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 speci- fic 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 lis- ted 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 in- dustrial wastewater ? “ Our primary objective is to constantly improve treatment processes so that the wastewater discharged into the natural environment complies with the regu- lation. Our research platform on indus- trial wastewater implements different processes (thermal, physical-chemical, biological, membrane technologies) to separate the liquid matrix of the substan- ces 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 proces- ses. Technological advances are crucial for preserving ecosystems and sparing natural resources. ” What are the ways of improving treat- ment 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 natu- ral 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