All You Need to Know About Liquid Solids Separation

The process of Liquid solids separation can include two phases; i.e. precipitation of dissolved metals into suspended solids and separation of solid and liquid. It is used in several processes for the recovery of valuable substances from the liquid. A separation system involves pretreatment, solid concentration, solid separation, dewatering (removal of excess water under a press) and post treatment. The process also heavily depends on the type of material which needs to be segregated from the liquid.

The process of separation has a major application in treating Metal Finishing Wastewater to ensure optimal recovery/removal of precious metals and removal of contaminants from recycled water. Metal finishing process such as electroplating involves finishing of several metals for various purposes and the process uses a lot of water for washing/rinsing purpose. The processed water gets contaminated with various hazardous heavy metals and chemicals.

Liquid solids separation is used to avoid and prevent the exposure of these hazardous substances into freshwater streams and aquifers. The process makes sure that heavy metals and other harmful chemicals are separated from the water to make sure that the residual water is safe to discharge as processed. Separation of contaminated water is also essential for the industries to meet compliance and guidelines set by EPA.

Hence, it is essential for a factory to have an effective and efficient filtration system.

An Insight into the Many Aspects of Landfill Leachate Treatment Systems

Rivers and freshwater lakes which constitute 0.007% of the world’s water supply are the source of most of the water people use.  Despite population growth, water withdrawals, use and consumption can be managed as a sustainable resource.  Although there are many options for water recovery and recycling, the major challenge is to overcome the effects of the uneven distribution of water.  The best way to mitigate these effects is to recycle contaminated water for uses other than as potable water, for irrigation, mining or other industrial processes.

One significant and common cause of water contamination is when it comes in contact with a landfill.  In scientific terms, it is termed as landfill leachate.

In landfills that are inadequately sealed, ground water ingression or rain water percolating through the landfill create a contaminated complex liquid or leachate. In both cases, there is a need of an effective Landfill Leachate Treatment System to ensure reuse of the wastewater.

There are leachate treatment technologies that are available today to serve as an effective leachate collection and removal system (LCRS) which reduce the cost of traditional methods such as hauling leachate to a local wastewater treatment plant. Some of the preferred technologies in the field include: biological treatment, physical/chemical treatment and evaporation. However, considering the process volume, contaminants present and requirements for proper discharge, a combination of technologies will often be the best solution.  The most cost-effective technologies include ultrafiltration (UF), membrane bioreactors (MBR) and reverse osmosis (RO).

RO, under some feed concentration levels is a promising technique as the permeate discharge values obtainable are lower than what may be achieved with any other procedure. If there is an absence of inorganic impurities in the wastewater, this would be an ideal feed system for RO as a prime leachate treatment system that offers the excellent results.