ADVANCED WASTE TREATMENT OF OILY WASTEWATER
Vagif G. Gadjiev, Associate Professor
Azerbaijan Polytecfinical Institute
Baku City, U.S.S.R.
Edward S. K. Chian, Associate Professor
Department of Civil Engineering
University of Illinois
Urbana, Illinois 61801
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this laboratory study was to evaluate the potentials of various physical-
chemical processes in treating oily wastes originating from one of the world's largest aerosol manufacturing plants.   Since the late 1960s the plant has not been able to dispose
of its liquid wastes in a manner which is satisfactory to state regulatory agencies.   This
is due to the fact that the in-plant treatment facility had been grossly under-designed with
respect to flow and organic loadings. As a result of this, a number of holding lagoons have
been installed to store treated wastewater that does not meet the local EPA requirements
for discharge into receiving streams.   After a long period of time of holding the partially
treated wastewater in lagoons, other problems developed-one of which is the odor problem from the anaerobic and facultative lagoons, especially obnoxious in the summer.   The
others are eventual lack of land for additional lagoons and pressure for a solution being
exerted by the local regulatory agencies. Therefore, the seemingly "stop-gap" solutions
which have been implemented in the past are continuing to cost the plant considerable
time and money, as well as its good image with the public to some extent.
In order to preclude recurrence of similar problems in the future, an engineering consultant has been brought in by the plant to deal with its wastewater problem in an effective, yet least-cost manner.   Two overall approaches or alternatives which are presumably
available to the plant for dealing with its wastewater problem are:   (a) to "completely
treat" its wastes and either discharge them directly into the receiving stream or reuse them
in the plant; or (b) to "pretreat" these wastes and discharge them into the collection system of the local sewage treatment plant.
Although a further in-plant pretreatment of wastes was found to meet the requirements
for discharge into the local sewage treatment plant, the cost associated with controlling
the flow proportionally into the sewage treatment plant as well as the already overloaded
local treatment plant negated the second approach.   Laboratory studies have therefore been
initiated to evaluate various treatment processes, including both biological and physical-
chemical ones, to treat either the raw wastes from the plant or the partially treated wastes
stored in the holding lagoons.   Whereas biological processes in combination with sand filtration were found to yield satisfactory effluent for discharging into receiving waters, the
Physical-chemical processes were studied for possible reclamation of treated wastes for
in-plant reuse.
CHARACTERIZATION OF WASTEWATERS
In order to have some access to what might be present in the raw wastes from the
Plant effluent, a survey of the raw materials received by the aerosol manufacturing plant
was carried out.   The major categories of raw materials received include: organic solvents,
vegetable oils, essential oils, detergents, dispersants, propellants, greases, lubricants, etc.
fhey are mostly oily basis materials.   In addition, domestic sewage also contributes part
the organic load to the waste effluent.   Table I gives the gross analysis of the average
concentration of organic matter in the plant effluent as well as that in the last holding
lagoon which has been stabilized by partial biological treatment followed by a long period
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