Shock loads in wastewater treatment
Understanding Shock Loads in Wastewater Treatment: Types, Challenges, and Solutions

In the complex world of wastewater treatment, shock loads pose significant challenges. These sudden spikes in pollutant concentration can overwhelm treatment processes, affecting efficiency and resilience. Originating from sources such as industrial discharges, stormwater runoff, and accidental spills, shock loads vary in type and impact. Understanding these different types, the industries they affect, and the challenges they bring is crucial for effective wastewater management.

Types of Shock Loads:

  1. Organic Shock Loads: High concentrations of organic compounds, often from food processing plants, breweries, and agricultural facilities, can overwhelm microbial populations, leading to decreased treatment efficiency and issues like odors and sludge bulking.
  2. Toxic Shock Loads: Industrial pollutants such as heavy metals, solvents, and pesticides can inhibit microbial activity, disrupting biological processes and posing risks to both human health and the environment.
  3. Hydraulic Shock Loads: Sudden changes in flow rate or hydraulic loading due to heavy rainfall or industrial production shifts can strain treatment systems, leading to operational challenges and potential overflows.

Industries and Effluent Characteristics:

The nature and impact of shock loads depend heavily on the industry generating the wastewater:

  • Food Processing: This sector often produces wastewater rich in organic matter, fats, oils, and grease (FOG), contributing to organic shock loads and challenging the biological stability of treatment systems.
  • Chemical Manufacturing: Wastewater from chemical production can contain acids, alkalis, heavy metals, and complex organic compounds, requiring specialized treatment to mitigate their impact on aquatic ecosystems and public health.
  • Textile and Tannery: These industries produce wastewater with dyes, solvents, and heavy metals, which can disrupt microbial communities and compromise effluent quality.

Challenges in Wastewater Treatment Systems

Shock loads present a range of operational, environmental, and regulatory challenges:

  1. Process Upsets: Shock loads can destabilize treatment processes, leading to fluctuations in dissolved oxygen levels, pH, and nutrient concentrations, which in turn disrupt microbial populations and decrease treatment efficiency.
  2. Sludge Management: Excessive organic or toxic loading increases sludge production, complicating dewatering, handling, and disposal.
  3. Compliance Issues: Failure to meet regulatory standards during shock events can result in fines and reputational damage.
  4. Environmental Impacts: Untreated or inadequately treated wastewater can contaminate surface waters, harm aquatic ecosystems, and pose health risks.

The Role of Bioremediation in Managing Shock Loads

Bioremediation is a sustainable, cost-effective approach to managing shock loads in wastewater treatment. By leveraging the metabolic capabilities of microorganisms, bioremediation enhances the resilience of treatment systems and improves their capacity to withstand shock events.

Strategies for Bioremediation:

  • Bioaugmentation: Introducing specific microbial strains to degrade target contaminants can enhance the treatment performance of activated sludge systems, restoring functionality after shock loads.
  • Biostimulation: Optimizing environmental conditions and providing essential nutrients promotes the growth of indigenous microorganisms, improving natural biodegradation processes.
  • Biofiltration: Biofilm-based technologies, like trickling filters and rotating biological contactors, can improve the resilience of treatment plants to varying hydraulic and organic loads.

Benefits of Bioremediation:

  • Resilience and Stability: Bioremediation enhances the adaptive capacity of wastewater systems, maintaining consistent performance during shock events.
  • Cost-effectiveness: Compared to conventional methods, bioremediation offers a more economical solution for managing fluctuating pollutant concentrations.
  • Effective Sludge Management: Robust microbial consortia help control excessive sludge production and improve sludge handling.

Conclusion

Shock loads in wastewater treatment, though challenging, can be effectively managed with bioremediation and other proactive measures. By understanding the types and impacts of shock loads, industries can adopt strategies that ensure compliance, environmental protection, and operational efficiency.

Curious to know more? Get a FREE sample of our Bioremediation Solutions for your effluent treatment or schedule a 1:1 consultation with our technical experts.

Wastewater Treatment for Distillery
Effective Wastewater Treatment for Distillery in Amravati, Maharashtra

Introduction:
The Integrated Distillery, a prominent food processing unit, specializes in producing whiskey and rum. Dedicated to environmental sustainability, they operate a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) to manage the industrial effluent generated during production. However, the distillery faced challenges in consistently meeting discharge limits for specific pollutants, particularly due to the seasonal operation of their effluent treatment plant (ETP). To overcome these issues, they implemented a bioaugmentation program, resulting in substantial improvements in treatment efficiency and regulatory compliance.

 ETP details:

The industry had primary treatment, biological treatment, and then a tertiary treatment.

Flow (current) 1200 KLD
Flow (design) 1500 KLD
Type of process ASP
No. of aeration tanks 2 (in series)
Capacity of aeration tanks 2000 KL each
RT 37-39 hours(each)

 

 Challenges:

The primary and biological treatments were significantly underperforming, leading to inefficiencies:

Parameters Inlet parameters Outlet parameters
COD 4,000 to 6,000 3500 to 5780
BOD 2000 to 3100 1500 to 2600
  • The primary treatment was working at 5 % efficiency in terms of COD reduction
  • The Biological treatment was working at an average 8 to 10% efficiency in terms of COD reduction.

They were struggling to effectively treat pollutants which compelled them to run the ETP at 40% less hydraulic load. The FOG in the effluent was uncontrolled as there was a high accumulation in pipes and equipment also which was the reason for higher CAPEX and OPEX. The conventional ASP treatment process was not efficient enough to consistently meet the stringent discharge limits for these pollutants set by local regulatory agencies. As a result, the industry faced the risk of non-compliance, which could lead to fines, reputational damage, and environmental impact.

Another main reason of the inefficiency was the seasonal operation of the ETP due to which the biomass which would have developed in course of its operation died completely due to lack of activity.

Our Approach:
The industry partnered with us to improve the efficiency of their biological units. They had a total of 2 aeration tanks, which were in series. With a total daily flow of around 1200 KLD. Our team conducted a visit to understand the process of the ETP and the timing of 3 months during its operation was selected.

After analysis, it was decided that the commissioning procedure would be followed where the flow rate will be gradually increased starting from 500 KL/day to achieving a full capacity of 1500 kl/day in order to generate healthy biomass via Bioaugmentation. Bioaugmentation is a process that involves adding specifically selected microorganisms, such as bacteria or enzymes, to enhance the biological treatment process in a WWTP. The team conducted a thorough assessment of the effluent characteristics and the WWTP’s operational parameters to identify the most suitable bioaugmentation approach.

Based on the assessment, a customized bioaugmentation program was designed and implemented at the industry. The selected microorganisms were carefully selected to target the organic pollutants The bioaugmentation program was integrated into the existing treatment process, and the performance of the WWTP was closely monitored for the next 3 months.

The program aimed to:

  1. Enhance COD/BOD degradation
  2. Optimize hydraulic load
  3. Develop resilient biomass to handle shock loads

Execution:
Following the analysis, we introduced T1B Aerobio, a formulation of facultative microbes that secrete enzymes to break down COD, BOD, and FOG. A three-month dosing schedule was established.

Reduces aeration processing in Wastewater treatment. Improves functioning & efficiency of biological units in WTP. Useful in activated sludge process bioreactors & biodigesters

Results:

 

The implementation of the bioaugmentation program resulted in significant improvements in the performance of biological units in their WWTP:

  • We were able to achieve around 80 to 89 % reduction from their current outlet parameters in COD & BOD
  • Biomass was developed with MLVSS values between 2800-3200.
  • The bioaugmentation program also resulted in other operational benefits for the industry.
  • The ETP achieved full capacity operations in terms of hydraulic load.
  • The biological process became more stable and resilient to fluctuations in the influent characteristics.
  • Increased plant reliability and reduced operational costs.

Are you facing similar challenges in industrial wastewater treatment? Explore the potential of bioremediation, and connect with our technical experts today:

+91 8855050575 / sales@teamonebiotech.com

Scan the code