Table of Contents

Page
Contents i
Certificate iv
Candidate declaration v
Acknowledgement vi
List of Figures vii
List of Tables viii
Nomenclature ix

CHAPTER 1 Introduction

1.1 Background 1
1.2 Objective and Scope of Project Report 2
1.2 Organization of Project Report 3

CHAPTER 2 Introduction To Wastewater Treatment

2.1 Introduction - What Is Wastewater And What Is It Made Up Of? 4
2.2 Why Is It Necessary To Treat Human Waste Or Excreta 4
2.3 Deciding Which Treatment Option To Use 5
2.4 What Is Wastewater Treatment? 5
Levels Of Wastewater Treatment 7
2.6 Separation Of Solids 8
2.7 What Are Aerobic And Anaerobic Processes? 10
2.8 Sludge Accumulation 11
2.9 Elimination Of Nitrogen 11
2.10 Elimination Of Phosphorus 11
2.11 Elimination Of Toxic Substances 12
ii

2.12 Removal Of Pathogens 12
2.13Conclusion 13

CHAPTER 3 Literature Review

3.1 Distillery Wastewater 14
3.1.1 Effect of Distillery Wastewater 15
3.1.2 Treatment of Distillery Wastewater 17
3.1.3 Zero Discharge of Distillery Wastewater 18
3.3 Membrane Technologies 19
3.2.1 The Growth of Membrane Technology 20
3.2.2 Component of membrane technology 20
3.2.3 Design Considerations 22
3.2.4 Type of Membrane Modules 22
3.2.5 Types of Membrane Technology 24
3.2.5.1 Pressure-driven membranes 25
3.2.5.2 Classes of pressure driven membranes 25
3.2.5.3 Electrically-driven membranes 28
3.2.6 Use of Membrane 29
3.2.7 Economic Importance of Membrane 30
3.2.8 Energy in Membrane Treatment Process 30
3.2.9 Problem with Membrane Technologies 31
3.3 Treatment of Distillery Using Wastewater Membrane Bioreactor 33

CHAPTER 4 Case study

4.1 Case Study on Microorganism for Distillery Wastewater Treatment 35
4.2 Improving Industrial Water Use 36
4.2.1 Water Balance 36
4.3 Case Study on Biofilteration 38

iii

CHAPTER 5 Summary 40

CHAPTER 6 References 41

iv

certificate
v

candidate declaration
vi

acknowledgement
vii

List of Figure
Page
Figure 2.1 Faecal-oral transmission 5
Figure 2.2 Composition of solids in raw wastewater. Source: Small
Wastewater System Operation and Maintenance 6
Figure 2.3: Treatment categorization and technologies 8
Figure 2.4 Schematic drawing of a stabilisation ponds system 9
Figure 2.5 Wastewater separation in a septic tank 9
Figure 2.6 Simplified illustration of Nitrogen cycle 12
Figure 3.1 Schematic production of distillery wastewater 16
Figure 3.2 Zero discharge system for distilleries 18
Figure 3.3 Process fundamental of membrane technology 19
Figure 3.4 Spiral membrane modules 24
Figure 3.5 Electrically driven membrane 28
Figure 3.6 Membrane bioreactors 34
Figure 4.1 Water balance 37






viii

List of Table
Page
Table 3.1 Typical characteristics of distillery spentwash 15
Table 3.2 Various membrane processes 22
Table 3.3 Characteristics of membrane modules 23
Table 3.4 Classes of pressure driven membranes 26
Table 3.5 Typical results of spent wash decolorization 27
Table 3.6 Economic importance of membrane 30
Table 3.1 Microorganism employed for the decolorization of
distillery effluent 35
ix

Nomenclature
BOD Biochemical Oxygen Demand
COD Chemical Oxygen Demand
CPCB Central Pollution Control Board
DWW Distillery Wastewater
EPS Extracellular Polymeric Substances
EDR Electrodialysis Reversal
MBR Membrane Bioreactor
MLSS Mixed Liquor Suspended Solids
MCAB Membrane Coupled Anaerobic Bioreactor
MSW Molasses Spent Wash
MF Microfiltration
NF Nanofiltration
RO Reverse Osmosis
TSS Total suspended solids
TDS Total dissolved solids
TVS Total volatile solids
UF Ultrafiltration

1

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND
The purification of waste water from various industrial processes is a world wide
problem of increasing importance due to the restricted amounts of water suitable for
direct use, the high price of the purification and the necessity of utilizing the waste
products. Maintaining the drinking water quality is essential to public health. Although
various water treatments is a common practice for supplying good quality of water from a
source of water, maintaining an adequate water quality throughout a distribution system
has never been an easy task. Municipal, agricultural and industrial liquid or solid wastes
differ very much in their chemical, physical and biological characteristics. The diverse
spectrum of wastes requiring efficient treatment has focused the attention of researchers
on membrane, ion-exchange and biological technologies. The most effective and
ecological technological systems developed during the past 20 years are as a rule based
on a combination of the chemical, physical and biological methods.
In recent years, membranes and membrane separation techniques have grown from a
simple laboratory tool to an industrial process with considerable technical and
commercial impact. Today membranes are used on a large scale to produce potable water
from the sea by reverse osmosis, to clean industrial effluents (distillery wastewater) and
to recover valuable constituents by electrodialysis. In many cases, membrane processes
are faster, more efficient and more economical than conventional separation techniques.
With membrane, the separation is usually at ambient temperature, thus allowing
temperature-sensitive solutions to be treated without the constituents being damaged or
chemically altered. There are two major types of waste inorganic waste and organic
waste. Organic wastewaters are potent sources of water pollution. Various organic
wastewaters that are known to cause serious problems may be attributed to distillery
effluents, pulp and paper effluents, textile effluents, and tannery effluents, among others.
2

Among these types distillery wastewater is highly charged with organic matter, when
dumped into water sources without treatment or with inappropriate treatment, causes
serious pollution. Among the raw material sources for distillery, two very important raw
materials are cane sugar molasses and beet sugar molasses. Molasses is a by-product of
the extraction process and is heavily used as a raw material in many distilleries around
the world. The discharge of wastewaters from wineries and distilleries is becoming
increasingly restricted as pressures from environmental regulations increase and as
awareness of the negative impacts of seasonal discharges of water containing high
nutrient and organic loadings into water courses spreads. Raw stillage discharge has a
highly deleterious effect on fish life. Stillage has been proposed for use as a fertilizer,
food supplement, biomass production agent, animal feed, and potash source (Pant et al.,
2007).
Municipal, agricultural and industrial liquid or solid wastes differ very much in their
chemical, physical and biological characteristics. There are various methods used in the
treatment of distillery wastewater. Physical-chemical treatment of distillery wastewater
has little success. This diverse spectrum of wastes requiring efficient treatment has
focused the attention of researchers on membrane, ion-exchange and biological
technologies. Anaerobic digestion, anaerobic filters, lagoons, activated sludge and
trickling filters have all been successfully applied to the treatment of distillery
wastewater. Membrane and membrane separation techniques with immobilized
microorganism or enzyme have very significant role in treatment of distillery wastewater.
1.2 Objective and Scope of Project Report
Now a day's wastewater treatment is not an easy task. For distribution of water to the
public it is necessary. The distillery wastewater has high amount of organic matter so
without treatment pull down in water stream is not ethical. Objective of my project report
is treatment of distillery wastewater using membrane technologies. The scope of my
project report is to first characterize the distillery wastewater and membrane technology,
then by these studies membrane techniques use for treatment of distillery wastewater.
3

1.3 Organization of Project Report
Firstly a full description of distillery wastewater which consist of composition of
distillery wastewater, source, effect, zero discharge system of distillery then about
membrane technologies which describe about membrane types, membrane modules, type
of membrane techniques, and also about how the membrane bioreactors are helpful for
treatment of distillery wastewater. Finally there are three case studies on microorganism
which are helpful for distillery wastewater and also about biofiltration how help in these
treatment processes.




















4

CHAPTER 2
INTRODUCTION TO
WASTEWATER TREATMENT

2.1 Introduction - what is wastewater and what is it made up of?

Human waste or more technically referred to as excreta is defined by Chambers
Concise 20th Century Dictionary as useless matter discharged by animal alimentary,
animals being humans in this context. Excreta are made up of a solid matter, faces, and a
liquid matter, urine and are essentially an organic compound. The constituents making up
the compound are carbon, nitrogen, phosphorous, sulphur and hydrogen. Also present are
fats, carbohydrates, enzymes, proteins, trace elements, pathogens and many different
bacteria.

2.2 Why is it necessary to treat human waste or excreta?

It is necessary to treat human waste or excreta for many reasons, but the most important
reason is to preserve health. Untreated human excrement contains a variety of pathogenic
organisms, which include protozoa, bacteria, viruses and eggs of helminthes that are
disease-causing organisms. The presence of these in the environment transmits various
types of diseases. They could be:
Water borne where pathogens are present in water supplies
Soilbased where the excreted organism is spread through the soil
Insect-vector borne where the pathogen is spread by insects that feed or breed in water
e.g. flies and mosquitoes.
Faecal-oral transmission routes by which pathogens from faces reach the mouth by
either hand, clothes food etc.
5



Fig 2.1: Faecal-oral transmission

2.3 Deciding which treatment option to use.
Once excrements have been produced, it is necessary to decide what to do with the waste
and determine the wastewater treatment option. There is a general distinction : Waste
being treated on-site via various treatment options e.g. VIP latrines, water seal toilets,
composting toilets etc. or by the use of water to carry the waste off-site to be treated
someplace else either not too far from the compound as with septic tanks or to specialized
treatment plants through sewer lines. This form of waste often is referred to as
wastewater or sewerage.
The total management of wastewater can be separated into four categories:
Wastewater collection,
wastewater treatment,
treated wastewater disposal and,
Sludge management.
Waste only becomes non-hazardous to human health after treatment.

2.4 What is Wastewater Treatment?

The term treatment means separation of solids and stabilization of pollutants. In turn
stabilization means the degradation of organic matter until the point at which chemical or
biological reactions stop. Treatment can also mean the removal of toxic or otherwise
dangerous substances (for e.g. heavy metals or phosphorous) which are likely to distort
6

sustainable biological cycles, even after stabilization of the organic matter. General
parameters to measure organic pollution.

COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) is said to be the most general parameter to measure
organic pollution. COD describes how much oxygen is required to oxidize all organic and
inorganic matter found in the wastewater sample. BOD (Biological Oxygen Demand)
describes what can be oxidized biologically, with the help of bacteria and is always a
fraction of COD. Usually BOD is measured as BOD5 meaning that it describes the
amount of oxygen consumed over a five-day measurement period. It is a direct
measurement of the amount of oxygen consumed by organisms removing the organic
matter in the waste. SS (Suspended Solids) describes how much of the organic or
inorganic matter is not dissolved in water and contains settle able solids that sink to the
bottom in a short time and non-settle able suspended solids. It is an important parameter
because SS causes turbidity in the water causing clogging of filters etc. The mentioned
parameters are measured in 'mg/l'.


Fig 2.2 Composition of solids in raw wastewater. Source: Small Wastewater System
Operation and Maintenance


7

2.5 Levels of Wastewater Treatment
Wastewater treatment options may be classified into groups of processes according to the
function they perform and their complexity:

Preliminary Treatment includes simple processes that deal with debris and solid
material. The purpose of preliminary treatment is to remove those easily separable
components. This is usually performed by screening (usually by bar screens) and grit
removal. Their removal is important in order to increase the effectiveness of the later
treatment processes and prevent damages to the pipes, pumps and fittings.

Primary Treatment is mainly the removal of solids by settlement. Simple settlement
of the solid material in sewage can reduce the polluting load by significant amounts. It
can reduce BOD by up to 40%. Some examples of primary treatment is septic tanks,
septic tanks with up flow filters, Imhoff tanks.

Secondary Treatment In secondary treatment the organic material that remains in the
wastewater is reduced biologically. Secondary treatment actually involves harnessing and
accelerating the natural process of waste disposal whereby bacteria convert organic
matter to stable forms. Both aerobic and anaerobic processes are employed in secondary
treatment. Some examples of secondary treatment are UASB, reed bed systems, trickling
filters and stabilization ponds.

Tertiary treatment is the polishing process whereby treated effluent is further purified
to acceptable levels for discharge. It is usually for the removal of specific pollutants e.g.
nitrogen or phosphorus or specific industrial pollutants. Tertiary treatment processes are
generally specialized processes. Some examples of tertiary treatment are banks clarifiers,
grass plots, etc.
The majority of secondary treatment processes are biological in their nature i.e. they
use the natural activity of the bacteria to break down polluting material. Biological
treatment processes can themselves be divided into two general sub-divisions aerobic
and anaerobic processes.
8

Advanced or quartiairy treatment are applicable only to industrial wastes to remove
specific contaminants.
Figure 3 gives an overview on technologies and their categorization

Figure 2.3: Treatment categorization and technologies

2.6 Separation of solids

Wastewater treatment also relies on the separation of solids, both before and after
stabilization. The choice of method of solid removal will depend on the size and specific
weight of pieces and particles of suspended solids.

Screening
For the larger pieces of solids for e.g. diapers, cloth, etc. in wastewater treatment. Screens
require cleaning at very short intervals. Materials captured through screening require a
safe place to be disposed of. Below is a diagram of waste stabilization ponds showing
screening as the first stage.
9


Fig 2.4 Schematic drawing of a stabilisation ponds system

Sedimentation
Separation of solids happens primarily by gravity, predominantly through sedimentation.
Coarse and heavy particles settle within a few hours or minutes while smaller and lighter
particles may need days and weeks to sink to the bottom.

Flotation
Flotation is the predominant method to remove fat, grease and oil. Unwanted flotation
occurs in septic tanks and other anaerobic systems where floating layers of scum are
easily formed. Accumulated scum could be removed manually or left purposely to seal
the surface of anaerobic ponds to prevent bad odour. Below is a diagram of a septic tank
showing scum floating on the surface.

Fig 2.5 Wastewater separation in a septic tank
10

Filtration
Filtration becomes necessary when suspended solid particles are to be removed that
cannot be forced to settle or float within a reasonable time. Most filters have a double
function, they provide a fixed surface for treatment of bacteria and they form a physical
obstacle for the smaller solid particles by creating adhesion of particles to their surfaces.
Filtration can be both on the upstream and the downstream. E.g. Upstream Anaerobic
Sludge Blanket. Anaerobic filters direct flow upwards through the filter material.
Trickling filters allow the wastewater to descend in a downward direction through the
filter material. The speed at which filtration occurs depends on the type of filter material
used. Smaller grain sizes and fine mesh sizes would cause filtration to be slower than
larger, wider-spaced material, but would cause the retention of many more solids and
clog faster.

2.7 What are aerobic and anaerobic processes?

With aerobic processes, bacteria use oxygen to feed on the organic material (which is a
food source) to produce carbon dioxide and water, with the production of quantities of
extra bacterial mass (sludge). Most aerobic processes require the mechanical addition of
oxygen and that can be expensive.
Anaerobic processes take place in the absence of oxygen and bacteria break down the
organic wastes to produce carbon dioxide and methane. This mixture of gases, called
Biogas, can potentially be harnessed as an energy source. Anaerobic process produces
much less excess sludge than aerobic processes however the treatment efficiency is not as
high as it is for aerobic processes.
The aerobic process happens much faster than anaerobic digestion and for that reason
always dominates when free oxygen is available. The high speed at which decomposition
occurs is caused by the shorter reproduction cycles of aerobic bacteria as compared to
anaerobic bacteria. Anaerobic bacteria leave some of the energy unused and it is this
unused energy which is released in the form of biogas. Aerobic bacteria use a larger
portion of the pollution load for production of their own bacterial mass compared to
anaerobic bacteria, which is why the aerobic process produces twice as much sludge as
11

the anaerobic process. Aerobic treatment is highly efficient when there is enough oxygen
available.

2.8 Sludge accumulation

Sedimentation and particles that escape filtration lead to sludge accumulation at the
bottom of vessels. This sludge gets compacted over time, consequently older sludge
occupies less volume than fresh sludge. Sludge removal is important and removal should
be performed as specified for each technology.

2.9 Elimination of Nitrogen

Nitrogen is a nutrient that causes algal growth in receiving waters and needs to be
removed from wastewater before discharge. It is also poisonous to fish in the form of
ammonia gases and also may become poisonous in the form of nitrite. The basic process
of nitrogen removal occurs in two steps, namely, nitrification (aerobic conditions)
followed by denitrification (anaerobic conditions) with the result that pure nitrogen
diffuses into the atmosphere. Nitrate is the most stable form of nitrogen and its presence
indicates complete oxidation.

2.10 Elimination of Phosphorus

Phosphorus is a nutrient that is water soluble, often recycled and is required to support
living plants and organisms. Bacteria cannot transform phosphorus into a form in which it
loses its fertilizer quality permanently. This implies that no appropriate biological process
either aerobic or anaerobic can remove phosphorous from wastewater. Phosphorus
removal from water normally takes place by removal of bacterial mass (active sludge) or
by removal of phosphate fixing solids via sedimentation or flocculation. This process is
normally performed in the tertiary stage of treatment.
12


Fig 2.6 Simplified illustration of Nitrogen cycle

2.11 Elimination of toxic substances

Most heavy metals are toxic or carcinogenic and therefore should not remain in the
wastewater because they harm the aquatic life of the receiving water or could enter the
human nutritious cycle when wastewater or sludge is used in agriculture. Since heavy
metals settle easy their removal is not difficult however soluble toxic substances may be
difficult to remove. There are numerous methods for converting toxins into non-toxic
substances for e.g. ion exchange procedures.

2.12 Removal of pathogens

Pathogens are present in many forms in excreta e.g. bacteria, viruses and protozoa and
accumulate in the sediment sludge and are largely retained inside the treatment system
where they stay alive for several weeks. Most bacteria and viruses caught in the sludge
die after shorter periods. Those bacteria, which are not caught in the sludge but remain
suspended in the liquid portion, are hardly affected, meaning, these bacteria and viruses
exit the plant fully alive. Exposure to UV rays has a substantial hygienic effect. High
pathogen removal can also be experienced in shallow ponds with long retention times.
13

Constructed wetlands with their multifunctional bacterial life in the root zones can also
be very effective. Using chlorination to kill pathogens is only advisable for hospitals in
the case of epidemics and other such special circumstances as chlorine kills all forms of
bacteria both beneficial and non-beneficial. Apart from this chlorine has an adverse
impact on the environment. Water is made unstable as chlorine itself has a high chemical
oxygen demand (COD).

2.13 Conclusion

Wastewater treatment involves a variety of processes performed at different levels of
treatment. The basic form of treatment is the breaking down of organic waste by bacteria
either aerobically or an aerobically or a combination of both which occurs in secondary
treatment. Primary treatment offers the settlement of solids. Tertiary treatment involves
the removal of phosphorus, nitrogen and toxic substances. Pathogen removal occurs
throughout treatment but becomes more effective mostly at tertiary levels through the use
of UV rays and chlorination. The higher the treatment efficiency the better the quality of
effluent produced.
14

CHAPTER 3
LITERATURE REVIEW
3.1 DISTILLERY WASTEWATER
Among the raw material sources for distillery, two very important raw materials are cane
sugar molasses and beet sugar molasses. Distillery wastewater (stillage) is the main
byproduct originating in distilleries, and its volume is approximately 10 times that of
ethanol produced. It is not surprising that the utilization of the stillage raises serious
problems, and that many attempts have been made all over the world to solve them.
Distillery wastewater is usually comprised of a high volume of greatly acidic matter
which presents many disposal and treatment problems. Waste streams generally contain
high levels of both dissolved organic and inorganic materials. There has been increasing
interest in the use of ethanol from biomass as a liquid fuel alternative. Ethanol
fermentation is examined in relation to distillery wastes. In the year 1999, there were 285
distilleries in India producing 2.7 10
9
L of alcohol and 319 distilleries, producing 3.25
10
9
L of alcohol generating 4 10
10
L of wastewater each year. Generating a 40.4
10
10
L of wastewater annually. Reducing the volume of wastewater may be accomplished
by fermenting higher strengths of molasses (Basu, 1957).
To characterize distillery wastewater in detail so that proper insight may be gained in an
attempt to treat the waste to reduce the pollution hazards. Oxygen consumption values
can use to quantify the amount of organic matter present in wastewater (Basu, 1957).
However, considerable work has been reported in this field and should be taken into
account with the characteristics of distillery wastewater. Some of the work done on
distillery waste characterization by various parameters like: - pH, COD, BOD, phosphate,
total solids, total dissolved solids, total suspended solid, ammonia, sulfate, color and iron
etc as in the Table 2.1 (Saha et al., 2005).


15

Table 3.1 Typical characteristics of distillery spentwash (Saha et al., 2005)

Parameter Range
pH 3.8-4.4
Total solids (mg/L) 60000-90000
Total suspended solids (mg/L) 2000-14000
Total dissolved solids (mg/L) 58000-76000
Total volatile solids (mg/L) 45000-65000
COD (mg/L) 70000-98000
BOD (for 5 days at 20
0
C) (mg/L) 45000-60000
Total nitrogen as N (mg/L) 1000-1200
Potash as K
2
O (mg/L) 5000-12000
Phosphate as PO
4
(mg/L) 500-1500
Acidity as CaCO
3
(mg/L) 8000-16000
Temperature (after heat exchanger) (
0
C) 70-80
3.1.1 Effect of Distillery Wastewater on Environment
To characterize distillery wastewater in detail, so that proper attempt to treat the waste to
reduce the pollution hazards. In a distillery, sources of wastewater are stillage, fermenter
and condenser cooling water and fermenter wastewater. The liquid residues during the
industrial phase of the production of alcohol are liquor, sugar cane washing water, and
from the cleaning of the equipment, apart from other residual water. This extract is
extremely polluting as it contains approximately 5% organic material and fertilizers such
as potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen. The amount of water used in this process is large,
generating a high level of liquid residues as in the Figure 2.1(Chang et al., 2003).
The effluents from molasses based distilleries contain large amounts of dark brown
colored molasses spent wash (MSW). The molasses spent wash (MSW) is a potential
water pollutant in two ways. First, the highly colored nature of MSW can block out
sunlight from rivers and streams, thus reducing oxygenation of the water by
16

photosynthesis and hence becomes problem to aquatic life. Secondly, it has a high
pollution load which would result in eutrophication of contaminated water sources. Due
to the presence of putriciable organics like skatole, indole and other sulfur compounds,
the MSW that is disposed in canals or rivers produces obnoxious smell.


Figure 3.1 Schematic production of distillery wastewater (Chang et al., 2003)
In India, there is a number of large scale distilleries integrated with sugar mills. The
waste products from sugar mill comprise bagasse (residue from the sugarcane crushing),
pressmud (mud and dirt residue from juice clarification) and molasses (final residue from
sugar crystallization section). Bagasse is used in paper manufacturing and as fuel in
boilers, molasses as raw material in distillery for alcohol production while pressmud has
no direct industrial application (Pant et al., 2007).
Ethanol manufacture from molasses generates large volumes of high strength wastewater
that is of serious environmental problem. The effluent is characterized by extremely high
chemical oxygen demand (COD) (80000 to 100000 mg/L) and biochemical oxygen
demand (BOD) (40000 to 50000 mg/L), apart from low pH, strong odor and dark brown
color (CPCB 1994, 2003). In India, which is the second largest producer of ethanol in
Asia with annual production of about 2300 million liters in 200607 alcohol distilleries
Free
ferementer
Distilled
molasses
Yeast
CO2
Analyzer
column
Spent wash
Recti
fying
colu
mn
Spent less
Alcohol
55%
17

are rated as one of the 17 most polluting industries. Other than high organic content,
distillery wastewater also contains nutrients in the form of nitrogen (1660 to 4200 mg/L),
phosphorus (225 to 3038 mg/L) and potassium (9600 to 17475 mg/L) that can lead to
eutrophication of water bodies. Further, its dark color hinders photosynthesis by blocking
sunlight and is therefore problem to aquatic life. Studies on water quality of a river
contaminated with distillery effluent displayed high BOD values.
3.1.2 Treatment and Disposal of Distillery Wastewater
During the 1970s, land disposal was practiced one of the main treatment options, since it
was found to enhance yield of certain crops. In Brazil waste generated from sugarcane
juice fermentation is mainly used as a fertilizer due to its high nitrogen, phosphorus and
organic content. It is use to increase sugarcane productivity and also under controlled
conditions the effluent is capable of replacing application of inorganic fertilizers.
However, for the high strength molasses-based spentwash, the odor, putrefaction and
unpleasant landscape due to unsystematic disposal are concerns in land application. In
addition, this option is subject to land availability in the vicinity of the distillery, also it is
essential that the disposal site be located in a lowmedium rainfall area. More recent
investigations have indicated that land disposal of distillery effluent can lead to
groundwater contamination. Deep well disposal is another option but limited
underground storage and specific geological location limits this alternative. Other
disposal methods like evaporation of spentwash to produce animal feed and incineration
of spent wash for potash recovery have also been practiced (Sangave et al., 2006).
3.1.3 Zero Discharge of Distillery Wastewater
Worldwide environment regulatory authorities are setting for discharge of wastewaters
from industries. In India for instance, distillery industry had been told to achieve zero
discharge of spentwash by December 2005 according to the Central Pollution Control
Board as in the Figure 2.2 (CPCB, 2003). All methods of wastewater treatment such as
lagooning, biodegradation wet air oxidation bio-methanation, membrane filtration
18

evaporation composing were tried for last 25 years, and found to be techno-economically
nonfeasible. The present work proposes the process-engineering approach based on
experimental data on the same and similar fluid system. The process is experimented with
achievements like zero discharge of waste water, generation of distilled water to reuse in
process, conservation of system energy, self refinance on utilize like steam, water and
power. It further says that till 100% utilization of spentwash is achieved, controlled and
restricted discharge of treated effluent from lagoons during rainy season will be allowed
by CPCB in such a way that the perceptible coloring of river water bodies does not occur.


Figure 3.2 Zero discharge system for distilleries (CPCB, 2003)




Raw Spent wash
Evaporation Water for recycling into plant
Concentrate
Spray drying
Powder of high calorific value
19

3.2 MEMBRANE TECHNOLOGIES
Physical, chemical and biological treatment approaches have been employed for the
treatment of distillery wastewater. The physical methods are Sedimentation, Screening,
Aeration, Filtration (Membrane Technologies), and Flotation. The chemical methods are
Chlorination, Coagulation, Adsorption, and Ion Exchange. The biological methods are
grouped into two types. Aerobic methods are activated sludge treatment, lagoons,
trickling filtration, and oxidation ponds, and anaerobic methods are anaerobic digestion,
septic tanks (Water treatment method and disposal, 2009).
Municipal, agricultural and industrial liquid or solid wastes differ very much in their
chemical, physical and biological characteristics. This diverse spectrum of wastes
requiring efficient treatment has focused the attention of researchers on membrane, ion-
exchange and biological technologies. The most effective and ecological technological
systems developed during the past 20 years are based on a combination of the chemical,
physical and biological methods. The below Figure 2.3 explain all the fundamental of the
membrane technology; Feed enters into stream and by membrane separated into
concentrate and permeate (Weber, 1972).

Figure 3.3 Process fundamental of membrane technology (Weber, 1972)
Up-stream

Feed
A + B
Concentrate Enriched in B
Permeate
Enriched in A
Depleted in B

Down-stream
20

The fact behind the membrane technology, works without the addition of chemicals, with
a relatively low energy use and easy and well-arranged process conductions. Membrane
technology is a generic term for a number of different, very characteristic separation
processes. These processes are of the same kind, because in each of them a membrane is
used. Membranes are now competitive for conventional techniques. Membrane filtration
can be used as an alternative for flocculation, sediment purification techniques,
adsorption (active carbon and sand filter), extraction and distillation (Pant et al., 2007).
3.2.1 The Growth of Membrane Technology
Membrane systems have been used in specialized applications for more than 30 years,
largely for water treatment (distillery wastewater), including desalination of seawater and
brackish water. With technical advances and corresponding cost reductions, membrane
systems are now capable of decontaminating waters (including treated wastewaters) in
single step processes at competitive costs. About two-thirds of the market will be for
water, and one-third for wastewater. Membrane technologies are receiving special
recognition as alternatives to conventional water treatment and as a means of polishing
treated wastewater effluent for reuse applications. Membrane technologies are energy
intensive. New membrane technologies feature the use of low pressure systems that
significantly reduce energy use and operation and maintenance costs (Satyawali et al.,
2008).
3.2.2 Components of a Membrane System
Typical membrane systems consist of various steps which are describe below:
(1) Pre-treatment
(2) Pumping
(3) Cartridge filtration
(4) Membranes and
(5) Post-treatment.
21

The effluent collected from the distillery industry is highly acidic with a pH range of
around 3. Hence, it is neutralized using sodium hydroxide. The neutralized solution has a
lot of suspended solids, so the filtration is carried out to remove the suspended particles
with a fine-pore thin cloth. This pre-filtrate is used as feed. Pretreatment of alcohol-
distillery wastes with ceramic membranes is performed prior to anaerobic digestion.
Ceramic membranes of different pore size are chosen based on the particle size
distribution in raw wastes. In some pretreatment, chemical oxygen demand (COD) is
reduced from 36000 to 18000 mg/L and suspended solids are almost completely
removed. Mixed stillage exhibited higher fouling tendency than pure naked barley
stillage. Several cleaning methods are attempted to recover water flux. Although lumen
flushing is effective, hydrogen peroxide proved to be the most effective cleaning agent.
The negative flux recovery after nitric acid cleaning could be explained by the ligand
exchange theory. The performance of digester is greatly improved with membrane
pretreatment, especially in the case of naked barley based stillage. Pretreatment may
include the addition of chemicals to prevent organic materials or soluble salts from
fouling the membrane (Ramkritinan, et al., 2005).
Pumping is required to raise the pressure to the desired operating level and to maintain
sufficient velocity across the membranes. A cartridge filter is nearly always provided by
the membrane manufacturer, usually for the removal of particles.
The filter provides protection against an upset in the pre-treatment step that could cause
fouling of the membrane. The membranes are the heart of the treatment system. They
may be hydraulically connected in series or parallel configurations, depending upon the
feedwater composition or desired water recovery. Post-treatment may include: (1) a
degasifier to remove carbon dioxide and - hydrogen sulfide and (2) the addition of lime
or caustic to prevent corrosion of the subsequent piping or distribution system (Weber,
1972).

22

3.2.3 Design Considerations
In addition to levels of constituent removal required factors to be considered in the design
of membrane systems include membrane life, membrane fouling, and disposal of
concentrate. Typical membrane life is three to five years depending upon the type of
service and type of membrane used. Membranes used in wastewater treatment typically
have a life of four to five years. For distillery wastewater, the normal life of a membrane
is three to five years, and many have been in service for more than six years (Weber,
1972). For various membrane processes different types of considerations are taken into
account, some are given below into Table 2.2.

Table 3.2 Various membrane processes (Weber, 1972)

Process Function Driving Force
Reverse Osmosis Selective solvent transport Pressure gradient
Electrodialysis Selective ion transport Electrical potential
gradient
Ultrafiltration molecular size, shape and
flexibility
Pressure gradient
Dialysis Selective solute transport Concentration gradient
3.2.4 Type of Membrane Modules
There are four basic type of membrane modules are found in the literature which are used
for various processes by doing some modification in these membrane modules. A basic
guideline for selecting the right module geometry for a specific application is depends on
following parameters as shown in the Table 2.3 (Genesis membrane, 2009).


23

Table 3.3 General characteristics of membrane modules (Genesis membrane, 2009)
Characteristics Spiral
Wound
Hollow
Fiber
Tubular Plate and
Frame
Typical Packing
Density
(ft
2
/ft
3
)
245 1830 21 150
Required Feed
Flow Rate
(ft
3
/ft
2
-s)
0.8-1.6 0.016 3-15 0.8-1.6
Feed Side Pressure
Drop
(psi)
43-85 1.4-4.3 28-43 43-85
Membrane
Fouling
High High Low Moderate
Ease of Cleaning Poor Poor Excellent Good
Recommended
Applications
Clean dilute
streams such
as water for
desalination.
Not good for
high
concentration
& fouling
chemicals
Very
clean
streams
such as
water.
For high conc.
in dirty
streams or
streams
containing
fouling
chemicals,
such as dye
desalting &
concentration
Laboratory
work and
membrane
evaluations.
Good for
high
viscous
liquids.
Two types of membrane configuration used extensively for distillery wastewater
treatment are hollow-fibre and spiral-wound. In a hollow-fibre element, fibers made of
porous polymer material are bundled together and sealed in a pressure vessel. For some
24

UF designs, feedwater enters through a perforated central tube and flows radially outward
through the fibre bundle. Under pressure, water is forced through the hollow-fibre bores
and exits through one or more ports. For RO, feedwater enters from the outside surface of
the fibre and product water is removed from the bores. Spiral-wound elements usually
range from 2 to 10 inches in diameter and 10 to 60 inches in length as in the Figure 2.4.
They consist of two flat membrane sheets separated by a thin, mesh-like porous support
or spacer and are sealed on three sides like an envelope. The fourth side is fixed onto a
perforated plastic centre tube that collects the product water. The membranes are rolled
up around the tube in the form of a spiral. Feedwater is pumped through the layers and
product water passes through the membranes and follows the spiral configuration to the
central perforated tube. Water that does not penetrate the membrane exits the element as
concentrate. Spiral wound elements are used for MF, UF, and RO (Lenntech, 2009).


Figure 3.4 Spiral wound membrane modules (Lenntech, 2009)

25

3.2.5 Types of Membrane Technology
The membrane separation process is based on the presence of semi-permeable
membranes. The principle is quite simple, the membrane acts as a very specific filter that
will let water flow through, while it catches suspended solids and other substances.
Membranes are typically made from polymeric materials, although ceramic and metal
oxide membranes are also available. Cellulose polymers are inexpensive and widely
used. More recent polyamide thin-film composite membranes are more chemically
robust, have longer life, possess greater rejection of dissolved salts and organics, and
operate at lower pressures. They are more expensive than cellulose membranes. Ceramic
and metal oxide membranes are traditionally used for UF and are commonly available in
tubular form. Although ceramic and metal oxide membranes are more costly than other
types, they are used for many industrial processes because they can withstand very high
temperatures. There are two basic types of membrane separation processes; pressure-
driven and electrically-driven (Nataraj et al., 2006).
3.2.5.1 Pressure-driven membranes
Pressure-driven technologies include, in order of decreasing permeability, microfiltration
(MF), ultrafiltration (UF), nanofiltration (NF), and reverse osmosis (RO). MF and UF
often serve to remove large organic molecules, large colloidal particles, and many
microorganisms. MF performs as a porous barrier to reduce turbidity and colloidal
suspensions. UF offers higher removals than MF, but operates at higher pressures. In
wastewater reclamation, MF or UF might provide a suitable level of treatment. In
drinking-water treatment, MF or UF might be used in tandem with NF or RO to remove
coarser material so that fouling of the less permeable membranes is minimized. The most
commonly used process for the production of drinking water is RO, but NF is now
emerging as a viable alternative to conventional water treatment because it can operate at
lower pressures and higher recovery rates than RO systems. NF is also cost-effective in
many groundwater softening applications where the incoming turbidity is low
(Kalyuzhnyi et al., 2005).
26

3.2.5.2 Classes of pressure driven membranes
Pressure driven membranes have been classified into four categories based on the
membrane rejection properties as follows (Weber, 1972).
1) Microfiltration (MF) membranes: - have the largest pore size (0.1 to 3 micron),
require low transmembrane pressure (1 to 30 psi), and are used for turbidity
reduction, removal of suspended solids, parasites like bacteria and some viruses.
2) Ultrafiltration (UF) membranes: - have a smaller range of pore sizes than MF
membranes (0.01 to 0.1 micron) require low transmembrane pressure (1 to 30
psi), and are capable of removing viruses as well as some color, odor, and
organics removal, along with everything that the MF process can remove.
3) Nanofiltration (NF) membranes : - are relatively new porous membranes that have
a pore size less than 0.002 micron require moderate transmembrane pressure (75-
150 psi), and are primarily used for natural organic matter removal for controlling
disinfection byproduct precursor, water softening and sulfate removal.
4) Reverse osmosis (RO) membranes: - are effectively non-porous membranes that
require high transmembrane pressure (150-500 psi) and are used for monovalent
salt removal like Na
+
, K
+
.
Table 3.4 Classes of pressure driven membranes (Kalyuzhnyi et al., 2005)
Process Driving Force di (nm) Species Rejected
Microfiltration
< 50 nm
10-25 psi 100-
20,000
TSS, Protozoa,
Bacteria, Viruses
Ultrafiltration
2-50 nm
10-100 psi 2-10 Macromolecules,
Colloids, Proteins
Nanofiltration
< 2 nm
100-500 psi 0.5-2 Small molecules,
Hardness, Viruses
Reverse Osmosis
< 2 nm
100-1500 psi 0.3-0.5 NaCl, Mg2+, Ca2+,
SO42-, NO3-,Colour
27

Reverse osmosis technique generate about 50% clean colorless reusable water & the
balance 50% concentrate can be easily composted by available press mud. This method
thus creates an opportunity to arrive at zero discharge status. Thus it can be concluded
that the above mentioned specific membrane configuration has the distinct ability of
processing both the raw & biogas treated distillery spentwash, to obtain two streams, one
containing clear & colorless water & the other a concentrated spentwash. Their
quantitative proportion was average 50: 50. Thus the processing of the spentwash by this
technique offers an opportunity to reduce the volume by 50%, facilitating its convenient
composting. The overall press mud & land requirement also is reduced to 50%, thus
saving operating cost. The clear & colorless water may offer another opportunity to
recycle the same, which could be a great boon to distilleries operating in water scarce
areas or those spending large amounts of money for their water supply. Alternatively it
can simply be given to irrigation to benefit the farmers (Mohammad, et al., 2006).
Table 3.5 Results of spentwash decolorization by RO (Mohammad, et al., 2006)
Parameters Spentwash
INPUT
Color Black brown
Volume (L/hr) 450
Feed COD (ppm) 30000
Feed TDS Inorganic (ppm) 25000
OUTPUT
Color Colorless
Volume (L/hr) 225
Permeate COD (ppm) < 750
Permeate TDS Inorganic (ppm) < 1000
RECOVERY 50 %

28

3.2.5.3 Electrically-driven membranes
Electrodialysis reversal (EDR) is an improvement over the original electrodialysis
process. Electrodialysis reversal (EDR) is an electrochemical separation process that
removes ions and other charged species from water and other fluids. EDR uses small
quantities of electricity to transport these species through membranes composed of ion
exchange material to create a separate purified and concentrated stream. Ions are
transferred through the membranes by means of direct current voltage and are removed
from the feed water as the current drives the ions through the membranes. This
innovation improves both efficiency and the operating life of membranes. Ion exchange
membranes are the heart of the membrane process. Cation selective and anion-selective
membranes are alternately placed in a membrane. Distillery wastewater flows between
the membranes, and when direct current is applied across the stack of membrane, positive
ions move toward the cathode and negative ions move toward the anode as shown in
Figure 2.5 (Genesis membrane, 2009).


Figure 3.5 Electrically driven membrane (Genesis membrane, 2009)
29

3.2.6 Use of Membrane
As the cost of wastewater disposal increases, more emphasis is being placed upon the
recovery and recycling of the valuable chemicals contained within these streams.
Membranes are commonly used for the removal of dissolved solids, color, and hardness
in drinking water. Membrane technologies have also been proposed by the USEPA for
particle removal, reducing disinfection by-products such as trihalomethanes (THMs) and
haloacetic acids (HAAs) and eliminating illness-causing microorganisms such as Giardia
and Cryptosporidium in drinking water applications. In wastewater reclamation and
reuse, Water quality requirements may call for reductions in suspended solids, total
dissolved solids, and selected constituents such as nitrates, chlorides, and natural and
synthetic organic compounds. Membrane treatment, applied to the end of conventional
wastewater treatment systems, is a viable method of achieving desired effluent quality
levels at reasonable costs.
A hybrid nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO) pilot plant was used to remove
the color and contaminants of the distillery spent wash. The feasibility of the membranes
for treating wastewater from the distillery industry by varying the feed pressure (070
bar) and feed concentration was tested on the separation performance of thin-film
composite NF and RO membranes (Kalyuzhnyi et al., 2005). Color removal by NF and a
high rejection of 99.80 % total dissolved solids (TDS), 99.90 % of chemical oxygen
demand (COD) and 99.99 % of potassium was achieved from the RO runs, by retaining a
significant flux as compared to pure water flux, which shows that membranes were not
affected by fouling during wastewater run. The pollutant level in permeates were below
the maximum contaminant level as per the guidelines of the World Health Organization
and the Central Pollution Control Board specifications for effluent discharge (less than
1000ppm of TDS and 500ppm of COD).


30

3.2.7 Economic Importance of Membrane Technology
Engineers designing cross flow membrane equipment into process flow-sheets must
balance capital cost and operating expense just as they do for other process equipment.
For membrane equipment, the capital contributions and typical fraction of the total are as
in the Table 2.6(Weber, 1972).
Table 3.6 Economic importance of membrane technology (Weber, 1972)
Capital item % of total capital
Pumps 30
Replaceable membrane element 20
Housings for membranes 10
Pipes, valves and framework 20
Controls 15
Other 5
US membrane material demand will rise 8.2 percent annually through 2012, driven by on
going interest in higher purity process fluids and increasingly strict water/wastewater
quality rules. The best opportunities will emerge in pharmaceutical and medical markets,
while water and wastewater treatment remain the largest markets. This study analyzes the
$2.9 billion US membrane industry, with forecasts for 2012 and 2017 by type (e.g.,
cellulosic membranes, polysulfone and nylon membranes, ceramic membranes);
application (e.g., microfiltration, reverse osmosis, ultrafiltration); and market (e.g., water
and wastewater treatment, food and beverage processing, pharmaceuticals and medical
uses, chemical processing, industrial gas processing).
3.2.8 Energy Requirement in Membrane Treatment Process
Membrane processes use a significant amount of energy. Even low pressure membranes
use approximately 100 kwh per million gallons (3.785 million liters) of water produced.
31

The development of new composite membranes has reduced the operating pressures
considerably. Lower pressure operation means lower energy consumption.
3.2.9 Problems with Membrane Technology
Various type of membrane problem are occurs during operation of membrane the some
important specific membrane related problems such as membrane fouling, clogging,
scaling and cleaning.
Fouling of membranes can be broken into four distinct categories. They are fouling by
particulate matter, organic fouling, biological fouling, and inorganic scaling. Fouling with
particulate matter and suspended solids, If not properly dealt with, particulate matter and
fine suspended solids present in the feed water are problematic and will reduce the water
throughput of the membranes with time. Depending on the feed water quality, a filtration
system needs to be designed to reduce the influent suspended solids and particulate
matter before feeding the water. Fouling with organic materials, membranes are
susceptible to organic fouling depending on the source water quality. ED anion-exchange
membranes are particularly susceptible to organic fouling due to the negative charge
associated with natural organic matter. This can lead to process failures. Large organic
anions cannot penetrate the anion exchange membrane and will accumulate and adsorb to
the membrane surface, increasing the stack resistance. Small organic molecules can also
be problematic because they penetrate the membrane, but their electro mobility is low
and they remain inside the membrane. Fouling of this kind can make it quite difficult to
clean and restore these membranes to their original electrical resistance. NF and RO
membranes are fouled by organic adsorption as the membrane rejects these materials and
membrane permeates are produced. It is difficult to determine the organic fouling
potentials using aggregate organic measurements in the feedwater. Biological Fouling,
biofilm control is important in virtually every unit process, which sets out to accomplish
mass transfer in an aqueous system. Membrane manufacturers have come a long way in
reducing the biodegradability of the membranes themselves, but most modern RO and
NF membranes are sensitive to oxidants (Nataraj et al., 2006). Without the use of
32

oxidizing disinfectants, it is unlikely that biofilm control will ever be adequately
achieved. Although turbulent cross-flow is maintained in all membrane systems, bacteria
are still capable of adhering to the membrane surface and excreting extracellular
polymeric substances (EPS) to create a strong bond to the membrane surface. Once
attached to the membrane, a complex community of microorganisms is created that is
held together and fixed to the membrane with EPS. Biofilm result in decreased membrane
permeability in pressure driven applications and increased electrical resistance in
potential driven processes, increasing the operational and maintenance costs of
membrane processes. The rejection of targeted contaminants can also be adversely
affected. Fouling from the formation of inorganic scale, rejection of dissolved solids with
membranes segregates salts into a waste stream commonly referred to as concentrate or
brine. If the concentrations of these salts exceed their solution saturation, precipitates will
form a scale of inorganic salts (e.g. Fe
2
O
3
, CaCO
3
, CaSO
4
, SiO
2
, CaF
2
, BaSO
4
, etc.) on
the membrane surface. Scaling usually develops in the final stage of the RO or EDR
process at the membrane surface because this is the active point of ion separation where
concentrations are highest. By adjusting the feedwater recovery, the design engineer can
estimate the concentrations of the dissolved solids and specify a system that does not
suffer from inorganic scaling. Inorganic scaling, like other forms of fouling, will increase
the operational costs and require operator attention to clean and restore the membrane
system (Chang, et al., 2003).
Membrane fouling mechanisms during the longtime operation of a membrane coupled
anaerobic bioreactor (MCAB) system designed for the treatment of alcohol-distillery
wastewater. This system provided interesting information on anaerobic digestion and
membrane performance associated with the fouling mechanisms in the membrane
bioreactor. Enhanced COD removal was achieved with the complete retention of biomass
either inside the anaerobic reactor or on the membrane surface. Membrane fouling was
mainly attributed to external fouling, which was closely related to the movement of cell
population to the membrane surface and inorganic precipitation at the membrane surface.
There are two factors that determine the affectivity of a membrane filtration process;
selectivity and productivity. Selectivity is expressed as a parameter called retention or
33

separation factor. Productivity is expressed as a parameter called flux. Selectivity and
productivity are membrane-dependent.
3.3 Treatment of Distillery Using Wastewater Membrane Bioreactor
Membrane bioreactors (MBRs) are being increasingly recognized as an effective method
for the treatment of industrial (distillery) wastewaters. MBRs offer the advantages of total
solids retention at all biomass concentration, low sludge yield and better treated effluent
quality. In addition, the high mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) concentration
encourages the treatment of high strength wastewater. The widespread application of
MBRs is however, limited by two reason high initial membrane cost and progressive
membrane fouling, which leads to frequent membrane cleaning and eventual
replacement, thus contributing to the high operating costs. There are very few
investigations on distillery wastewater treatment in an MBR. The COD removal
efficiency was 94.7%. Membrane coupled anaerobic bioreactor (MCAB) using 0.2m
polypropylene and 0.14 m zirconia skinned inorganic tubular membranes has also been
investigated for the treatment of 40000 mg/L COD distillery wastewater at 55

C. High
COD removal (90%) was observed in both the anaerobic MBRs as in the Figure 2.6
(Satyawali et al., 2008).
Anaerobically treated spentwash from sugarcane molasses based distilleries has a high
COD and requires further aerobic treatment. So the objective to investigate the optimum
start up method and continuous operation of aerobic MBR using anaerobically treated
spentwash as feed. The main objective behind using MBR was to provide long SRT
(sludge retention time) so that the degradation of high molecular weight compounds
could be achieved in the reactor. Nylon mesh was used instead of commercial
microporous membranes to decrease the cost. During MBRs study, the initial sludge
acclimatization phase where the focus was on biomass growth and sludge properties,
followed by continuous operation that mainly deals with reactor operation and filtration
performance (Gupta et al., 2008).

34



Figure 3.6 Process of Wastewater Treatment Using Membrane bioreactors (Satyawali et
al., 2008)











Bioreactor Membrane filtration
Air outlet
Treated
Water
Excess sludge
Aeration
Wastewater
35

CHAPTER 4
CASE STUDY
4.1 Case Study on Treatment of Distillery Wastewater using
Microorganisms
The microorganisms used for distillery wastewater treatment are given below which may
directly immobilized on the membrane or their enzyme is immobilized on the membrane
as in the Table 3.1 (Pant et al., 2007). Major finding of this work is the microorganism
used for decolonization is identified, which includes both bacterial and fungal
microorganisms.
Table 4.1 Microorganism employed for the decolorization of distillery effluent (Pant et
al., 2007)
Name Color Removal (%)
BACTERIA
Xanthomonas fragariae 76
Bacillus cereus 82
Acetobacter acetii 76.4
Pseudomonas pudita 60
Pseudomonas fluorescens 94
Pseudomonas aeruginosa 67

FUNGI
Trametes versicolor 82
Geotrichum candidum 80
Aspergillus niger 80
Mycelia sterilia 93
Rhizopus sp. 90
Aspergillus oryzae 75
36

4.2 Improving Industrial Water Use
Alcohol distilleries are highly water intensive units generating large volumes of high
strength wastewater that poses a serious environmental concern. This case study aimed at
identifying options for improved water use in this sector through a case study in a local
distillery. It emerged that optimization of cooling tower operation, innovative ways to
reuse wastewater streams like spent lees and spentwash and employing semi-
continuous/continuous fermentation could reduce water use in distilleries.
In general, reduction in industrial wastewater can be achieved through one or a
combination of the following measures.
1) Process modification or change in raw materials to reduce water consumption,
2) Direct reuse of wastewater,
3) In-plant reuse of reclaimed wastewater, and
4) Use of treated wastewater for non-industrial purposes.
4.2.1 Water Balance
The unit uses 1133.5 kilolitres water/day and generates around 668 kilolitre/day of
effluent. The effluent volume has been calculated on the basis of contributions from
water used for molasses dilution, yeast preparation, steam generation, fermenter washing
and effluent treatment. It has been assumed that other processes do not contribute to
effluent generation. Molasses dilution, cooling requirement and steam generation in the
boiler are the most water intensive processes. Thirty-four percent of total daily water
input to the distillery is in the form of cooling tower make-up volume that is a
consequence of evaporative loss, drift loss and blow down. Optimization of the cooling
tower operation and maintenance can contribute significantly to makeup water
requirement as shown in Figure 3.1 (Saha et al., 2005).
37



Figure 4.1 Water balance (Saha et al., 2005)
There is significant scope to improve water utilization in Indian distilleries through
conservation and reuse. Though good housekeeping measures such as proper metering of
water flow in individual units and maintenance of piping contribute to water savings,
specific interventions should also be targeted. Our study identified optimization of
cooling tower operation, innovative ways to reuse segregated wastewater streams and
replacing batch with semi-continuous/continuous fermentation to be appropriate
interventions to reduce water use in distilleries.
38

4.3 Case Study on Biofilteration
In common biological treatments, microorganisms are mixed with the waste material.
The microorganisms decompose the waste material and convert it to microbial biomass
and energy. There is no separation between the microorganisms and the treated waste.
One such treatment system is the activated sludge in waste treatment, in which the
microorganisms are suspended within the treated liquid. A second step of treatment is
needed in this system to separate the microbial biomass from the treated fluid. To
overcome from these problem biofiltration a technique is applied (Yariv, 2001).
Biofiltration is distinguished from other biological waste treatments by the fact that there
is a separation between the microorganisms and the treated waste. In biofiltration systems
the microorganisms are immobilized to the bedding material, while the treated fluid flows
through it. Recently, a vast amount of literature has been written on single experiments
involving the treatment of fluids by immobilized microorganisms. Several artificial
immobilization methods have been examined and impressive results have been achieved
in the treatment of fluids with one of the artificial immobilization methods - the
entrapment of microorganisms within polymer beads. This method, even though it needs
to be improved, seems to have a future potential in commercial biofiltration systems. The
methods of artificial immobilization of microorganisms within biofiltration systems have
several advantages, but also suffer from several disadvantages in comparison to the
treatment of fluids by naturally attached microorganisms. Understanding the mechanisms
and forces responsible for the attachment of microbes to the bedding material, in attempt
to improve this attachment is important. Further improvement of the artificial entrapment
of microorganisms within polymers will allow the exploitation of the advantages of this
method in the treatment of fluids. There are two methods of immobilization processes
the self-attachment of microorganisms to the bedding material and the artificial
entrapment of microorganisms within polymer beads. Apart from the immobilization
process, biofiltration systems can be divided into two different treatment systems based
on the phase of the treated fluid, i.e., systems treating gas and those treating liquids.
39

There is a considerable difference in the operation of systems treating different phases of
fluid, even though based upon the same bedding material.
In biofiltration systems the pollutants may be removed from the fluid in several ways.
They can be adsorbed to the microbial film or to the bedding material. In biofilters
treating gas, the pollutants might be adsorbed to the water that clings to the bedding
material. The main way of pollutant removal in biofiltration systems, however, is the
biological degradation of the waste. In this way the contaminants are incorporated into
the microbial biomass or used as energy sources.






















40

CHAPTER 5
SUMMARY

Drinking water quality is essential to public health. Although water treatment is a
common practice for supplying good quality of water from a source, maintaining an
adequate water quality throughout a distribution system is never an easy task. Municipal,
agricultural and industrial liquid or solid wastes differ very much in their chemical,
physical and biological characteristics. There are two type of waste like inorganic waste
and organic waste are potent source of water pollution. Organic wastewater that is known
to cause serious problems may be contributed by distillery effluent, pulp and paper
effluent and textile effluent etc. Among the raw material sources for distillery, two very
important raw materials are cane sugar molasses and beet sugar molasses. Distillery
wastewater is usually composed of a high volume of acidic matter which presents many
disposal and treatment problems. Waste streams of distillery wastewater generally
contain high levels of both dissolved organic and inorganic materials. There has been
increasing interest in the use of ethanol from biomass as a liquid fuel alternative. Ethanol
fermentation is examined in relation to distillery wastes. Reducing the volume of wastes
may be accomplished by fermenting higher strengths of molasses. There are various
methods used in the treatment of distillery wastewater. Physical-chemical treatment of
distillery wastewater has little success. Anaerobic digestion, anaerobic filters, lagoons,
activated sludge and trickling filters have all been successfully applied to the treatment of
distillery wastewater. This diverse spectrum of wastes requiring efficient treatment has
focused the attention of researchers on membrane, ion-exchange and biological
technologies. Membrane and membrane separation techniques with immobilized
microorganism or enzyme have very significant role in treatment of distillery wastewater.







41


CHAPTER 6
REFERENCES
Basu, A.K. (1975). Characteristics of distillery wastewater, Water Pollution Control
Federation, Vol. 47, pp. 2184-2190.
Chang, M.C., Tzou, W.Y., Chuang, S.H. and Chang, W.K. (2003). Application of non-
woven fabric material in membrane bioreactor processes for industrial wastewater
treatment, 5th International Membrane Science and Technology Conference, Sydney,
pp. 10-14.
Gupta, R., Satyawali, Y., Batra, V.S. and Balakrishnan, M. (2008). "Submerged
membrane bioreactor using fly ash filters: trials with distillery wastewater", Water
Science & Technology, Vol. 58, pp. 1281-1284.
Kalyuzhnyi, S., Gladchenko, M., Starostina, E., Shcherbakov, S. and Versprille, A.
(2005). Combined biological and physico-chemical treatment of bakers yeast
wastewater, Water Science & Technology, Vol. 52, pp. 175-181.
Mohammad, P., Azarmidokht, H., Fatollah, M. and Mahboubeh, B. (2006). Application
of response surface methodology for optimization of important parameters in
decolorizing treated distillery wastewater using Aspergillus fumigatus UB2 60,
International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation, Vol. 57, pp. 195-199.


42

WEBSITE
URL 1: http://www.iitb.ac.in/~cep/brochures/2007/dikshit-bro-07.html .
URL 2: http://www.lenntech.com/membrane-technology.htm .
URL 3: http://water.me.vccs.edu/courses/ENV149/methods.htm .
URL 4: http://www.p2pays.org/ref/09/08972.pdf .
URL 5: http://www.industrialeffluenttreatment.com/molasses-based-distilleries.html.
URL 6: http://www.genesismembrane.com/membrane_modules.html