When you hear the phrase industrial wastewater, what comes to mind? Perhaps you think of the contaminated water that’s produced as a byproduct of the oil and gas industry, mining, or even chemical manufacturing.
Actually, industrial wastewater is produced by virtually every manufacturing company, power plant, and industrial environment. In other words, industrial wastewater is generated by the companies that make your clothing, your car battery, your mobile phone, and your household appliances.
What this means is that, within any industry, there is a need for a wastewater management process. Simply put, contaminated water cannot be released back into the environment, or even reused in plant operations, without first being properly treated. Without a process in place to remove metals, organic contaminants, and inorganic contaminants from wastewater, industrial organizations may run afoul of any number of environmental regulations.
Which Industries Produce Wastewater?
Just to provide a sense of how widespread wastewater generation is, consider a few examples of industries that produce wastewater at high volumes.
Metal Finishing
Metal finishing operations usually generate a slurry of metals dissolved in liquids. If released into the environment untreated, these slurries can pose health risks to animals and humans alike.
Commercial Textiles
The commercial textiles industry processes billions of pounds of laundry each year, which naturally produces large amounts of water contaminated by grease, oil, and other pollutants. This water must be treated before it is released.
Mining
Mining operations usually yield high quantities of water mixed with finely-ground rock. Disposing of this wastewater can be costly and inefficient, but proper treatment can make disposal a little bit easier.
Power Plants
Fossil-fuel power plants, particularly those that are coal-fired, rank among the most prolific producers of industrial wastewater. The wastewater generated by power plants often has high concentrations of lead, mercury, arsenic, and other hazardous toxins, making effective treatment a must.
Food Processing
Even food processing facilities tend to yield high quantities of wastewater. And this wastewater is often contaminated with the pesticides and herbicides used to develop foods at an industrial scale. Naturally, proper treatment is an essential responsibility of these food processing companies.
Properly Handling Industrial Wastewater
No matter the industry, there is an acute need for effective wastewater management processes. Thankfully, best-in-class technologies such as filter presses and centrifuges can have a major impact, effectively separating solid waste from wastewater and thereby facilitating a more cost-effective disposal process. This also helps industrial organizations maintain full compliance with environmental regulations.
For years, PHS has been at the forefront of wastewater treatment technologies, and we’d love to tell you more about some of the solutions we provide. To discover the best options for treating wastewater in an industrial setting, contact PHS today.