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Industrial effluent is the wastewater that is produced across a huge number of industries and sectors. No matter what industry you work in, there is a good chance that the processes involved somewhere in your operations produce effluent. It’s common in manufacturing, where heavy metals can run off into water as part of the process itself, or in food production where sterilising using chemicals means that somewhere, liquid is collected with those chemicals in a high concentration. There are a number of ways to carry out industrial water treatment, and a number of reasons why you would do this – not least the regulatory requirements of any given country, and the environmental reasons to do so. In this article we’re going to briefly run through some of the major ways that you might find effluent affecting water, and what makes it so important to get that industrial water treatment done thoroughly and professionally. What are the Main Pollutants? The number of different pollutants in wastewater varies depending on what kind of industry is involved, but they all can have damaging impacts on the environment. You’re likely to find metals such as copper, zinc, and iron from the dye, paint and textile industries. From agriculture you’ll see pesticides entering bodies of water that can potentially damage soil and destroy wildlife. There are also high concentrates of dangerous chemicals from industries such as manufacturing and pharmaceuticals. In each case, industrial waste treatment will be employed to limit the toxic impact on the environment. Toxic Effects There are a number of reasons we carry out industrial water treatment and one of these is to ensure that the effluent does not damage the very food we eat. Processes that have heavy metals as a by-product can, if not cleaned correctly, enter the food chain through fish and other seafood. This can have long-term negative health impacts on the humans who get their food from the affected body of water. Other industries produce phenolic compounds, which can eventually cause respiratory failure and a host of other nasty side effects on the way. Lots of the compounds that make up effluent are carcinogenic, and for that reason alone businesses should be sure to employ rigorous processes to make sure their effluent is cleaned and sterilised to a very high standard. Effective Treatment Despite the potentially devastating impact of effluent if it’s left unchecked, regulations ensure that businesses and organisations carry out a number of effective treatments to keep water clean and safe to re-enter the environment. These include chemical treatments, UV sterilisation, filtration, reverse osmosis, electro-deionisation and a number of other highly complex and effective methods. It all depends on the type of effluent you’re dealing with. Call in the Experts No matter what effluent you’re dealing with there will be numerous hazards. For this reason it's absolutely our recommendation that you work with a team of professionals and experts to carry out your industrial water treatment. It may seem like a straightforward process, but with so much on the line you want to know that you’re doing the most efficient and careful job possible. That’s something you can only really get with the help and input of a reputable and experienced company. Author Plate Sean Clifford is an advisor at AllWater Technologies Ltd, a wholly independent company providing consultation and water treatment equipment, including industrial water treatment plant and reverse osmosis water systems. Bringing together a host of experience and specialist knowledge, the company is committed to building and maintaining long-term relationships and creating maximum value and benefit for their customers.
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