In the day-to-day operations of many laboratories, the resulting wastewater needs to be treated before it can be safely discharged into the environment. Chemical laboratory wastewater contains many hazardous chemicals and other harmful substances, such as acids, alkalis, heavy metals, etc. In order to avoid adverse effects on the environment and human beings, special sewage treatment plants are required.
In chemical laboratory wastewater treatment, there are two main steps, namely physical treatment and chemical treatment. These steps are usually done sequentially and need to be performed in different devices.
Physical processing. Physical treatment is the first step in wastewater treatment in chemical laboratories. Typically, this type of wastewater treatment includes the removal of solid waste. Solid waste can include small particles, dirt, or solids from filtration. Several physical treatment steps are used to remove these wastes.
Detail filtering. Before treating the wastewater, large particles of waste are filtered through a screen. The screen used in this link is soaked in water to help clean the particles. The size of the screen depends on the size of the waste and the particles, and can be made as thick or as fine.
Sedimentation tank.
For objects that are too fine to be filtered by the screen, a sedimentation tank is required. The sedimentation tank uses gravity as a principle to settle solid waste. This process is a slow process and requires waiting enough time until the solid waste settles to the bottom. The bottom sludge is then removed by a drain and discharged to the sludge tank for treatment.
Chemical treatment. While the physical treatment step is able to remove some of the harmful substances from the diluted wastewater, it does not remove the harmful chemicals. Therefore, in order to treat chemical laboratory wastewater thoroughly, chemical treatment methods need to be used.
Neutralization pools. Neutralization is the treatment of acidic or alkaline wastewater into neutral water. First, the effluent with acidic wastewater is added to a storage tank called a neutralization tank. Lime or other neutralizing agents are added to it to neutralize the acids in the acidic wastewater and become neutral water.
Activated carbon filters.
Activated carbon filters are a commonly used chemical treatment device that can remove hard-to-decompose compounds from chemical laboratory effluents. The wastewater flows into a filter filled with activated carbon from the neutralization tank, which can effectively remove many hard-to-treat substances, and the filtered water quality meets the national discharge standards and can be safely discharged into the environment.
Conclusion. In summary, the process of wastewater treatment in chemical laboratories is very important. Diluted wastewater needs to undergo physical and chemical treatment before it can be safely discharged into the environment. A variety of different equipment and tools are useful in this process, including detail filters, sedimentation tanks, neutralization tanks, and activated carbon filters. It is only through these treatment measures that the safety of the environment and people can be protected.