Effluents refer to the liquid waste or sewage generated majorly from the industries. In India, you can easily spot a foamy layer on rivers and streams. This froth is actually created due to dyes, detergents and other sewage elements left into the water by the industries. An effluent treatment plant is a wastewater treatment plant which is specifically designed to purify such industrial wastewater to make it reusable. It is aimed at releasing safe water into the environment and protect it from the harmful effects caused by the chemicals contained in the effluents.

Industrial effluents are a mix of various materials. Some of them contain oils and grease while some contain toxic insoluble materials. Effluents from food and beverage factories contain bio-degradable contaminants. Since industrial wastewater contains a host of impurities, they require specific treatment technology.

The ETP Plant works at various levels and involves various physical, chemical, biological and membrane processes to treat wastewater from different industrial sectors like chemicals, drugs, pharmaceutical, refineries, dairy, ready mix plants & textile etc.

Applications of an Effluent treatment plant:

Cleans the Industry effluent and recycle it for further use

Promotes the utilization of recycled water in industries

Protects the natural environment against pollution

To meet the standards for emission of pollutants set by the Government & avoid heavy penalty

To reduce expenditure on water acquisition

Industrial Effluent Treatment Process:

The treatment of different effluents varies with the type of effluent. Wastewater enters the effluent or sewage treatment plant and goes through several processes before effluent goes into the environment. Industrial effluent treatment plant process includes 2 main stages:

Primary Treatment

Primary treatment removes material that either float on the surface or readily settles down at the bottom. It includes the physical processes of screening, comminution, grit removal, and sedimentation. Screens are made of long, closely aligned metal bars. They block floating debris such as wood, rags, and other large objects that could clog pipes or pumps. In modern plants, the screens are cleaned mechanically, and the material is quickly disposed of by burial. Debris is ground and shredded through the screens using communiator. This shredded material is later removed using sedimentation or flotation processes. Grit chambers are long narrow tanks that are designed to slow down the flow so that solids such as sand, coffee grounds, and eggshells will settle out of the water.



Secondary treatment

Secondary treatment removes the soluble organic matter that could have skipped primary treatment. It also removes more of the suspended solids. Biological process including the use of microorganisms in an aerobic treatment plant is generally used to accomplish this task. The microbes consume the organic impurities and break them down into carbon dioxide, water, and energy. The sewage treatment plant provides a conducive environment for this natural biological process. The types of treatment include Activated Sludge Process, Trickling Filters, Rotating Biological Contactor, & Aerated Lagoons.