Phosphorus removal is critical for pharmaceutical pretreatment compliance
Often, when the topic of phosphorus removal from wastewater comes up, we think of municipal systems that are struggling to meet a stringent NPDES Total Phosphorus (TP) limit of under 1 part per million (ppm). But many industries also have TP limits that are challenging, often as part of a pretreatment permit requirement.
Pharmaceutical industry in Georgia struggled to meet its TP limit
A pharmaceutical industry leader in Georgia was having difficulty consistently complying with its pretreatment permit limit of 5 ppm. This may seem like a high limit compared to most NPDES permit TP limits. However, their influent concentration varied between 20 and 40 ppm, often on the higher 40 ppm side. By comparison, typical domestic wastewater contains only 7 to 8 ppm TP, and 12 to 15 ppm TP is considered high strength. Considering their very high strength influent concentration, they have a LOT of phosphorus to remove.
Erratic compliance led to high fines, in addition to operational issues using alum
The industry reported unreliable compliance using alum and sometimes struggled to get below 15 to 20 ppm TP, much higher than their 5-ppm limit. Using high doses of very low pH alum was consuming the alkalinity in their system and driving down the pH, requiring caustic feeds to restore a close to neutral pH. In addition, the massive amount of chemical sludge created by the alum was causing operational issues and driving up sludge disposal costs.
Faced with high fines for frequently exceeding their pretreatment permit and rising solids disposal costs, they recognized that they needed a better, more reliable solution. They contacted Neo Water Treatment.
Switching to Neo WaterFX delivered reliable compliance, drastically reduced chemical sludge, and improved operations.
Shortly after switching from alum to WaterFX, the process stabilized so that phosphorus removal was no longer unpredictable, and compliance was no longer hit or miss. It became reliable and practically “set it and forget it”. In addition, their entire treatment system improved, settling into a more consistent, predictable, and easier to manage process. They were able to reduce their caustic feed, since they were no longer feeding a high volume of low pH coagulant that consumed all the natural alkalinity. Without the excess chemical sludge produced by the alum, the operation stabilized, effluent was clearer, and the sludge requiring disposal decreased. Best of all, compliance has been 100 percent, and no longer a concern.
Want to learn more? Check out the video and hear the operator tell you how his operation improved with WaterFX:
