Effluent treatment in sugar

industry

Submitted by
Kiran Paulson
Contents
• Introduction
• Why do we need to treat wastewater
• Sources of wastewater
• Characteristics of wastewater
• Different steps in wastewater treatment
• Standard parameters for treated effluent water
• Process flow chart

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Introduction
• The sugar industry subsumes the production, processing and marketing of
sugars( mostly saccharose and fructose).
• Mostly extracted from sugar cane and sugar beet
• Essential basis for soft drinks, sweetened beverages, convenience foods, fast food,
candy/sweets, confectionery, baking products and respective industries
• Around 460 million tonnes of sugar is produced every year. The largest producers
are Brazil (72%), India (15%) and the European Union (10%).

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Why do we need to treat wastewater ?
• Wastewater from sugar industry, if discharged without treatment, poses pollution
problem in both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.
• Also, sugar industry wastewater when not treated completely produces unpleasant
smell when released into the environment.
• The majority of wastewaters are produced by cleaning operations.

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Sources of wastewater
•  Mill house – cleaning and Washing, Juice leakages, Spillages of mill bearing
water
•  Boiling house – Chemical boiling and tube cleaning of evaporator and pans,
Excess condensate water, pump leakages, Daily and periodical cleanings and
washings, laboratory and domestic  water usage
•  Spray pond over  – Blow down  of spray pond water
•  Boiler blow down
•  Power plant cooling tower blow down.

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Characteristics of wastewater
• Brown color
• low pH
• High temperature
• High BOD and COD
• Odor problem
• Total solids and high percentage of dissolved organic and inorganic
matter.
• Presence of carbohydrates, nutrients, oil and grease, chlorides,
sulfates, and heavy metals.
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Different steps in wastewater treatment
• Physio-Chemical treatment
1. Screening
2. Oil and grease removal by skimming
3. Equalization or Homogenization of effluent
4. Dosing of chemical for maintained neutral pH of effluent
5. Primary and secondary Clarifier- solid liquid separation
6. Chlorination system
7. Activated Carbon filter
8. Multi-grade or Duel media filter
9. Sludge management system (Centrifuge or sludge drying beds)
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1. Screening
• Removal of bigger suspended solids and floating matter like bagasse
• The screening chamber prevents these materials from choking pipe system and
clogging the pumps, impellers and aberration to equipment's.
• Passed through fixed bar screens which are 10 mm wide and 50 mm deep
arranged with a space of 20 mm between two adjacent bars.
• After treatment it passes into oil and grease trap by gravity

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2. Oil and grease trap
• Untreated sugar effluent stream contains some Oil & Grease, which may cause
clogging in mechanical equipment and subsequent treatment units of biological
treatment.
• Oil and Grease will float to the surface of the tank during the detention period
(half an hour) and are removed with the help of some mechanical equipment like
Oleophilic, belt type oil skimmer.

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3. Equalization of effluent

• The raw effluent is allowed into the equalization tank, and is mixed continuously
with a floating aerator or air diffused system to homogenize the combined effluent
from different sources of the plant and to maintain the uniform characteristics of
the effluent.
• Equalization tank will be to even out the fluctuations in the flow and quality of
raw effluent and to ensure supply of steady and uniform  flow of the composite
effluent both in terms of flow and quality to the subsequent treatment units.

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4. Neutral pH of effluent
• Equalization tank is mixed thoroughly by dosing lime or caustic soda
or soda ash to maintain the pH

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5. Primary clarifier
• The neutralized effluent from Equalization Tank is pumped to the primary
clarifier.
• Clarifiers are settling tanks built with mechanical means for continuous removal
of solids being deposited by sedimentation.
• Concentrated impurities, discharged from the bottom of the tank are known as
sludge, while the particles that float to the surface of the liquid are called scum.
• Sludge from the clarifier is sent to the sludge drying beds.

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 Biological Treatment

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Anaerobic treatment
• In Anaerobic treatment there is decomposition of the organic matter in the absence
of oxygen.
• In this process the sludge is converted biologically into a variety of end products
including methane & CO2.
• Anaerobic reactor
• Fixed film anaerobic reactor is referred as an anaerobic bio-digester where
anaerobic microorganisms grow on the rough surface of media.
• It treats the high degree organic effluents with minimal energy and also gives
useful bio-gas rich of methane.

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Contd..
• Effluent from Feed Tank is continuously fed to Anaerobic Reactor by Raw
effluent transfer pump to the reactor.
• The anaerobic organisms will degrade the high concentrated complex organic
matter present in the effluent. In this reactor plastic media is used as a medium to
adhere microorganisms.
• The anaerobic reactor COD will be removed by 70% to 80 %.

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Activated sludge process
• In activated sludge process, the microbial population is thoroughly mixed with in
coming waste water in a suspended form.
• The Bio-purification consists of converting the suspended and particulate organic
matter in the raw waste water into harmless end products and new cells growth.
• The effective and efficient operation of the biological activated sludge process
depends on the maintenance of a steady-state condition.  This means that the best
operation should be carried out without any sudden changes in any of the
variables.

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Secondary clarifier
• Each kilogram of BOD destroyed will generate approximately 0.45 – 0.80 kg
sludge depending upon operating conditions.
• To maintain suitable mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS ) concentration in the
aeration tank, the excess sludge generated has to be drained, otherwise, the
bacterial population in the aeration tank will be very high.
• The bacteria being nourished in the aeration tank has certain life cycle and
beyond, which they die. Dead bacteria being organic, they also contribute to
residual BOD and oxygen demand.

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Contd..
• As per  quantity of sludge from the secondary clarifier is pumped back to the
aeration tank and the remaining is drained and sent to the sludge management
system for further treatment.
• The clarifier is a hopper bottom circular tank with centrally drive clarifier
mechanism. In clarifier solids get settled at the hopper bottom. The supernatant
from the clarifier overflows uniformly over the peripheral launder and enter into
treated effluent tank.

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6. Chlorination system
• The treated waste will further be subjected to chlorination for disinfection.
Chlorine in the form hypochlorite solution for disinfection and oxidation of
residual COD.
• Chlorine dosing will be adjusted to maintained the residual chlorine concentration
of 0.5 to 1.0 ppm.

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7. Activated carbon filter(ACF)
• Activated carbon filter is used for removal of suspended solids, color and odor.
• ACF consist of a cylindrical mild steel vessel with dished ends.
• Activated carbon used as a filter media.
High Rate solids Contact Clarifier (HRSCC) or Accelerated Gravity Separator
(AGS)
• High rate solid contact clarifier shall be provided for removal of residual suspended
colloidal particles from the treated effluent.
• The HRSCC unit consists of central  reaction zone and peripheral settling zone.
Alum shall be added as a coagulant agent.
• Settled sludge will be removed continuously along the floor towards center of unit
by means of a slowly rotating scraper.
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8. Multigrade filter(MGF)
• Removal of suspended solids
• Multigrade filter consists of a cylindrical mild steel vessel with dished ends. Filter
media in the form of sand and gravel are provided.
• Treated wastewater will be received at the suction of multigrade filter feed
transfer pump.
• Filter feed pump transfer the treated wastewater to downstream of MGF and
treated water collected from upstream of the same.
• The MGF will have to be back washed at sufficient time interval or whenever the
differential pressure exceeds 1.0 kg/cm2(g) across the filter.

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9. Sludge management system
• The excess sludge from the Primary, Secondary clarifiers  should be  dewatered 
before final disposing. The dried sludge can be used as excellent manure due to
the high concentration of Nitrogen and Phosphorous in it.
Sludge drying beds
• Sludge Drying Beds properly dewater and dry the sludge, which is easy to
dispose. 
• Excess sludge from Primary, Secondary clarifier is taken in to the sludge drying
beds. The filtrate is collected through individual and main drains of sludge drying
beds, which will be taken to the equalization tank by gravity or pump.  The sludge
cake remaining on the surface will be used as fertilizer in agricultural forms.

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 Standard parameters for treated effluent water
S.No Parameters Standard norms Inland surface water Land for irrigation
1 pH 6.5 - 8.5 5.5 – 9.0 5.5 – 9.0
2 Total solids <2000 --- ---
3 Suspended solids <300 <100 <200
4 Chemical oxygen demand(COD) <250 <250 ---
5 Biological oxygen demand(BOD) <100 <30 <100
6 Oil and grease <10 <10 <10

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Process flowchart of treatment of effluent water for Land application ( with UASB Reactor)

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 THANK YOU

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