Effective industrial effluent treatment is a fundamental step towards preserving the environment and the sustainability of production activities. With increasing environmental awareness and stricter regulations, companies need to adopt appropriate solutions for managing their liquid waste.
In this sense, understanding this importance and knowing how the treatment process works are essential issues.
So, stay with us and find out how the treatment of industrial effluents works, check out what the consequences are for the lack of this treatment, as well as see how black wattle tannins are sustainable solutions and alternatives to chemical coagulants that often generate toxic by-products.
Follow below and understand!
What is the importance of treating industrial effluents?
Industrial effluent treatment emerges as a crucial solution for companies seeking to align their operations with principles of sustainability and environmental responsibility.
This process, fundamental to environmental management, involves a series of techniques and technologies designed to purify water and liquid waste from industrial processes before returning them to the environment or reusing them.
In this sense, the importance of this treatment goes beyond compliance with environmental legislation, as it represents a vital commitment to the preservation of natural resources and public health.
Furthermore, the implementation of effective industrial effluent treatment systems offers significant benefits for companies. In addition to avoiding fines and legal sanctions for non-compliance with environmental standards, these practices can result in operational savings.
This is because water treatment and reuse can considerably reduce water consumption costs. Furthermore, by adopting these measures, organizations strengthen their image in the market and consumers, who are increasingly attentive to companies' environmental practices.
Dangers of lack of treatment of industrial effluents
The lack of treatment of industrial effluents is a worrying issue that can have serious consequences for the environment, public health and the company itself.
Untreated wastewater can contain a variety of pollutants, including heavy metals, which are particularly dangerous. When released into rivers, these contaminants can cause a range of health problems.
What's more, failure to adequately treat industrial effluents can have serious consequences for companies, both from a legal, financial and reputational point of view:
Fines and sanctions
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Environmental agencies apply severe fines for non-compliance with environmental legislation related to the discharge of untreated effluents. These fines can reach high amounts, depending on the severity of the infraction;
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In addition to fines, the company may suffer other sanctions such as an embargo on activities, suspension of environmental licenses and even closure of its facilities.
Court lawsuits
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The irregular discharge of effluents can result in legal actions brought by the Public Ministry or by third parties affected by pollution, such as riverside communities and rural landowners;
In these processes, the company may be required to pay compensation for environmental and public health damage, in addition to bearing the costs of recovering degraded areas.
Impacts on image and reputation
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Cases of environmental pollution by untreated industrial effluents tend to have great repercussions in the media and society, generating significant damage to the image and reputation of the company involved;
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This can negatively affect sales, hinder partnerships and investments, as well as harm relationships with customers, suppliers and local communities.
Therefore, it is essential that companies invest in efficient effluent treatment systems, not only to comply with current environmental legislation, but also to avoid heavy fines, legal proceedings and irreparable damage to their image and business sustainability.
How does industrial effluent treatment work?
This process generally involves a combination of different techniques and steps, which may vary according to the type of effluent and the quality standards required according to the industrial activity in question.
To do this, specialist professionals must carry out a waste assessment to determine the toxic and organic load present in the effluents, defining the best process to be followed.
In this sense, there are two main processes that are usually used: chemical processes and biological processes.
See below how each of them works.
Physicochemical processes
Physicochemical processes aim to remove suspended and colloidal solids from industrial effluents. It involves the addition of coagulating and flocculant agents that promote the agglomeration of particles, forming larger flocs that can be removed by sedimentation, flotation or filtration.
In this process, there is a reduction in many organic and inorganic pollutants present in the effluent, such as dissolved salts, heavy metals, precipitates in the process, color, turbidity, among others.
This process is normally the first stage in the treatment of water and effluents, followed by biological treatment. It can also be used as a polish (final treatment), followed by chlorination or oxidation.
Chlorination is a chemical oxidation process that uses chlorine or chlorinated compounds to disinfect and oxidize organic and inorganic pollutants present in industrial effluents.
Chlorine is a powerful oxidizing agent that can react with a wide range of compounds, including phenols, cyanides, sulfides and ammonia.
Biological processes
Biological processes can be classified as aerobic, facultative or anaerobic and involve the use of microorganisms that may or may not require dissolved oxygen to decompose the organic matter present in the effluents.
Aerobic processes are widely used for the treatment of industrial effluents with high organic load and include:
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Activated sludge: process in which a mixture of aerobic microorganisms is kept in suspension in an aeration tank, where the degradation of organic matter occurs;
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Biological filters: fixed bed systems in which aerobic microorganisms grow attached to a support medium, allowing the flow of effluent through the bed.
On the other hand, facultative processes involve the use of microorganisms capable of adapting to both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. These processes are commonly used in the treatment of wastewater with moderate organic loadings.
In facultative systems, aerobic and anaerobic zones are formed within the same reactor. The manipulation of organic matter is carried out by different microorganism environments, which adapt to local dissolved oxygen conditions.
Finally, anaerobic processes involve the use of microorganisms that do not have dissolved oxygen to decompose organic matter. These processes are suitable for treating effluents with a high organic load and low presence of toxic compounds and include:
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Upflow anaerobic reactors (UASB): reactors in which effluent is introduced at the bottom and flows upward through a bed of granular biological sludge;
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Anaerobic digesters: hermetically sealed tanks in which organic matter is degraded by anaerobic microorganisms, producing biogas.
How do tannins act in the treatment of industrial effluents?
Black wattle tannins play an important role in the treatment of industrial effluents, acting mainly in the physicochemical process of coagulation and flocculation.
These natural phenolic compounds have a chemical structure that gives them the ability to interact with colloidal particles and organic molecules dissolved in effluents.
In this sense, in the treatment process, black wattle tannins can be added in the coagulation/flocculation stage. At this stage, they react with the colloidal particles and organic molecules present in the effluent, neutralizing their electrical charges and allowing them to coalesce into larger flakes.
These flocs, in turn, can be more easily removed by subsequent processes such as sedimentation, flotation or filtration.
Furthermore, black wattle tannins also have the property of complexing heavy metals and other toxic substances present in effluents, facilitating their removal.
This complexation capacity is particularly useful in the treatment of effluents from metallurgical industries, tanneries and other activities that generate waste with heavy metals.
It is important to highlight that black wattle tannins are a sustainable and ecological alternative to conventional chemical coagulants and flocculants, many of which can be toxic or generate by-products that are harmful to the environment.
Therefore, the use of these natural compounds in the treatment of industrial effluents contributes to reducing environmental impact and promoting more sustainable practices in industries.
Count on Seta to obtain the highest quality tannins and achieve better results in the water and effluent treatment process!
