Wastewater Treatment Basics Step 3
Separators for Wastewater Solids Separation
Liquid Solid Separation
Truly at the heart of wastewater treatment is the liquid solid separation process in that you are now removing the contaminants in the form of flocculent or sludge from your wastewater after any necessary pre-treatment or processing. After all what is wastewater treatment but water filtration in essence? That's an obvious statement but nonetheless worth repeating.
Liquid/solids separation comes in one of 3 processes:
- If the solids sink (specific gravity greater than 1) use a clarifier
- If the solids float (specific gravity less than 1) use a floatation unit (DAF)
- If neither sink or float (specific gravity is 1) try using a screen (rotary or parabolic)
Once completed you are left with recyclable wastewater, hopefully as close as possible to just plain water with minimized treatment energy expended, ready for reuse in your process or in other areas. This is the essence of wastewater treatment, removing the solids from the water efficiently, responsibly and profitably including liquid solids separation.
By the same token, after liquid solid separation, your leftover sludge or solids from floc should be ready for easy dewatering or sludge drying, potentially reclaiming still more water, and the sludge itself can in some cases become a raw material for the same or other processes, precious metals may be reclaimed, or at least become non-hazardous for safer and less expensive disposal. All of this is possible with superior liquid solid separation.
Liquid Solid Separation's Role
Great liquids solids separation with high quality and efiicient separators can be a key component in striving for waste becoming industrial inputs, the primary tenet of industrial ecology. In other words, a sustainable process that really has no "waste". Superior treatment of wastewater is part of that. Good efficient liquid solids separation is a key part of that superior treatment process. Solids removal from the wastewater can be mechanical, chemical or both.
The previous wastewater treatment steps, 1 and 2, lead to the liquid and solids separating and the solids settling out, or being mechanically pressed out, spun out or otherwise removed from your wastewater.
Click Here to see Integrated's line of Liquid Solid Separation Equipment...
After wastewater liquid solids separation comes the final step of wastewater treatment, sludge dewatering, unless you need a biological intermediary step as part of a polishing or other approach to high levels of soluble organics, wheter before or after liquid solid separation.
We did include a "You're Done" Step 6 in our basic wastewater treatment section, shown there on the left, to talk a little bit more about industrial ecology.
Click Here to Read About Basic Wastewater Treatment Step 4...
