Why Is Industrial Wastewater Difficult to Treat ?

Supplement

Issue no. 10 / Industrial Wastewater / may 2007 Research & Development

Why is industrial wastewater difficult Contents to treat ?

2 Interview Jean Cantet, Veolia Environnement’s water research Center. Industrial groups are striving to treat their 4 Technology wastewater in the best possible environmental A research platform dedicated to saline wastewater. and economic conditions. The Veolia Group supports them in their environmental approach and 5 Research program search for compliance, performance, reliability and safety. Technological A guide to technological choices for innovations are crucial for optimizing the pollution control of these mineral precipitation processes. multiple and complex types of wastewater. Development of analytical methods, improvement in existing processes, configuration of global 6 Methodology treatment lines: the Water Research Center works in several areas, with Increase our knowledge of wastewater in order to improve pollution treatment. a specific focus on saline wastewater, which is a significant issue in numerous industries and is very difficult to treat. Its advances contribute to the preservation of ecosystems by avoiding the direct discharge of 7 3 questions for… Marine Noël, Marketing Director for Veolia’s untreated industrial wastewater into the natural environment and Industrial Markets Division. sparing natural resources. Scientific Chronicles No. 10 / Industrial Wastewater / may 2007 Supplement 2 Research & Development

interview “ We must adjust solutions to each specific problem”

Jean Why is the emphasis on saline wastewater ? Cantet, “ A lot of industries generate saline was- Director of the tewater. For example, it plays a large part Industrial Water Department, in the wastewater generated by the che- Veolia’s Water mical, food and beverage (cured products) Research Center and tanning industries. It is also present in landfills (leachates). In addition, saline wastewater is difficult to treat: most of [email protected] the time, it contains high amounts of salts – such as sulfates, chlorides or sodium – What is industrial wastewater ? and organic materials. This mix creates “ It consists of liquid discharges gene- problems. The treatment technologies rated by raw material extraction or currently used are often efficient for one transformation processes with a view specific type of pollutants, saline or orga- to manufacturing industrial products or nic; but the challenge is to manage a com- consumer goods. This type of water is ex- bination of processes without however tremely heterogeneous. Its quantity and impeding their respective efficiency. For quality vary depending on the process example, the presence of salts can signi- implemented and industrial domain. It ficantly disrupt the running of biological often contains a broad range of chemical processes applicable to organic wastewa- pollutants: solid or dissolved compounds, ter, which explains the importance of organic and mineral materials, metals, constantly improving our knowledge of hydrocarbons, solvents, polymers, oil, saline wastewater, in order to develop in- grease, salts etc., with various toxicity le- creasingly efficient processes. ” vels. This large diversity requires a specific approach for each type of wastewater. What is the impact of saline wastewater We are talking about tailor-made work! when discharged untreated into streams ? We must be able to provide, for each type “ Saline wastewater does not have the of wastewater, a process with the perfor- same toxicity image as other compounds mance and reliability criteria such as cyanide for example. However, “Improving treatment meeting regulatory discharge when heavily concentrated, it can lead and safety requirements, eco- to an“ osmotic shock” phenomenon at its processes means, above all, nomic constraints and even point of discharge, i.e. sizeable disruption optimizing their efficiency and sometimes the more specific affecting local animal and plant life. Of constraints of the industrial course, this phenomenon rapidly reduces making them more reliable, client, such as available space. as the distance from the point of dischar- from a technical The treatment of production ge increases, because of the diminishing water on an oil rig in the North concentration. In specific hydrogeological and economic Sea poses different problems contexts, saline wastewater discharge can than a refinery with several also cause groundwater salinization and perspective. ” acres of land! We must adjust result in brackish water. ” our solutions to each specific problem. What are the regulatory constraints relative This is why research is conducted on two to industrial wastewater ? fundamental issues: how to improve wastewater characterization and, subse- “ European discharge standards are en- quently, how to improve treatment. ” forced with regard to local situations. In France, depending on their activity, certain Does your work focus on certain types facilities are labeled ICPE (Facilities sub- of wastewater ? ject to Environmental Protection Statutes) “ Our research projects relate to all in- and, in this respect, must comply with dustries. However, we focus on four of the discharge authorizations defined (by them: food & beverage, petrochemical, Prefectoral Order) by the DRIRE (Regional chemical and pulp and paper industries. Directorates for Industry, Research and We put a particular emphasis on saline the Environment). Threshold discharge wastewater (rich in salts: ammonium, values are established by taking into ac- sulfate, chloride…). ” count the nature of the pollutant, the cha- No. 10 / Industrial Wastewater / may 2007 Scientific Chronicles No. 10 / Industrial Wastewater / may 2007 Research & Development Supplement 3 Research & Development

racteristics and sensitivity of the milieu into which the pollutant is discharged: stream flow rate, sensitive area, milieu listed in a sensitive area, presence of bathing water or drinking water supply resources nearby etc. Maximum discharge limits are expressed in terms of flow (quantity discharged per day) and concentration (mg/L) to avoid pollution peaks. ”

What are the objectives of R&D work on industrial wastewater ? “ Our primary objective is to constantly improve treatment processes so that the wastewater discharged into the natural environment complies with the regulation. Our research platform on industrial wastewater implements different processes (thermal, physical-chemical, biological, membrane technologies) to separate the liquid matrix of the substances it contains. One of R&D’s priorities is to optimize these existing processes. We are also trying to recover wastewater as much as possible, either by recycling the treated water or by using some of its compounds in new production processes. Technological advances are crucial for preserving ecosystems and sparing natural resources. ”

What are the ways of improving treatment processes ? “ Improving treatment processes means, above all, optimizing their efficiency and making them more reliable, from a technical and economic perspective. Treatment of wastewater from the Alon refinery in Texas. Increasing treatment efficiency, reducing energy consumption, making them more reliable and sustainable, meeting safety requirements, sometimes even minimi- Relief of industrial pressure zing the footprint: all this must help our on water. clients reduce their pollutant emissions at a reduced cost and control industrial In its report on the Environment in France Reduced discharge risks. Therefore, we are wholeheartedly (2006 edition), the French Institute for the The IFEN highlights the spectacular decrease in certain industrial discharges between committed to examining the potential of Environment (IFEN) observes a separation 1980 and 2000: -47% for organic materials, existing technologies and developing new between production and pressure on natural environments. -56% for suspended solids and -70% for in- ones by taking these criteria into conside- hibiting materials (toxic substances and ration. This approach can apply to a single Reduction in water withdrawal salts). There are several explanations for process or a complete treatment line. ” With regard to water resources, industrial this phenomenon the regulatory pressure withdrawals have sharply decreased since and the improvement in wastewater treat- Can you tell us about some of the the 70s. In 2001, with the exception of ener- ment rates, the increase in the number of innovative technologies ? gy production withdrawals, they represen- listed facilities for environmental protection “ We are designing advanced process stee- ted 3.65 billion m3 of water (25% of total wi- which are self-monitoring with regard to ring systems to help staff operate their thdrawals), i.e. a 6% decrease in 4 years. This water (increase by one third between 1994 structures. The development of on-line downward trend is probably due to better and 2003, from 3,374 to 4,477) as well as analysis tools provides real-time infor- resource management (pumping only what the voluntary environmental management mation, which can result in improving is strictly necessary and an increase in was- and product ecodesign approaches initia- tewater reuse after treatment). ted by industrial groups. process efficiency and reliability. The real- Scientific Chronicles No. 10 / Industrial Wastewater / may 2007 Supplement 4 Research & Development

time adjustment of the optimal chemical treated water in a process or for other in- dosage within a process makes it possible dustrial uses, from the point of view of to minimize non-compliance risks for the controlling resources and costs. Once in- wastewater treated, but also to optimize coming flow specifications are defined for costs. Insufficient dosage would reduce the different types of usage (process water, treatment efficiency. Excessive dosage industrial water, water for fire emergency would generate cost overruns and may purposes, domestic wastewater…) and the create malfunctions… wastewater is analyzed, we must develop Modeling is also an innovative tool used appropriate treatments to adapt internal to help gauging a process or to provide so- resources to the requirements. For exam- lutions to certain types of malfunctions. ple, we are implementing membrane pro- Innovations also focus on developing cesses or combining several processes to wastewater characterization tools. meet the desired objective. Thus, water Dynamically assessing wastewater va- can be recycled within the industrial site riability and providing operators with or used for other applications on a nearby real-time information on the changing site – for example, treated industrial wa- quality of the wastewater to be treated ter can be used by a nearby golf course. ” has a major impact on the reliability of the process implemented. What about material recovery ? The range of processes or technologies “ This is also one of our main objectives. We used in water treatment is considerable! must find ways to isolate the compounds As a result, innovation also frequently fo- that can be recovered. Wastewater often cuses on improving existing technologies includes materials, dissolved or otherwise, and designing processes better suited to which could be reused in a production pro- the different constraints. ” cess, in order to limit the amount of waste and spare natural resources – in particular Do you work on groundbreaking technologies ? costly rare metals. In Bouqueval, we are “ We just filed for a patent for a new testing an ammonium sulfate production type of heat exchanger, for which the system to be used as fertilizer, generated technology used is genuinely ground- by waste containing ammonium. Waste breaking compared with the existing can become a raw material. This is one of ones. The prototype will be tested on the the principles of industrial ecology, inspi- Bouqueval research platform. It should red by the way ecosystems operate. " generate lower manufacturing costs than traditional exchan- “Our work is gers and enhanced modularity in line with approach adapted to the requirements Sulfuric acid discharge recove- of industrial groups – according to the wastewater red as gypsum: a step towards flow rate for example. industrial ecology to complete the We are also trying to transfer technologies used in various Specializing in the production of titanium- water cycle.” industrial areas to the water based compounds, used in particular to treatment domain, which can result in manufacture paints and surface coatings, totally new concepts. ” the Millennium Chemicals plant, located in Le Havre, generates 700 m3/hour What about your work on wastewater recovery ? of acid wastewater (sulfuric acid and organic materials), which is dispatched for “ We are striving to make the most of tried treatment via pipelines to Veolia Water’s and tested treatment technologies with a Hode plant, situated ten kilometers away. view to recycling industrial water. Veolia Water reduces its pollution load, Our work is in line with the approach of in compliance with the regulation, before industrial groups to complete the water discharging it into the Seine river, and re- cycle. Many industries consume a lot of covers part of it as white gypsum, which is water (chemical, petrochemical, paper used to manufacture plasterboard parti- industries…) and it is important to reuse tion walls in a nearby cement plant. Scientific Chronicles No. 10 / Industrial Wastewater / may 2007 Supplement 5 Research & Development

technologies A research platform dedicated to saline wastewater In Bouqueval, in the Oise department, Veolia is testing some of the most commonly used industrial wastewater treatment technologies on saline wastewater. The objective is not only to optimize their respective skills in technical, economic and environmental terms, but also to benefit from their complementarity to make them work within a global process as efficiently as possible.

The research program carried out in designed to recover the ammonium present Bouqueval relates to a specific saline was- in distillates (leftover residue in steam) was tewater category: landfill leachates. From tested. Filtered by a membrane, the ammo- the Latin lixivia, meaning washing, and nium is transformed into ammonia which, commonly called“ waste juice”, they are once submerged in a sulfuric acid stream, formed by biodegradable waste deteriora- creates ammonium sulfate – a substance tion and rainwater seepage. They contain used as fertilizer. Waste is thus transformed organic materials, salts (sulfates, chlori- into a resource. des, ammonium) and hydrogencarbonate. Following the intrinsic performance ana- They are collected by a drainage system lysis of each process, their economic as- and treated. sessment will be carried out in 2007. Once validated, these technologies will be imple- Four treatment processes mented to treat leachates, the saline was- Ten Veolia researchers apply several treat- tewater generated by the food and beverage, chemical and tanning industries, or even Research pilot on evaporation thermal ment categories to the leachates: thermal, treatment. with evaporation processes (water eva- other types of industrial wastewater. poration and pollution concentration); biological treatment, using supports onto which microorganisms are attached, like polystyrene balls for example; physical- chemical processes (treatment by chemical addition) and membrane processes, to filter micro-pollutants. The research team develops characterization tools, assesses process performance, the pros and cons as well as costs. It also tests different mixes in order to find optimal combinations, which can be offered in the form of complete treatment“ kits”. Global process configuration Among the results of the work carried out since 2005, heat exchanger modularity should be highlighted (see interview with Jean Cantet), as should process optimiza- tion. For example, for the “ evaporation” process, the energy consumption of the treatment process was reduced – by re- placing the heat pumps with mechanical steam compression systems using a com- bination of technologies. Clogging problems are also controlled by the upstream application of a decarbonation process sof- tening the wastewater. Finally, a process Research pilot on reverse osmosis membrane treatment. Scientific Chronicles No. 10 / Industrial Wastewater / may 2007 Supplement 6 Research & Development

RESEARCH PROGRAM A guide to technological choices for mineral precipitation processes In partnership with 2 North American Veolia subsidiaries, which sell crystallization & precipitation processes throughout the world, the water research Center carried out an“ assessment grid” to determine the optimal application scope for each of them.

Pilot combining the Hardtac, Dense Sludge and Multiflow Turbomix technologies.

Respectively located in Houston (Texas) The objective is to design an assessment and Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania), Process grid according to the initial wastewater Solution and North America Water System characteristics and specifications to be market the 3 physical-chemical complied with after treatment. These Faced with crystallization & precipita- specifications relate, for example, to par- “ a given tion processes owned exclu- ticle-size distribution or sludge or crystal problem, which is sively by the Group: Hardtac, quality. Using pilots, the water research Dense Sludge and Multiflow Center conducted in-depth studies on the the best suited ?” Turbomix. Mainly used to treat running of each process, their gauging cri- wastewater generated by the teria and operating conditions (effect of inorganic chemical and mining industry, agitation speed, chemical concentration, the principle of these processes is relati- injection points, temperature…). While vely similar: produce crystals by adding the objective is to optimize their usage, chemicals and precipitate them. However, this screening process is also a way to im- they each have their own specific charac- prove their respective efficiency. Initiated teristics. Faced with a given problem (ini- in 2006, it will result in a decision-making tial wastewater quality and objectives set), tool, used to increase their deployment on which is the best suited ? the group’s North American market and In-depth comparative other markets. assessment In order to help operators decide, researchers review the three technologies. Scientific Chronicles No. 10 / Industrial Wastewater / may 2007 Supplement 7 Research & Development

METHODOLOGY Increase our knowledge of wastewater in order to improve pollution treatment It is necessary to increase our knowledge of wastewater, i.e. identify the nature and concentration of the pollutants it contains, in order to apply the most appropriate treatment solution: that which will result in the highest treatment rate at the best possible cost and, if required, recover pollutants. In light of wastewater complexity and clashes of compounds, Veolia’s researchers must often develop their own analytical tools to obtain reliable data. The crucial analysis stage The existing measurement tools in the water sector are not always sufficient to analyze industrial wastewater: their results are sometimes distorted by disrup- tive elements! For example, in the case of saline wastewater (which most of the time contains a fraction of organic material), the presence of salts alters the analysis of the organic material. To be able to characterize this organic material, a laboratory technique must therefore be created to separate salts while preserving its initial characteristics. This is what the water research Center did. Researchers found a way to condition saline wastewater samples so that the tools used to measure the organic material concentration can be applied without interference.

“Veolia’s researchers must often develop their own analytical tools to obtain reliable data.”

Organic material characterization tool. Scientific Chronicles No. 10 / Industrial Wastewater / may 2007 Supplement 8 Research & Development

3 QUESTIONS FOR… Marine Noël

Marine Noël, Marketing Director for Veolia’s industrial market division.

[email protected]

What is the industrial groups’ major concern What do your efforts focus on ? with regard to wastewater treatment ? “Each project requires a specific technical, “ One of their main concerns is to respect economic, contractual and organizational the law. Industrial groups want to com- solution, as each stream reflects the produc- ply with regulatory requirements with tion of a unique plant. Most of our added regard to their sites’ liquid discharge into value lies in our capacity to understand the environment. Their environmental each industrial process in order to accura- commitment exceeds mere regulatory tely analyze wastewater quality and apply requirements: it is reinforced as compa- the best suited treatment solution. Beyond nies are increasingly our technical exper- evaluated in light tise, we must also be of their sustainable “Beyond our technical capable of supporting development per- expertise we must also the plant’s evolutions formance. Another in production: manu- concern is to minimi- be capable of supporting facturing a new pro- ze the costs incurred duct, changing a ma- by their wastewater the plant’s evolutions nufacturing process, treatment facilities in production” switching from 7 to 5 These scientific chronicles complement a by improving their day production… All video made on “ industrial wastewater”. productivity. Finally, certain industrial these events have an impact on the volume groups choose to focus their resources on This is a 4-minute video made in par- and characteristics of the wastewater to the management of their production struc- tnership with Marie-Odile Monchicourt be treated and require a lot of flexibility. tures and free themselves of the peripheral (France Info journalist). We also adapt our offer to each industrial functions such as wastewater treatment. sector. When required, we integrate water View the video and the chronicles on All these concerns lead many of them to management into a global industrial utility Veolia Environnement’s Intranet and contract a specialist guaranteeing techni- management contract. Finally, we pay close Internet sites (R&D tab). cal, economic and environmental perfor- attention to recycling solutions to limit wa- Acknowledgments : mance while constantly complying with ter withdrawals. Our efforts focus on indus- the regulation.” ur expert, ean antet (Director of the trial wastewater recycling on site (to be used in fire protection, washing of external areas, Industrial Water Department, Veolia’s Water What do they expect from their service provider ? Research Center) and his team. cooling water etc.). They also relate to recy- aeza edadouche eolia nvironnements “ Our industrial clients expect from us cling the domestic wastewater treated in an legal ivision a technical performance totally in kee- industrial environment. We put this type of arine oël (Directeur Marketing à la ping with our contractual commitments Direction des marchés industriels de Veolia). arrangement in place in highly water-defi- and a substantial saving in the running cient countries such as the Republic of South for their help and the time they have devoted to us. of their facilities – compared with di- Africa, Australia, Singapore, Honolulu…” Chief Editor and editorial manager : rect management costs. They keep a Fanny Demulier watchful eye on the safety of people Editor : and equipment, demanding unfailing Anne Dequeker-Cormont safety performance and management. Copywriting : Monik Malissard They also require that the launch of the Design : Dream On Contact : Research Division delegation contract be seamless. They 19 rue La Pérouse expect regular activity reports in order 75016 Paris - France to assess our performance and respond Tél. : +33 (0)1 71 75 10 88 to any statutory control. Finally, in case Fax : +33 (0)1 71 75 05 92 of incidents, they must be informed and Mail : [email protected] problems must be solved immediately.”