Demonstration of natural coagulant use advantages in physical & chemical treatments in industry and urban waste water

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

BACKGROUND

The industrial sectors of ceramics and textiles consume large quantities of water, generating significant amounts of contaminated wastewater. This wastewater must be treated before being returned to the natural environment in order to avoid pollution of surface waters. The most important treatments in the primary phase are coagulation and flocculation, but these use large amounts of chemical products to remove suspended particles while producing sludge as a by-product. Standard sludge from urban wastewater treatment cantypically be dehydrated and treated for use as fertiliser. The sludge from ceramic and textile industrial wastewater treatment, however, can be dangerous because of the metals or toxicity derived from the pH. Treatment solutions for contaminated sludge also tend to use chemical products derived from non-renewable resources. However, there is potential to use organic products from natural sources to tackle both the metal and pH challenges of the ceramic and textile wastewater sludge and thus reduce its dangerous character.

OBJECTIVES

The LIFE ADNATUR project aimed to demonstrate an innovative and environmentally friendly primary treatment of wastewater that avoids the production of sludge waste contaminated with hazardous chemicals.

The project planned to develop a new innovative technology, based on natural products, for the primary treatment of wastewaters at urban and industrial level. It aimed to improve the coagulant efficiency in wastewater treatment procedures compared to current alternatives such as synthetic or inorganic materials. Meeting this goal would reduce the dosage of coagulant needed and avoid the need for chemical neutralising agents, such as hydrogen chloride and nitric acid.

To assess its performance, the team planned to design and assemble two prototype industrial-scale wastewater-treatment plants. Two Spanish companies from the textile and ceramic sector would test the treatment technique using the first prototype. The second prototype would be used to test the technique for the treatment of urban wastewater. The aim of these tests was to assess, fine-tune and ultimately validate the new treatment technique in real-life industrial and urban settings.

The implementation of the new technology at EU level was expected to provide economic, technical and environmental advantages. These arise from reductions in chemical consumption, energy and resource savings and the avoidance of contaminating wastewater and sludge.

RESULTS

The LIFE ADNATUR project demonstrated on a semi-industrial scale the technical, environmental and economic feasibility of an innovative new technology using natural product in the physico-chemical treatment of wastewater. A prototype was installed at a textile company processing 1m3/hour, as well as at an urban wastewater treatment plant processing 0.5 m3/hour, and at the ceramic company processing 1m3/hour.

The new technology produced the following quantifiable results:

69-77% reduction of organic pollutants (COD) and 85-95% reduction of suspended solids (TSS) in wastewater from the textile industry;

95-99% reduction of TSS in wastewater from the ceramic industry;

50-80% reduction of phosphorus and 70-90% of ammonium (N-NH4) in urban wastewater;

Sludge dewaterability higher than 50% and biogas productivity higher than 24%;

40-50% reduction in the use of coagulant with the ADNATUR organic coagulant compared to the inorganic coagulant; and

30-50% savings relating to tax reductions, sludge management and maintenance of facilities.

The developed organic coagulant is moreover a very versatile technology, which can be used in any industrial installation for the physico-chemical treatment of wastewater. As a result of the demonstrable benefits of the ADNATUR system, Spanish water treatment supplier Servyeco is introducing it into its business line.

Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report and After-LIFE Communication Plan (see "Read more" section).