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U.S. Department of Energy
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Dissolved air flotation primary clarifier improves performance of biological waste treatment at a latex manufacturing facility

Conference ·
OSTI ID:416851
Air Products and Chemicals, Inc. operates a chemical manufacturing facility in Piedmont, SC which generates a high strength COD emulsion wastewater from latex manufacturing. The on-site wastewater treatment facility consisted of flow equalization, activated sludge treatment and gravity clarification. The inability of the biological system to assimilate the high strength emulsion wastwater loadings led to incomplete conversion within the activated sludge process and poor settling waste sludge with turbid final effluent high in COD, BOD and TSS. The facility installed a dissolved air flotation (DAF) clarifier to effectively remove greater than 99 percent of the wastewater emulsion solids ahead of the activated sludge system. An organic coagulant is used for emulsion destabilization instead of iron or aluminum metal coagulants, improving DAF clarifier performance and minimizing operational cost and system complexity. An innovative DAF float solids collection and handling system produces disposal solids concentrations of 50 - 60% total solids resulting in further waste disposal cost savings. By removing more than 99 percent of the emulsion solids with the DAF clarifier ahead of the activated sludge process, the waste-water treatment facility now consistently produces a high quality effluent low in COD, BOD, TSS and turbidity. Wastewater treatment performance improved dramatically, as evident by the facility receiving the Western Carolina Regional Sewer Authority`s {open_quotes}Best Pollution Prevention Program{close_quotes} award. In addition, the wastewater treatment facility can now process three times the pre-DAF waste loads.
OSTI ID:
416851
Report Number(s):
CONF-951023--
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English