ºC followed by weighing.
 TSS is expressed as parts per million or in milligram/litre.
The pore size of the filter paper is very important in
estimating the TSS, the nominal pore size 1.58 micro
metre
Oil and grease

 Oil and grease (O&G) is a measure of a variety of substances including

fuels, motor oil, lubricating oil, hydraulic oil, cooking oil, and animal-
derived fats.
 There are two main components of oil and grease, petroleum based
hydrocarbons and fatty compounds of animal or vegetable origin.
 Oil and grease in water can cause surface films and shoreline deposits
leading to environmental degradation, and can induce human health risks
when discharged in surface or ground waters.
 O&G in water is commonly determined by extraction into a non-polar,
hydrocarbon-free solvent followed by measurement of the infrared
absorption spectrum of the extract. The absorption between 3000 and
2900 /cm by C-H groups in the O&G is correlated to the concentration
of OG.
 Presently analysis is done using tetrachloroethylene extraction followed
by mid-infrared (mid-IR) spectrometry.
Biochemical Oxygen demand (BOD):

 The strength of the wastewater is often determined by measuring the

amount of oxygen consumed by microorganism like bacteria in biodegrading
the organic matter.
 The measurement is known as the Biochemical Oxygen Demand
(BOD).Microorganisms such as bacteria are responsible for decomposing
organic waste. When organic matter such as dead plants, leaves, grass
clippings, cellulose components, manure, sewage, organic waste like dyes, fats
and oils, or even food waste is present in a water supply, the bacteria
will begin the process of breaking down this waste.
 When this happens, bacteria in aerobic process, robbing other aquatic
organisms of the oxygen they need to live, consume much of the available
dissolved oxygen.
 If there is a large quantity of organic waste in the water supply, there will
also be a lot of bacteria present working to decompose this waste. In this
case, the demand for oxygen will be high (due to all the bacteria) so the BOD
level will be high.
 As the waste is consumed or dispersed through the water, BOD levels will
begin to decline. 
 Nitrogen and phosphates in a body of water can also contribute to high BOD
levels. Nitrates and phosphates are plant nutrients and can cause plant life
and algae to grow quickly. When plants grow quickly, they also die quickly. This
contributes to the organic waste in the water, which is then decomposed by
bacteria. This results in a high BOD level.
 The temperature of the water can also contribute to high BOD levels. For example,
warmer water usually will have a higher BOD level than colder water. As water
temperature increases, the rate of photosynthesis by algae and other plant life in
the water also increases. When this happens, plants grow faster and also die
faster. When the plants die, they fall to the bottom where they are decomposed
by bacteria. The bacteria require oxygen for this process so the BOD is high at
this location. Therefore, increased water temperatures will speed up bacterial
decomposition and result in higher BOD levels.
 When BOD levels are high, dissolved oxygen (DO) levels decrease because the
bacteria are consuming the oxygen that is available in the water. Since less
dissolved oxygen is available in the water, fish and other aquatic organisms may not
survive.
 Textile mill wastewater possesses a very high BOD like 400 – 600 mg/l. It is
necessary to reduce this BOD value up to a level less than 30mg/l before
discharging them into the environment like canals or rivers.
 If a water body of high BOD is discharged into the sea or very large river then
off course the concentration of BOD decreases due to dilution and have little or no
harmful effect on the aquatic life or environment. Therefore if it is possible to
discharge a highly toxic effluent in sea or large river no treatment is necessary.
 The amount of oxygen present in a certain amount of water in dissolved state is
known as DO. It is normally expressed as mg/l. Water may contain DO ranging
from 0 to 18 mg/l but in most cases of normal waters, DO lies between 7-9 mg/l.
 Aquatic lives require certain level of DO to survive in the water. In case of
wastewater the microorganisms require oxygen to consume the organic wastes. As
a result the DO of water decreases and becomes a threat to the life of aquatic
species.
Chemical oxygen demand(COD)
 This is a means of measuring the ability of wastewater to sustain aquatic
life, essential for the preservation of the environment.
 It also enables proper assessment of treatment plant performance.
 Aquatic organisms and animals require dissolved oxygen to flourish.
 The Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) test gives an indication of the
impact of discharge waters on aquatic life by measuring the oxygen
depleting nature of the discharge water.
 COD is based on the fact that nearly all-organic compounds can be fully
oxidized to carbon dioxide with a strong oxidizing agent under acidic
condition. COD is another common measure of water-borne organic
substances — the process of measuring COD causes the conversion of all
organic matter into carbon dioxide.
 For this reason, one limitation of COD is that it cannot differentiate
between biologically active and those which biologically inactive.
 One major advantage of COD over BOD is that COD can be measured in
just three hours where as BOD measurement takes at least five days.
 The value of COD is always higher than BOD, this is because BOD
accounts for only biodegradable organic compounds while COD accounts
for all organic compounds e.g. biodegradable as well as non-biodegradable
but chemically ox disable.
Chlorides

 Chlorides are widely distributed as salts of calcium, sodium and

potassium in water and wastewater.
 Chlorides associated with sodium (Sodium Chloride) exert salty taste
when its concentration is more than 250 mg/L. These impact a salty
taste to water.
 It can also corrode concrete. Magnesium chloride in water generates
hydrochloric acid after heating which is also highly corrosive and creates
problem in boilers.
 High chloride content of water may also produce laxative effect. An
upper limit of 250 mg/L has been set for the chloride ions.
 The amount of chloride present in water can be easily determined by
titrating the given water sample with silver nitrate solution
Sulphates
 Sulphate ions in water are present usually in the form of compounds like
CaSO4, MgSO4, Na2SO4
 The determination of sulphate ions is water in based on the fact that
when water is treated in cold with benzidine hydrochloride solution, the
sulphate ions get precipitated as insoluble benzidine sulphate:

C12H8(NH2)2.2HCl + Na2SO4 C12H8(NH2)2.2H2SO4 +2NaCl

 The precipitated is, however, Soluble in hot water and hydrolyses into
benzidine and sulphuric acid:

C12H8(NH2)2.2H2SO4 +2H2O C12H8(NH2)2.2H2O + H2SO4

 The free acid H2SO4 set free can be titrated against a standard caustic
soda solution using phenolphthalein as indicator.
 Analysis: standard according to PCB

Sr no Test Parameter Unit PCB limit

1. pH - 6.5-9.5
2. Total suspended solids mg/L 100
3. Total dissolved solids mg/L 2100
4. COD mg/L 250
5. BOD(3 days at 27ºC) mg/L 100
6. Chloride mg/L -
7. Sulphate mg/L -
8. Oil and grease mg/L 10
Fig 6: analysis report
for the year 2014
Fig 7: analysis report for the year 2015
Fig 8: analysis report for the year 2016
Guidelines for Safety In ETP Operation
The hazards in ETP are listed below:
 Slips and falls on floors made slippery by water, aqueous solutions or
solvents.
 Blows and contusions caused by falling heavy articles, including
containers of chemical reagents, e.g., from overhead conveyers, or by
contact with moving machinery or vehicles.
 Falls into ponds, pits, clarifiers or tanks causing injuries or drowning.
 Hazards related to entry into confined spaces - suffocation due to
oxygen deficiency, poisoning (e.g. by hydrogen sulphide), etc.
 Burns, by steam or hot vapours, by splashes of hot plating baths,
solvents and other liquids, by contact with hot surfaces (e.g., annealing
ovens), etc.
 Electric shock caused by contact with faulty electrical equipment, cables,
etc.
 Cuts and pricks by sharp tools sharp edges of articles to be plated sharp
deposits on jigs, etc.
 Fire and explosions due to the formation and release of flammable gases
during processing (e.g., methane, hydrogen).
 Vigorous chemical reactions caused by uncontrolled mixing of chemicals
(e.g., if water is mixed with concentrated sulphuric acid) during the
preparation of reagents for wastewater treatment.
 Acute intoxication caused by erroneous drinking of untreated wastewater.
 Poisoning by phosgene, which may be formed if a worker smokes in the
presence of chlorinated-solvent vapours, or if welding or other flames or
arcs are used.
 Chemical burns by corrosive liquids Damage to eyes by splashes of
irritating or corrosive liquids.
 Diseases caused by infectious agents (bacteria, viruses, protozoa,
helminthic and fungi) present in the raw domestic wastewater.
Dos and Don’ts in ETP Operation for Safety
 Use safety shoes or boots with non-slip soles.
 Wear personal protective equipment and chemical resistant clothing to
avoid exposure of skin or eyes to corrosive and/or polluted solids, liquids,
gases or vapours.
 Do NOT mix chemicals without the supervision of a qualified chemist or
safety professional.
 Obey all safety-instructions regarding the storage, transport, handling
or pouring of chemicals.
 Check electrical equipment for safety before use; verify that all electric
cables are properly insulated; take faulty or suspect electrical equipment
to a qualified electricity technician for testing and repair.
 Wear safety goggles in all cases where the eyes may be exposed to dust,
flying particles, or splashes of harmful liquids.
 Wear respirator, or gas mask, when exposed to harmful aerosols, dusts,
vapours or gases.
 Take extreme care when handling highly corrosive agents such as liquid or
gaseous chlorine, concentrated acids or alkalis, or when toxic gases may be
emitted from the reagents, etc.
 Obey all safety instructions concerning entry into confined spaces, e.g.,
check atmosphere for oxygen or for poisonous gases, use respiratory
protection equipment if needed, have a co-worker stand guard in case of
need for help, etc.
 Do not smoke, eat or drink in areas where chemical or biological
contamination may be expected.
 Use non-latex gloves if sensitivity to latex has been diagnosed.
 All workers should undergo periodic examinations by occupational physician
to reveal early symptoms of possible chronic effects or allergies.
 Learn and use safe lifting and moving techniques for heavy or awkward
loads such as containers of chemicals; use mechanical aids to assist in
lifting.
Future Goal
 Make the present ETP a complete zero liquid discharge unit.
 Install STP(sewage treatment plant) along side ETP and make it a
complete waste disposal treatment plant.
 Further analysis of the following is to be done:
Types of slurry
Flow rate
Temperature
suspended solid
particle size distribution