www.waterafrica.co.za
Industrial wastewater
treatment
Due to the volumes of wastewater
produced and the variations in the load,
particularly the pH value, wastewater
needs to be treated both in the case
of direct discharge and indirect
discharge.
Direct dischargers usually have a
biological treatment stage in addition
to facilities for neutralisation, oil and
grease removal (for example, dissolved
air flotation plants) and mixing and
equalisation basins. In the case of
indirect discharge, the wastewater
treatment technology needed depends
on regulatory requirements (for
example, municipal codes and by-laws).
As public wastewater treatment plants
are often not designed for high loads,
wastewater – such as wastewater
produced in dairy processing – must
be pre-treated beforehand through
an in-house wastewater treatment
facility before it is discharged.
Pretorius stipulates that analytical
measuring processes and devices
used here include pH measurement
during neutralisation (with CPS11D);
oxygen measurement during sludge
activation (with COS61D or COS51D);
COD measurement in the outlet of
indirect dischargers (with CA80COD or
CAS51D); or TOC measurement (with
CA72TOC).
With industry legal demands,
shrinking budgets and increasing
process complexity, the challenges
faced by the water and wastewater
industry have never been greater.
Endress+Hauser has developed their
solutions and service offering with
specific industry requirements in mind.
Whether you need to update your
instrumentation to comply with legal
requirements, improve efficiency or
streamline your planning processes –
Endress+Hauser, as a trusted partner,
has the experience and expertise to get
the job done.
Water Sewage & Effluent May/June 2019
33
conductivity as a key parameter
for assessing water purity; Ceragel
CPS71D to regulate the pH value
setting; and Turbimax CUS52D to check
the efficiency of the filtration process.
One of Endress+Hauser’s main goals within the water and wastewater industry is to
offer clients reliable and cost-effective solutions.
innovations
Pretorius says that the food industry
requires high-quality water that often
exceeds drinking (potable) water
quality standards. Whether it’s used
as product water, cooling water or for
cleaning and hygiene – the importance
of pure water in food production cannot
be overemphasised.
The water quality often directly
affects the quality of the product. In
enzymatic processes, the pH value
is a critical factor. For example, if
the pH value of brewing water is too
high, this adversely affects the taste
and colour of the beer. Minerals and
residues dissolved in water impact
processing, and cause deposit
formation and corrosion on wetted
parts. Corroded and lime-scaled piping
systems encourage the build-up of dirt
and microorganisms and therefore
the formation of biofilm. Water that is
properly treated, not only ensures high
product quality, but also guarantees
disturbance free operation and
increases system reliability. Depending
on the quality of the raw water and the
requirements, water treatment is often
a multi-step process. A variety of filters,
ion exchangers, reverse osmosis and
other treatment techniques are used to
remove impurities and create purified
water.
Pretorius says that analytical
measuring
devices
offered
by
Endress+Hauser are critical in the
food industry include devices such
as Condumax CLS16D to monitor
Digest
Utilities in the food industry
treatment in food and beverage, mining
and petrochemical industries,” says
Hennie Pretorius, Industry manager for
Water and Wastewater Industries.
Pretorius explains that examples
from the food industry can be applied
just as easily to other industries such
as chemical and mining. All these
industries use vast quantities of water,
which is required to be treated before
and after it enters the core processes.