Electrolytic Technology for Wastewater Treatment
Azo dyes
Electrochemical technology
Super intensive reaction
Small footprint
A large textile plant in South East Asia had occasional incidents of environmental pollution with ammonia. The established biological treatment needed a second barrier against such failures as occasionally, toxins and inhibitors heavily affected the autotrophs in the biological reactor, resulting in poor oxidation of ammonia to nitrate. The bugs-based treatment could not guarantee consistent compliance with the regulations.
The plant’s technical team decided to add a reliable physico-chemical process that will ensure the effluent high quality at all time. Among the potential solutions they examined the traditional stripping/breakpoint chlorination processes, and then Purammon’s electro-chemical system.
Feed flow rate of 7 m3/hr with Ammonia concentration of 30ppm. The feed contains a mix of organics mainly polymers with COD of 800 ppm.
Ammonia concentration should be reduced to <5ppm in the effluent.
Flow and function
The alternative volume-based separation process of stripping tower was found to be expensive and inefficient for low ammonia concentrations.
The alternative breakpoint chlorination was both expensive and is not suitable for organic environment (DBP’s).
Reason for choosing Purammon
The Challenges:
Complex wastewater with varying flow and composition
Operating plant should bot experience any interference to ongoing production
Smooth integration withing the existing wastewater treatment plant
Limited area
The solution was required urgently – short implementation
Purammon’s Solution
Purammon electrochemical system for direct ammonia oxidation was selected as the preferred solution. The system was installed downstream after the biological reactor.
The system is turned-on and off on demand when the wastewater ammonia levels exceed the permitted limit. Thus, in normal operation, the Purammon’s system does not generate any additional operation expenses Opex. This translates to very low Opex for the system.
Simple and fast integration, stable and consistent effluent quality
There was no need for civil works. The system occupies a very small space
System was designed, produced, delivered and commissioned within six months
Electrolytic Technology for Wastewater Treatment
Inorganic wastewater
Electrochemical technology
No external carbon source
No sludge production
Urea and ammonia are the source of most of the operational expenses of wastewater treatment in fertilizer plants. When using traditional biological treatment, the need for external carbon source for bacteria nutrition increase the expenses significantly. Continues pursuit for operational excellence and cost reduction together with stringent discharge regulations have led a major fertilizer plant to seek for a new treatment for its wastewater. The electrochemical technology of Purammon was tested and found to be of advantage both from Opex and treatment simplicity and quality points of view.
24 m3/d. Ammonia removal from 800ppm <1.5ppm.
Used for: Ammonia removal prior to marine discharge
Flow and function
COD, BOD <20ppm, Cl- 10,000 ppm, Hardness 3,500 ppm as CaCO3, pH 6.5-11
Feed composition
3 different biological processes were evaluated. Purammon electrochemical process was found to be the best cost-effective solution with the lowest operational cost and highest effluent quality.
Reason for choosing Purammon
The Challenges:
Influent nitrogen load fluctuates widely due to a broad range of products and rain incidents.
Inorganic wastewater not suitable for traditional biological treatment
Limited space
Strong competition by incumbent vendors – mostly biological systems
Purammon’s Solution
Purammon offered its novel electrochemical technology which oxidize urea and ammonia to nitrogen gas in one step (as compared to two steps in the traditional nitrification-denitrification process). A portable system was produced and tested and then delivered, installed, commissioned and integrated within the production line quickly and successfully. No civil works were required and the complete project was completed in six months.
Operational expenses were reduced by 50%
Stable and consistent effluent quality was achieved