Industrial Wastewater Pretreatment Technology

Spartan Environmental Technologies supplies industrial wastewater pretreatment systems, which allow customers to meet their permit requirements and lower sewer surcharges. These pretreatment systems combine industrial ozone generators with other equipment and advanced oxidation processes (AOP) to achieve high biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD) reductions.

Background Information on Industrial Wastewater Pretreatment

Industrial facilities that discharge their wastewater to publicly owned treatment works (POTW) must ensure that their wastewater meets certain standards. These rules are designed to ensure the POTW can meet its own discharge requirements for where the treated water will go.

There is usually a list of materials that cannot be discharged to the sewer system above certain levels. Examples include cyanides and heavy metals. The POTW may also limit BOD, COD, and total suspended solids (TSS). These limits are designed to ensure the POTW has the capacity to treat the wastewater that’s being fed to the facility.

In most cases, even for permitted discharges, the POTW may levy surcharges for BOD, COD, and TSS. These may be based on amounts above a minimum level of BOD, COD, and TSS or on any BOD, COD, or TSS discharged. In the case of BOD, charges range from $0.02/lb BOD to $0.60/lb BOD. Additional surcharges for COD and TSS are also levied in certain jurisdictions. Excursions outside of the permitted discharge for BOD, COD, and TSS can result in fines in addition to the surcharges.

For example, in a facility with wastewater flows of 150 GMP with a BOD of 500 mg/l over the minimum amount for a surcharge and a surcharge rate of $0.30/lb BOD, the monthly cost would be over $8,000. In these cases, pretreatment for BOD reduction using Spartan pretreatment systems can result in payback periods of 1-1.5 years.

Environmental Databases: The Right-to-Know Network and the Data Liberation Project

Beyond the costs associated with sewer surcharges and fines, discharges to publicly owned treatment works POTW are public records. Certain groups track these discharges and publish them. An example was the Right-to-Know Network (RTK Net). RTK Net was a service from the Center for Effective Government that provided free access to numerous environmental databases. Public access from RTK Net has since been discontinued. However, the Data Liberation Project filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for the EPA’s Risk Management Plans (RMP) database. View the Data Liberation Project’s comprehensive documentation from its FOIA request to the EPA. With the information available from the Data Liberation Project, you can identify specific factories and their environmental effects and assess the people and communities affected. Many industrial clients would prefer maintaining a positive environmental image in their communities.

To learn more about our wastewater pretreatment systems, call 800-492-1252 (toll-free), ask us your question(s), or request a quote.