Choosing the right treatment technology isn’t just about ticking regulatory boxes. It’s about creating a financially sustainable solution that fits your specific operation, protects the environment, and balances costs with efficiency to benefit your company over the long run.
If that sounds like a lot, you’re right. It helps to break things down a bit. Join us as we take a closer look at how to choose the right industrial wastewater treatment technology for your operation.
Balancing Act: Getting Industrial Wastewater Treatment Right
While treating wastewater isn’t your company’s core operation, handling this critical overhead has consequences for downstream communities and your company’s continuing financial health.
Below we examine some of the critical decisions and key considerations for choosing the right industrial wastewater treatment technology for your company. This includes matching the technology to your application, dealing with specific contaminants, navigating regulatory requirements, and delivering a system that suits your business’s growth plans.
1. Understand Your Application
Every industrial process has its own wastewater “fingerprint”, including specific contaminants, overall daily volumes, and discharge patterns. Whether your operations run continuously or in batches, these factors shape how you approach treatment.
For example, a food-processing plant might produce continuous volumes of wastewater containing fats and oils while a chemical manufacturer may deal with sporadic batches of water-contaminated with hazardous substances.
How to Approach It: Talk to your local publicly-owned treatment works (POTW) to understand your discharge requirements and any upcoming changes that could affect your compliance. Be sure to inquire if your organization might fall into a category that might have more stringent requirements on certain contaminants, such as can-making and metal coating.
Next, define what wastewater treatment success looks like for you. Is it to lead by example by setting new benchmarks for water quality, or simply to ensure you meet required standards? Is lowering labor costs by minimizing human involvement important? Do you need the lowest capital cost right now, or is guaranteeing the lowest overall operating costs more important? Once you know your priorities, it’s easier to identify the right solution.
2. Contaminants Shape the Solution
Now it’s time to get real about exactly what is in your water. This is not just about meeting regulatory standards, it’s about choosing the right treatment technology for the job. Industrial contaminants come in many forms.
The following table lists some common contaminants and how they can be treated using equipment supplied by Anguil.
| Contaminant | Recommended Solutions |
|---|---|
| Dissolved metals | pH adjustment, clarification, ion exchange, carbon technologies |
| Fats, oils, and grease | Dissolved air flotation (DAF), oil-water separators |
| Sludge | Filter presses, belt presses, rotary vacuum drums, rotary screw presses |
| Suspended solids | Cartridge filters, Clarification (clarifiers, slant-plate, DAF, ballasted floc) bag filters |
| Soluble BOD/COD | MBBR, MBR, anaerobic treatment, anoxic treatment,, oxidation treatment |
| Total dissolved solids (TDS) | Reverse osmosis (RO), ion exchange systems, nanofiltration |
| Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) | Air stripping, granular activated carbon (GAC) adsorption, oxidation |
| Ultra-pure water (minerals, contaminants) | Reverse osmosis (RO), deionization (DI), ion exchange, ultrafiltration (UF), microfiltration |
How to approach it: If you do not know what is in your wastewater, you will want to get it tested. Since you already talked to your regulatory body, you will know exactly what you will want to test for in your wastewater.
Reach out to a third-party testing lab and inquire about test methods, sampling protocols, and sample submission.
3. Navigating Regulatory Compliance
Compliance is more than checking a box. It’s about examining the regulatory landscape and proactively planning to meet today’s standards and prepare for a positive future as standards are likely to get stricter over time.
That can mean the difference between opting to continue to remove contaminants at current required levels and building in excess processing capacity now to allow you to meet tighter quality standards in the future. Again, your answer will depend on whether your company is focused on short-term gains or long-term investments.
Remember that non-compliance can also cost you through fines, lawsuits, and lengthy shutdowns. Saving money now by meeting only minimum standards today may not be worth it if you end up spending the difference on clearing up non-compliance issues.
How to approach it: Talk to your local POTW and other regulatory bodies to understand potential shifts in requirements. If your system is built with flexibility, you can avoid costly upgrades later.
Be sure to have a partner like Anguil who can help you when you find process or regulatory changes potentially – or already – impacting your wastewater and discharge compliance.
4. Optimizing Capex And Opex in Industrial Wastewater Treatment
With treatment options on the table, it’s time to look at the right fit for your company’s financial strategy and corporate culture. This usually comes down to striking a balance between up-front capital expenditure (CAPEX) and operational expenditure (OPEX) — the money you will spend each month running, operating, and maintaining your equipment.
- Spending more on CAPEX can allow you to install highly efficient infrastructure and fully automated equipment. The upfront cost may be high, but you can typically achieve long-term savings on performance, efficiency, and maintenance and repair costs.
- Focusing on OPEX may involve installing bare-bones infrastructure designed to meet minimum regulatory and operating requirements. You save upfront but should be prepared for higher labor, maintenance, and repair costs over time.
The right answer depends on your company’s financial goals and where you are on your projected growth curve.
How to approach it: Take a step back and evaluate your company’s long-term financial strategy and goals. Are you anticipating production changes, considering expansion, or adding new product lines? These factors impact the wastewater treatment option you choose.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
It’s worth taking the time to get your wastewater treatment technology investment right. Rushing the process could lead to over-investment in expensive technology you don’t really need or installing sub-par equipment that risks your bottom line and reputation, not to mention the integrity of your downstream environment.
In our experience, companies that are hasty to make this decision often make one or more of the following mistakes:
- Skipping or rushing your testing phase: Without comprehensive testing, you lack critical information about your treatment needs. Make sure you understand exactly what contaminants you’re dealing with.
- Setting a budget without understanding your treatment requirements: Budgeting too quickly could mean underestimating costs or overlooking critical expenses. Make sure you know and understand the options before budgeting.
- Settling for off-the-shelf solutions: One-size-fits-all solutions are affordable and quick to install, but rarely meet the unique demands of your facility. Fully integrated equipment is designed to deliver both short-term gains and long-term value.
Why Partner with a Single-Source Provider?
Evaluating your wastewater treatment needs and procuring an effective solution is a complex, multi-part process, even for small operators. You can maximize return on investment and minimize your risk by working with a reputable, single-source partner.
At Anguil, we don’t just offer a product—we offer a partnership. Our team starts by taking the time to understand your wastewater challenges through detailed lab testing. From there, we tailor a system that works seamlessly with your existing operations, whether it be a brand-new installation or an upgrade to your current setup.
| Benefits of a Single-Source Provider | |
|---|---|
| Customized Solutions | We design wastewater systems that meet your exact needs, with no unnecessary frills or costly add-ons. |
| Technology Expertise | We offer a range of technologies, from reverse osmosis to dissolved air flotation and sludge dewatering. This flexibility allows us to craft the most efficient solution for you. |
| Seamless Integration | We ensure that all new technologies work in harmony with your existing systems, minimizing disruptions to your operations. |
| Long-Term Support | Our job doesn’t end once the system is installed. We provide ongoing support to make sure your system continues to meet your operational goals and adjusts to any regulatory changes. |
Choosing a full-service, equipment-agnostic provider like Anguil means you don’t have to juggle multiple vendors or risk getting locked into a proprietary system that does not meet your needs. Instead, you’ll get an end-to-end treatment plan designed specifically for your operation.
Anguil: The Power of the Right Partner
Choosing the right wastewater treatment system for your process is a journey filled with important decisions. By taking the time upfront to understand your application, assess your contaminants, navigate compliance, and balance CAPEX and OPEX, you’re minimizing risk and maximizing your return on investment.
With almost 50 years of experience in delivering effective wastewater solutions for a wide range of industries, Anguil is here to guide you every step of the way. Whether you’re upgrading a system or starting from scratch, our customized, equipment-agnostic solutions ensure you get the most efficient, compliant, and cost-effective system to meet your treatment challenges.
Ready to get started? Click below to learn more about our industrial wastewater treatment solutions.
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