“Organic Chemicals”

Controlling COD and

Shock Loads -
By Bioremediation

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 Table of Contents

Introduction

ETP flow Chart

Challenges

The Approach

Evaluation

Solution

Results

Six Month Progress

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 INTRODUCTION

Effluent treatment is an essential process for

the chemical industry as it is a significant
source of pollution. Chemical industries
produce a wide range of chemicals, and the
effluent from these industries can contain a
variety of pollutants that need to be treated
before discharge into the environment.
Biological treatment of effluent with bioculture
is an effective and eco-friendly method for
treating effluent from the chemical industry. A
chemical industry located in the Dahej MIDC
area was perturbed by surging COD, BOD, and
TDS levels. Our client had an activated sludge
process (ASP) that had 3 aeration tanks in
parallel. The effluent contained high levels of
chemical pollutants such as phenol,
formaldehyde, ammonia, and heavy metals like
lead, cadmium, and chromium. The industry
used microbial culture for reducing effluent
parameters. However, it was incompetent at
treating wastewater, which could not meet the
PCB guidelines.

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 ETP FLOW
CHART

Primary, Biological and Tertiary systems, with RO

& MEE.
The activated sludge process (ASP) has one
Anaerobic Lagoon and 3 aeration tanks in series.
Flow: Around 400 m3/day
Inlet COD: 18,000 to 22,000 ppm
COD outlet after biological treatment: 9000 to
17000 ppm

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 CHALLENGES

Due to the high TDS of 2,00,000 ppm, there was very

little to no MLSS in the biological tanks as normal
biomass was not sustainable.
The inlet to the Aeration tank and outlet to the
secondary clarifier was the same.
HIgh contents of Toluene and Phenols were present
making it difficult for the biological system to degrade
and reduce COD.
Frequent shock loads were common every 3 months
due to introduction of Tartrazine.
Due to low efficiency of COD degradation the efficacy
of MEE was also reduced leading to higher OPEX up to
30 % of normal cost.

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 THE
APPROACH

Following our thorough evaluation of the plant through

on-site visits, discussions with the EHS team, and the
completion of our WWTP evaluation form, we have
identified that the primary cause of the issues stems
from a deficiency of the appropriate biomass in their
biological units. Furthermore, the plant has several
waste streams entering its ETP based on their
campaigns. To address these concerns, we conducted
a Wastewater Microbiome Analysis (WMA) along with
an effluent treatability study. Afterward, we provided a
detailed techno-commercial offer.

The lab trial was designed to determine whether our

microbial consortia could thrive in the given effluent
mix while also reducing COD, BOD, and TAN values. The
WMA reports indicated satisfactory development and
growth of the microbes within the effluent.

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 PERFORMANCE EVALUATION
The ETP's performance was assessed based on several parameters,
including COD, BOD, TSS, pH, and DO. The findings indicated that the
ETP met the regulatory standards for effluent quality, demonstrating
its effectiveness.

The bioremediation program ran for 60 days and involved

bioaugmenting all the biological tanks except the Anaerobic Lagoon.
Eventually, the Lagoon was eliminated from the process flow as the
desired input was achieved without it. The process was divided into
three segments, each focusing on a specific area of the plant.

Plant Optimization To prevent any disturbances to the biological

system, we have stabilized the incoming effluent
flow rate. Previously, the flow rate was directly
proportional to the production, resulting in a shock
to the biological process. However, we have
transitioned to a continuous flow rate, avoiding any
abrupt or sudden changes.

T1B Aerobio Dosing We devised a 60-day dosing schedule that

incorporated T1B Aerobio strategically. The first 4
weeks were deemed essential, and the dosing was
kept high to raise the population of healthy
microbes naturally. Over the subsequent 4 weeks,
the dosage was gradually reduced, with the primary
objective being to sustain a consistent population
of microbes within the system.

Adjustment in The re-circulation of activated sludge from clarifier

to biological tank was going with full capacity even
recirculation rate
there was no biology. We adjust the flow to 20% of
the plant capacity.

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 SOLUTION
We developed a comprehensive strategy for the API
bulk drug Pharma unit, incorporating our MangEfficient
microbes, Wastewater Microbiome Analysis (WMA),
and necessary process alterations.

Aerobic Digestion Process:

Utilizes microorganisms in the presence of
dissolved oxygen.
Breaks down organic pollutants through
microbial action.

Biological Units in Wastewater Treatment:

Key component, responsible for 50-90%
pollution reduction.
Microorganism performance issues are
common.

Challenges in Aerobic Units:

Ineffectiveness and inefficiency are common
issues.
Poor microorganism performance due to
inadequate mixing and aeration.

Factors Affecting Biological Unit Performance:

pH variation, shock loads, external factors
impact efficiency.
Temperature changes, wastewater
composition alterations, influxes of toxic
pollutants.

Sludge Build-Up Impact:

Excess sludge reduces efficiency.
Regular removal and disposal needed for
optimal performance.

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 RESULTS
We observed 85.8% reduction in COD and 75% reduction in TAN
levels after 60 days and today the COD is in the range of 500 to
450 ppm in their biological outlet.

MLSS developed from earlier 700 ppm to around 1500 to 2000

ppm in all the 3 tanks.

Use of Anaerobic Lagoon

Shock loads under complete control.

Cost of MEE reduced to 50%

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 SIX
MONTHS
PROGRESS

Eliminated shock loads by continuous feed

Carried out WMA to understand their current biological health

Introduced T1B Aerobio considering the plant conditions and

the current process

After six months of monitoring, it's evident that the outlet from the
biological units consistently decreased despite fluctuating incoming
loads. This consistent outcome suggests that our resilient microbial
consortia effectively controlled all biological units.

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THANK
YOU!

Are you inspired by this success story?

Contact us to embark on your path towards establishing
a compliant and resilient ETP/CETP/STP system.

+91 8855050575

sales@teamonebiotech.com

309, Bldg. no. 8, Jogani Industrial Complex,

Sion-Chunabhatti (E), Mumbai-400022,
Maharashtra, India