On-site Electro Oxidation Treatment of Pharmaceutical Wastewater With A Pharmaceutical Manufacturer
Brief Introduction About The Project, And Reason Why Adopting On-site Electro Oxidation Treatment of Pharmaceutical Wastewater
Henan XX Pharmaceutical Corporation was established in April 2010, it ‘s an enterprise focusing on the R&D and production of prescription medicine and its derivatives. During the production process, waste streams recorded some 30 cubic meters per day, the organic pollutants within the effluents are mainly COD, ammonia nitrogen, chromaticity, pyridine (a heterocyclic compound), and etc, with an approximately 2% salt within the effluent.
In response to the manufacturer’s enquiry on alternative treatment technology to degrade complex wastewater from the manufacturing site, Evoaeo team introduced electro oxidation wastewater treatment techology, one of the major advancements with the advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) treatment technology for on-site electro oxidation treatment of pharmaceutical wastewater, as reclatriant organic compounds in this specific wastewater are with complicated molecular structures and funtional groups, which makes them resistant to the conventional biological wastewater treatment methods, and regular advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) can not remove these refractory organic pollutants in an efficient way.
Influent Water Quality Prior To Electro Oxidation Treatment of Pharmaceutical Wastewater
According to the preliminary design, the main control index limits of the influent water quality are as follows in the table below.
| pollutants |
|
pH |
CODCr |
NH3-N |
| Concentration |
|
8-9 |
≤3000 |
≤100 |
*pH is dimensionless, other units are mg/L
Required Effluent Quality After Electro Oxidation Treatment of Pharmaceutical Wastewater
The manufacturer declared specific requirement about the data ranges over the effluent after adopting electro oxidation treatment of pharmaceutical wastewater, that is the meet the environmental regulations, and reuse the effluents for other purposes, check the table below for more details.
| Pollutants |
pH |
CODCr |
NH3-N |
| Concentration |
6-9 |
≤500 |
≤45 |
*pH is dimensionless, other units are mg/L
Treatment Process Flow Design & Equipment Arrangement For EO Project Adopting Electro Oxidation Treatment of Pharmaceutical Wastewater
Evoaeo team start prototyping and designing the electro oxidation treatment process flow chart and simulate the operating parameters for better performance and treatment efficiency.
We made adjustment on operating parameters for multiple times to optimize impact the efficiency of pollutant removal and energy consumption within the electro oxidation treatment of pharmaceutical wastewater processes:
Current density:
The amount of current applied per unit electrode area, directly affecting the rate of oxidation reactions at the anode. Higher current densities generally lead to faster pollutant degradation but can also increase energy consumption with the processes of electro oxidation treatment of pharmaceutical wastewater.
pH level:
The acidity or alkalinity of the wastewater, which influences the formation and reactivity of oxidizing species at the electrode surface, which means Evoaeo team need to adjust the pH valut of the electrolyte to be aciic before intaking the waste streams into the electro oxidation treatment processes.
Electrolyte concentration:
The concentration of the supporting electrolyte (like sodium chloride) added to the wastewater, which enhances conductivity and facilitates the transfer of ions.
Electrode material:
The type of anode material used, which significantly impacts the efficiency of pollutant removal due to its ability to generate oxidizing species. Common anode materials include boron-doped diamond (BDD), platinum, and lead dioxide.
Treatment time:
The duration of the electro-oxidation process, which determines the extent of pollutant degradation.
Inter-electrode distance:
The gap between the anode and cathode, affecting the electrical resistance and the mass transfer of pollutants to the electrode surface.
Temperature:
The operating temperature which can influence the rate of chemical reactions and the efficiency of the electro-oxidation process.
Initial pollutant concentration:
The initial concentration of the pollutant in the wastewater, which impacts the treatment time and energy required for removal.
System process flow chart we designed for electro oxidation treatment of pharmaceutical wastewater
View our process flow chart of the project from the figure below：
Equipment layout
Elector Oxidation Treatment Of Pharmaceutical Wastewater Process Description
This process is a treatment process designed for electro oxidation treatment of pharmaceutical wastewater, according to the characteristics of high-salt wastewater containing pyridine. Considering the poor biodegradability and high salinity of high-salt wastewater containing pyridine, the electro oxidation technology is used as the core treatment process. High-tech research and development of organic sewage. The process is simple to operate, does not produce sludge, and can realize automatic sewage treatment。
Adjustment tank
The production wastewater in the factory area flows into the adjustment tank to uniformize the water quality and adjust the pH.
Circulating bucket
The sewage is lifted to the circulating bucket by the lift pump. Then, the sewage is transported to the BDD electrochemical cell through the circulating pump for circulating electrolysis. After reaching the standard, it can be discharged to the clean water tank through the emptying valve. The top of the circulation barrel is provided with an exhaust gas discharge device, which discharges the carbon dioxide and other gases generated during the electrolysis reaction in time.
Stainless steel bag filter:
The filter is set between the circulating barrel and the BDD electrochemical cell, which can filter the particulate matter in the sewage, ensure that the BDD electrochemical cell is not polluted, and also ensure that the effluent is clearer。
Electro Oxidation Electrochemical cell:
The reaction cell is the core reactor, the sewage is circulated and electrolyzed in the tank, and the surface of the BDD anode is in contact with the sewage, which can directly oxidize the organic matter in the sewage and the oxidatively decomposed substances such as ammonia nitrogen. Under the action, the electrochemical region can ionize hydroxyl radicals with strong oxidizing properties. Hydroxyl radicals belong to active groups, which can quickly oxidize organic matter and ammonia nitrogen in sewage to achieve the purpose of reducing COD and ammonia nitrogen.
Clear water tank:
The sewage is discharged to the clear water tank for temporary storage after reaching the standard through electrolysis and can be discharged after the self-inspection meets the standard.
Cooling system:
During the BDD electrolysis reaction, the thermal effect of the current will release heat, which will increase the temperature of the sewage. At the same time, the decomposition reaction of the compound will release a lot of heat energy, which will also increase the temperature of the sewage. The temperature of the electrochemical system needs to be controlled below 70 °C. Therefore, Set up a cooling system to cool the sewage to ensure the continuous and stable operation of the entire electrochemical system.
Exhaust fan:
Carbon dioxide,hydrogen and other gases will be generated during the decomposition of organic matter, which can be collected centrally through the fan system to regulate the discharge.
The sewage reaches the discharge standard after being treated by the above-mentioned treatment process.
Debug data and treatment results with electro oxidation treatment of pharmaceutical wastewater
Evoaeo conducted six lots/batches of electro oxidation treatment experiments over the influents, check the experimental datas and treatment results with electro oxidation treatment of pharmaceutical wastewater below, the table include date of the specific lot/batch we conducted, reset current density, treatment time, and initial COD value.
