Encyclopedia of Environmental Science and Engineering, Volume I and II

INDUSTRIAL WASTE MANAGEMENT 535

furniture, and containers. There are approximately 35,000

establishments in the United States. The industry uses approx-

imately 32 billion cubic meters of water per year. Four per-

cent of the plants use 92 percent of the water. These industries

generate wastewaters which vary in quantity and quality.

Table 8 provides the reader with a brief summary of the major

liquid wastes, their origin, characteristics, and methods of

treatment in four major metals industries.

TABLE 6

Summary of industrial wastes from several major chemical industries

Industries Producting Wastes Origin of Major Wastes Major Characteristics Major Treatment and Disposal Methods

Acids and Alkalies Dilute wash waters; many varied

dilute acids and bases

Low or high pH, low organic content Unflow or straight neutralization,

coagulation and sedimentation

Detergents Washing and purifying soaps and

detergents

High in BOD and saponified soaps Flotation and skimming, precipitation

with CaCl 2

Explosives Washing TNT and guncotton for

purification, washing and

pickling of cartridges

TNT, colored, acid, odorous, and

contains organic acids and

alcohol from powder and cotton,

metals, acid, oils, and soaps

Flotation, chemical Precipitation,

biological treatment, aeration,

chlorination of TNT, neutralization,

adsorption

Pesticides Washing and purification of

products

High organic matter, benzene ring

structure, toxic to bacteria and

fish, acid

Dilution, storage, activated-carbon

adsorption, alkaline chlorination

Phospate and phosporus Washing, screening, floating

rock, condenser bleed-off

from phospate reduction plant

Clays, slimes and oils, low pH, high

suspended solids, phosphorus,

silica and fluoride

Lagooning, mechanical clarification,

coagulation and settling of refined

waste

Formaldehyde Residues from manufacturing

synthetic resins and from

dyeing synthetic fibers

Normally high BOD and

formaldehyde, toxic to bacteria in

high concentrations

Trickling filtration, absorption on

activated charcoal

Plastics and resins Unit operations from polymer

preparation and use; spills and

equipment washdowns

Acids, caustic, dissolved organic

matter such as phenols,

formaldehyde, etc.

Discharge to municipal sewer, reuse,

controlled-discharge

Fertilizer Chemical reactions of basic

elements. Spills, cooling

waters, washing of products,

boiler blowdown

Sulfuric, phosphoric, and nitric

acids; minerals elements, P, S, N,

K, Al, NH 3 , NO 3

Neutralization, detain for reuse,

sedimentation, air stripping of NH 3 ,

lime precipitation

Toxic chemicals Leaks, accidental spills, and

refining of chemicals

Various toxic dissolved elements

and compounds such as Hg and

PCBs

Retention and reuse, change in

production, neutralization and

precipitation, carbon adsorption

TABLE 7

Summary of wastes generated from various oil refinery operations

Major Industrial Operations Origin of Major Wastes Major Characteristics Major Treatment and Disposal Methods

Crude oil and product storage Primary fractionation of oil and

water, spills and leakages

High concentrations of emulsified

oil, COD, TSS

API separation, DAF, settling, aeration

Crude desalting Chemical desalting, heating and

gravity separation of oil

Emulsified and free oil, ammonia,

phenol, sulfide, TSS, high BOD

and COD

API separation, DAF, activated sludge,

carbon adsorption

Cracking Thermal cracking or catalytic

cracking, fractionation, steam

stripping, and overhead

accumulators or fractionators

BODs, COD, ammonia, phenol,

sulfides, cyanides, and alkalinity

Chemical oxidation, biological treatment

carbon adsorption

Polymerization Catalytic reaction, acid, removal

action, and gas stabilizer

Alkaline waste stream, high in

sulfide, mecaptans, and ammonia

Acid catalysts recycled, carbon

adsorption

Alkylation Catalytic reaction caustic and

water wastes, neutralization of

hydrocarbon streams

Oil, sulfides, TSS, fluoride Neutralization, chemical oxidation,

sedimentation

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