
Pathogens are bacteria, viruses, fungi, or any other microorganisms that can be present in wastewater that can lead to all kinds of health issues, including acute sickness, severe digestive problems, or death. This can further lead to eutrophication, or the deoxygenation in a body of water, killing the organisms and potentially leading to hypoxia or environmental dead zones.

If large amounts of nitrates and/or phosphates are not removed from wastewater and these nutrients are discharged into local environments, they can lead to an increase BOD and extensive weed growth, algae, and phytoplankton. High levels of BOD indicate an elevated concentration of biodegradable material present in the wastewater and can be caused by the introduction of pollutants such as fecal waste, cleaning, and wash-down from food processing or fertilizer runoff. What does a wastewater treatment system typically remove?Īn industrial wastewater treatment system might be made up of the technologies necessary to remove any number of the following: Biochemical oxygen demandīiochemical oxygen demand, or BOD, refers to the amount of dissolved oxygen needed by aerobic biological organisms to break down organic matter into smaller molecules. For example, for facilities that generate biological demand such as food and beverage a biological treatment system will be required to reduce the BOD (biochemical oxygen demand), etc.



It will also help the facility curb heavy fines and possible legal action if wastewater is being improperly discharged into a POTW (publicly owned treatment works) or to the environment (usually under a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, or NPDES, permit).īut what is a wastewater treatment system and how does it work? The most appropriate industrial wastewater treatment system will help the facility avoid harming the environment, human health, and a facility’s process or products (especially if the wastewater is being reused). For industrial companies producing wastewater as part of its process, some type of wastewater treatment system is usually necessary to ensure safety precautions and discharge regulations are met.
