The effective management of waste-derived wastewater—including landfill leachate, food waste effluent, and waste-to-energy plant discharge—poses significant environmental and operational challenges. These streams are typically characterized by complex emulsions of fats, oils, and greases (FOG), high chemical oxygen demand (COD), persistent odors, and a tendency to foul membranes and disrupt biological systems. Without proper pretreatment, downstream processes suffer from clogging, extended treatment times, and reduced overall efficiency.
The Challenge: Breaking Down Tough Emulsions
A client operating a 150-ton-per-day food wastewater treatment facility faced precisely these issues. Their influent wastewater exhibited high concentrations of animal and vegetable oils, elevated COD levels, and noticeable odor, all of which severely impacted subsequent membrane filtration and prolonged biological treatment cycles. The primary objectives were clear:
1. Significantly reduce FOG content.
2. Lower overall COD to ease the burden on biological treatment stages.
Tailored Solution: A Three-Step Physicochemical Process
We proposed and implemented a streamlined yet highly effective pretreatment protocol centered on our specialized Demulsifier. The process involves three sequential steps:
1. Demulsification: Addition of 0.2% (2 kg per ton of wastewater) WaveClean Demulsifier to break down stable oil-water emulsions.
2. PH Adjustment: Introduction of caustic soda (NaOH) to optimize the pH for flocculation.
3. Flocculation & Sedimentation: Use of anionic Polyacrylamide (PAM) to aggregate the liberated oils and suspended solids, allowing for clear separation.
Demonstrated Results: Enhanced Clarity & System Performance
The results were visually and analytically compelling. The treated water showed remarkable clarity, with laboratory and on-site data confirming:
lFOG Removal Efficiency: 99% reduction, lowering concentration from initial highs to minimal levels.
lCOD Reduction: Approximately 40% decrease, significantly reducing the organic load entering the biological stage.
lBiological Enhancement: The pretreated effluent, now free of emulsified oils, no longer inhibited microbial activity. Instead, it promoted healthier biomass growth, improved sludge settling, and enhanced overall biochemical treatment efficiency by preventing sludge flotation and digestor blockages.
Client Validation: A Case from Chongqing
A food waste treatment plant in Chongqing provides a concrete example. Their influent, with COD ~15,000 mg/L and FOG ~1,800 mg/L, caused severe issues in the biological system, including sludge floating and microbial die-off due to clogging. After implementing our WaveClean Demulsifier protocol, post-treatment levels dropped to COD ~10,800 mg/L and FOG to just 14 mg/L. This created an ideal, non-inhibitory feedstock for their biological process, stabilizing operations and improving final effluent quality.
Conclusion
This case underscores that targeted demulsification is not merely a pretreatment step but a critical enabler for downstream treatment success. By efficiently breaking down complex emulsions, our industrial demulsifier transforms challenging wastewaters into treatable streams, unlocking higher system capacity, reducing operational costs, and ensuring consistent compliance. For facilities struggling with high-fat, high-COD wastewaters, this solution paves the way for more robust, reliable, and efficient treatment performance.
As a professional chemicals manufacturer in the water treatment Industry, Sanmei have helped more than 5,000 plants with process solutions and helped them improve production efficiency, reduce costs, and optimize profit plans. Our main goal is to assist you in optimizing production efficiency and profitability in a sustainable way. Welcome to consult us and get a free wastewater treatment solution by filling in the form below or email to sales@san-mei.com.
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