Industrial Wastewater Treatment

Wastewater containing elevated biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and total suspended solids (TSS) is generated by the food processing, rendering, leather tanning, and dairy industries, to name a few. Rose & Westra, Inc. (R&W) and its employees have provided engineering services to assist these industries at locations across the continental United States. A brief description of these services is provided below. Past clients of our staff include Eagle Snacks/Anheuser Busch, Iowa Beef Processing, Bil-Mar Foods, Eagle Ottawa Leather Company, Wolverine Worldwide, Blackhawk Leather Ltd., Eagle Tanning Company, and Michigan Milk Producers Association.

Wastewater-related services provided for industrial clients include the following:

Wastewater Characterization & Alternatives Evaluation
Accurate wastewater characterization data are necessary for alternatives evaluation, preliminary design, and cost estimation. The work includes evaluations of process variables, production rates, operation schedules, and cleaning schedules, followed by sampling and analysis of process wastewater at most source locations. Objectives of wastewater characterization include:

1. Identification of wastewater sources and discharge characteristics.
2. Identification of standard operating conditions contributing to the discharge of elevated BOD or TSS.
3. Evaluation of the range of typical removal efficiencies for existing treatment processes.
4. Evaluation of the correlation between TSS removal and BOD reduction (soluble verses insoluble BOD).

Wastewater and process operation data are evaluated to determine cost-effective treatment technologies and estimate capital and operational costs. This information is presented in Design Development Reports. R&W incorporates operating details of the waste-generating process in the design of waste treatment facilities. The wastewater treatment Design Development Reports typically include specific recommendations for fine-tuning the manufacturing processes, which can result in lower operating costs.

Wastewater Treatment Design and Construction Management
The selected treatment technologies are then designed and the equipment-specified. The facility layout is developed and drafted to accomplish the treatment objectives economically. Owners are closely involved with the facility layout decisions to ensure that the wastewater treatment facility is "user-friendly" and that layout does not interfere with production. Wastewater treatment facility contracts can be let as design/build "turnkey" projects, or designed for bidding by general contractors. R&W can provide construction management and inspection services to assist the Owner as required.

Waste Minimization
Treatment of BOD- and TSS- containing wastewater can generate waste solids that require either disposal or beneficial reuse. R&W has designed solids-handling facilities for wastewater treatment plants to accommodate volume reduction and stabilization. Waste minimization/reuse processes designed by R&W include composting, dewatering, drying, Auto Thermal Aerobic Digestion (ATAD) and land application.

Last Update:07/11/03