POLYMER ADDITION FOR EFFLUENT QUALITY CONTROL
Richard A. Poduska, Senior Environmental Engineer
Jackson E. Hicks, Superintendent of Water & Waste Treatment Department
J. Wendell Howard, Senior Civil Engineer
Tennessee Eastman Company
Kingsport, Tennessee 37664
INTRODUCTION
The activated sludge process has found widespread application in municipal wastewater treatment, whereas until recently it has had only limited application in industrial
wastewater treatment. The effluent quality that can be obtained by municipal treatment
has been well defined and represents nearly the maximum achievable by biological
treatment. In contrast, however, the effluent quality obtained by industrial biological
treatment systems is often unpredictable and may be far less than for a municipal system. The factors responsible for the differences between municipal and industrial
systems are complex and possibly undefinable, but are certainly related to the influent
wastewater characteristics, which may include: the presence of inhibitory or toxic compounds, persistent or difficult to degrade organic compounds, and significant time-
dependent variations in the wastewater concentration, composition, flow, and pH. In
determining if the activated sludge process is appropriate in a specific industrial wastewater situation, it is important to recognize the potential difference between municipal
and industrial wastewater treatment and to conduct a comprehensive investigative and
pilot program to determine the effluent quality that can be achieved.
The Industrial Wastewater Treatment System (IWTS) at Tennessee Eastman Company,
a Division of Eastman Kodak Company, is an activated sludge process with aerobic
waste sludge digestion. The wastewater treated in this system is only the industrial
wastewater generated from the manufacturing operations in the production of organic
chemicals, plastics, and fibers at a facility employing approximately  11,500 people.
The average biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) load to the treatment system is
approximately 250,000 lb/day at a flow of 18 mgd. Gas chromatographic analyses have
shown that approximately 80-85% of the total BOD5 is attributed to acetic acid, methanol, ethanol, acetone, and isopropanol, all of which are readily biodegradable.
The activated sludge system consists of three aeration basins, three clarifiers, a diversion basin, a post-aeration basin, an aerobic digester, and the associated piping, pumps
and instrumentation. The system has been designed to allow maximum operating flexibility between the various parallel, series and series-parallel modes that may be desired.
A schematic diagram of the system is shown in Figure 1.
The three aeration basins have a combined capacity of 54 MG that provide a three-
day hydraulic retention time at the average flow of 18 mgd. Aeration and mixing are
supplied by  109 75-hp high speed floating surface aerators that result in an energy
input of 0.15 hp/1000 gallons. The clarifiers are 120-foot diameter by 14-foot side
water depth with center feed and peripheral overflow. The diversion basin has a 9 MG
capacity and is utilized to divert high TOC or low pH influent wastewater. The aerobic
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