UNIT- I

Sources of Industrial Waste

Industrial wastewater means used up water from industries. The characteristics of waters depend
on the nature of industry.

Sources of Industrial Waste Water

Agricultural Waste

The agricultural sector produces an enormous volume of wastewater every year. The two main sources of
wastewater in agriculture are: a) non-point source pollution and b) point source pollution. Non point
source pollution is generally a result of surface run offs from fields, especially during periods of excessive
rainfall, whereas point source pollution in agriculture is a localized source constituting animal waste,
treatment, piggery waste, firewater, silage liquor, milking parlor wastes, slaughtering wastes and
vegetable washing wastes. Run offs in non point source may also include nutrients, pesticides and soil
sediments that cause high levels of turbidity in water bodies, encouraging the growth of aquatic plants,
clog fish gills and smother animal.
Iron & Steel Industry
The iron and steel industry
consumes water mainly for
cooling, washing, gas transfer,
matter removal, etc. Right from
the mining process to the
fabrication of steel, the entire
iron and steel manufacturing
process incorporates powerful reduction reactions in blast furnaces. The water used for cooling is
therefore begrimed by chemicals such as ammonia and cyanide. Contamination of waste streams includes
gasification products such as benzene, naphthalene, cyanide, ammonia, phenols and cresols, along with a
wide array of more composite organic compounds collectively known as polycyclic aromatic
hydrocarbons (PAH). Even during other stages, e.g., in the final treatment stage where pickling is done in
strong mineral acids for rust removal and preparing the surface for surface treatments such as
galvanization or painting, large amount of water is generated which is contaminated by acids like
hydrochloric acid and sulfuric acid.

Mines & Quarries

Contaminants of mining and quarrying consist mainly of slurries of rock particles that arise mainly from
rainfall washing exposed surfaces and haul roads. At times, they are also formed during rock washing and
grading processes. These inert contaminants are abundantly generated during the extraction and on-site
processing of materials such as coal, china clay, slate, metalliferous and vein materials. Although the
waste generated is normally chemically inert and stable enough to be easily deposited on the land without
pre-treatment, it has to be noted that some waste may contain high levels of metals that can have a
harmful effect on wildlife and plants. Oils and hydraulic oils are also common contaminants of mine and
quarry waste water.

Complex Organic Chemicals Industry

Chemical pollutants include a wide variety of contaminants ranging from simple inorganic ions to
complex organic molecules. Organic compounds that are dangerous to the environment are all man-made
and have only existed during the last century. Apart from the organic chemical manufacturing plants, a lot
of other industries also work with complex organic compounds regularly. These include pesticides,
pharmaceuticals, paints and dyes, petro-chemicals, detergents, plastics, paper pollution, etc. These
industries generally deteriorate the quality of water by contaminating it with feed-stock materials, by-
products, product material in soluble or particulate form, washing and cleaning agents, solvents and added
value products.

Nuclear Industry

One of the most water-intensive sectors, the nuclear industry requires large amounts of water every day,
mainly for cooling purposes. The hot-water outflows, contaminated with radioactive chemicals after being
used in various processes is pumped back to rivers, lakes and oceans, which poses serious environmental
threats. The production of these radio active contaminants in nuclear-power plants mainly takes place
during the mining and refining stage of uranium and thorium and the fission reaction involved in the
production process. In nuclear fuel cycle, the front end usually produces alpha-emitting waste from the
extraction of uranium. It often contains radium and its decay products. The back end, mostly spent fuel
rods, contains fission products that emit beta and gamma radiation, and actinides that emit alpha particles,
such as uranium-234, neptunium-237, plutonium-238 and americium-241, and even sometimes some
neutron emitters such as californium (Cf).

Food Industry

Wastewater generated in the food industry though biodegradable and nontoxic, contains high
concentrations of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and suspended solids (SS). Typically, vegetable
washing and animal slaughter and processing generates waste water that is packed with high loads of
particulate matter (PM) and dissolved organics. Animal slaughter and processing also lead to the
production of strong organic waste, which are derived from body fluids, including gut contents and blood.
This wastewater also contains pollutants like antibiotics, growth hormones, and at times pesticides, which
come from the animal body. Even, food processing and cooking generates large to trace amounts of salt,
flavorings, coloring material, acids, alkali, oil or fats.

Generally pollution properties are:

Physical pollution - Temperature, Colour, Odour, Taste ,Solids

Chemical pollution - pH, Acidity, Dissolved salts
Organic pollution - Organic Matter

Biological pollution - Biological Activities

The industrial wastes either join the streams or other natural water bodies directly, or are emptied
into the municipal sewers. These wastes affect the normal life of stream or the normal
functioning of sewerage and sewage treatment plant. Streams can assimilate certain amount of
wastes before they are "polluted".

Three alternatives for the disposal of the industrial wastes.

1. The direct disposal of the waste into the streams without any treatment.
2. Discharge of the wastes into the municipal sewers for combined treatment.
3. Separate treatment of the industrial wastes before discharging the same into the water
bodies.

The selection of particular process depends on various factors:

1. Self Purification Capacity of the Streams.
2. Permissible limits of the Pollutants in the water bodies.
3. Technical advantages if any in mixing the industrial wastes with domestic sewage.

Characteristics of the Industrial Wastes:

The following materials can cause pollution:
Inorganic salts: Inorganic salts, which are present in most industrial wastes as well as in nature
itself, cause water to be "hard" and make a stream undesirable for industrial, municipal and
agricultural usage. Salt laden waters deposit scale on municipal water- distribution pipelines,
increasing resistance to flow and lowering the overall capacity of the lines. Another disadvantage
is that, under proper environmental conditions, inorganic salts especially nitrogen and
phosphorous induce the growth of microscopic plant life (algae) in surface waters
Acids and /or Alkalis: Acids and Alkalis discharged by chemical and other industrial plants
make a stream undesirable not only recreational uses such as swimming and boating, but also for
propagation of fish and other aquatic life. High concentrations of sulfuric acid, sufficient to
lower the pH below 7.0 when free chlorine is present, have been reported to cause eye irritation
to swimmers. A low ph may cause corrosion in air conditioning equipment and a ph greater than
9.5 enhances laundering.
Organic matter: Organic Matter exhausts the oxygen resources of rivers and creates unpleasant
tastes, odours and general septic conditions. It is generally conceded that the critical range for
fish survival is 3to 4 mg/l of D.O certain organic chemicals such as phenols, affect the taste of
domestic water supplies.
Suspended solids: Suspended solids settle to the bottom or wash up on the banks and
decompose, cause sing odours and depleting oxygen in the river water. Fish often die because of
a sudden lowering of the oxygen content of a stream. Visible sludge creates unsightly conditions
and destroys the use of a river for recreational purposes. These solids also increase the turbidity
of the watercourse.
Floating Solids and liquids: These includes oils, greases, and other materials which float on the
surface, they not only make the river unsightly but also obstruct passage of light through the
water, retarding the growth of vital plant food.
Some specific objections to oil in streams are that it
i) Interferes with natural reaeration
ii) is toxic to certain species of fish and aquatic life
iii) Causes trouble in conventional water treatment processes by imparting tastes and
odours to water and coating sand filters with a tenacious film.

Heated Water: An increase in water temperature, brought about by discharging wastes such as
condenser waters in to streams, has various adverse effects. Streams waters which vary in
temperature from one hour to the next are difficult to process efficiently in Municipal and
industrial water treatment plants, and heated stream water are of decreased value for industrial
cooling, indeed are industry may so increase the temperature of a stream that a neighboring
industry downstream cannot use the water since there may be less D.O in warm water than in
cold, aquatic life suffers and less D.O is available for natural biological degradation of any
organic pollution discharged into these warm surface waters. Also bacterial action increases in
higher temperatures, resulting in accelerated repletion of the streams oxygen resources.

Colour : Colour is contributed by textile and paper mills, tanneries, slaughterhouses and other
industries, is an indicator of pollution. Colour interferes with the transmission of sunlight into the
stream and therefore lessens photosynthetic action. Furthermore, municipal and industrial water
plants have great difficulty, and scant success in removing colour from raw water.
Toxic chemicals: Both inorganic and organic chemicals, even in extremely low concentrations,
may be poisonous to fresh water fish and other smaller aquatic microorganisms. Many of these
compounds are not removed by municipal treatment plants and have a cumulative effect on
biological systems.

Microorganisms : A few industries, such as tanneries and slaughterhouses, sometimes discharge

wastes containing bacteria. These bacteria are of two significant types:
i) bacteria which assist in the degradation of the organic matter as the waste moves down
stream. This process may aid in "seeding" a stream and in accelerating the occurrence of oxygen
sag in water.
ii) bacteria which are pathogenic, not only to other bacteria but also to humans.

Radio Active Materials: Cumulative damaging effects on living cells.

Foam Producing Matter: Foam producing matter such as is discharged by textile mills, paper
and pulp mills and chemical plants, gives an undesirable appearance to the receiving streams. It
is an indicator of contamination and is often more objectionable in a stream than lack of oxygen.

Effects On Sewage Treatment Plants:

The Pollution Characteristics of Wastes having readily definable effects on Sewers and
Treatment Plants can be Classified as follows:

Bio Chemical Oxygen Demand: It is usually exerted by Dissolved and Colloidal Organic
Matter and imposes a load on the Biological units of the Treatment Plant. Oxygen must be
provided so that Bacteria can grow and oxidise the organic matter. An Added B.O.D load,
caused by an increase in Organic Waste, requires more Bacterial Activity, more oxygen, and
greater Biological Unit capacity for its Treatment, which (makes) increases the capital cost and
operating cost.

Suspended Solids: Suspended Solids are found in considerable quantity in many Industrial
Wastes, such as Paper& Pulp Effluents. Solids removed by settling and separated from the
flowing Sewage are called Sludge, which may then undergo an Anaerobic Decomposition known
as Digestion and pumped to drying beds or vacuum filters for extraction of additional water.
Suspended Solids in Industrial Waste may settle more rapidly or slowly than Sewage Suspended

Matter. If Industrial Solids settle faster than those of Municipal Sewage, Sludge should be
removed at shorter intervals to prevent excessive build up: a Slow Settling one will require a
longer detention period and larger basins and increases the likelihood of sludge Decomposition
with accompanying nuisances, during Sewage-Flow Periods.
Any Increased demands on the System usually require larger Sludge handling devices and may
ultimately necessitates an increase in the Plants capacity, with resulting Higher Capital and
Operating Expenses.
Floating and Coloured Materials: Floating Materials and Coloured Matter such as Oil, Grease
and Dyes From Textile-Finishing Mills, are disagreeable and visible nuisances. A Modern
Treatment Plant will remove normal Grease loads in Primary Settling Tanks, but abnormally
high loads of predominantly emulsified Greases from Laundries, Slaughterhouses etc Passing
through the Primary Units into the Biological Units will clog Flow Distributing Devices and Air
Nozzles.
Volume: A Sewage Plant can handle any Volume of Flow if its units are sufficiently large. The
Hydraulic Capacity of all Units must be analysed, Sewer Lines must be examined for Carrying
Capacity, and all other Treatment Units are to be Designed for excessive loading

Harmful Constituents:Toxic Metals, Acids, or Alkalis, Pieces of Fat, Flammable Substances,

Detergents and Phenols etc. cause nuisance in Treatment Plants.