Industrial Wastewater Treatment and Design – A Case study of Sugar Mill

Abstract

Sugar is commonly used in our daily life as an important ingredient to our food. When the sugar is being produced, large volume of wastewater is generated because of sugar processing and cane crushing. This wastewater has various parameters which defines its suitability or unsuitability of discharging it into the river. These parameters include COD, BOD, pH, organic compounds, color, TDS etc. Discharging of wastewater without prior treatment will have harmful effects for plants, animals & human being. This forms the basis for having a treatment unit in the industries for the treatment of wastewater. The treatment of wastewater includes Physio-Chemical & Biological treatment in order to bring the above-mentioned parameters within the permissible limits of NEQS. Wastewater must go through a physical treatment e.g., Screening; followed by chemical & Biological treatment. This study focuses on designing a treatment unit that takes sugar mill wastewater and then makes it dischargeable to nearest water channel. It will include the explanation of basic concepts and parameters involved in the treatment unit. This study also aims at providing a ready reckoner for those who wish to design a treatment unit. From the past papers it was found that treatment options were discussed but the basic designing of treatment unit was not provided. Moreover, detail about the treatment unit installed in sugar mills is not kept public. Here, we have tried our best to provide a complete guideline of designing a treatment unit and this is preceded with all the basic concepts involved in it.