Three wastewater treatment methods for fermentation pharmaceuticals
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- Issue Time
- Apr 18,2025
Summary
The rapid development of the fermentation pharmaceutical industry has brought a major challenge: how to deal with the large amount of pharmaceutical wastewater that comes with it?
These wastewater may contain complex organic substances and high concentrations of pollutants. If discharged directly without proper treatment, it will cause serious damage to the environment, threaten ecosystems and human health.
Developing effective wastewater treatment technologies has become the key to sustainable development in the pharmaceutical industry.
Physical method: Removing suspended and colloidal substances from wastewater
1. Adsorption method: Using porous solid adsorbents (such as activated carbon, resin, etc.) to adsorb pollutants in wastewater. Suitable for removing organic matter, heavy metals, etc. Simple and feasible, but the regeneration and treatment of adsorbents is a challenge.
2. Membrane separation method: using a semi permeable membrane to separate pollutants from wastewater under pressure. Including technologies such as microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration, and reverse osmosis. Efficient, but the selection and cleaning of membrane materials are key.
3. Air flotation method: By generating tiny bubbles, hydrophobic solid or liquid aggregates in wastewater are attached to the bubbles and floated up.
Suitable for removing oil, suspended solids, etc. Suitable coagulants need to be used in combination to improve separation efficiency.
Chemical method: Removing or converting pollutants through chemical reactions
1. Coagulation method: By adding coagulants (such as polyaluminum chloride, ferrous sulfate, etc.) to form precipitates, suspended solids and colloids in wastewater are removed. High efficiency, but may generate a large amount of sludge.
2. O3 oxidation method: utilizing the strong oxidizing properties of ozone to decompose organic matter in wastewater. Suitable for organic compounds that are difficult to biodegrade, but at a higher cost.
3. Fenton oxidation method: By catalyzing H ₂ O ₂ with Fe ² ⁺, hydroxyl radicals are generated to oxidize and decompose organic compounds. Suitable for treating high concentration organic wastewater, but the operating conditions need to be strictly controlled.
Biological treatment method: utilizing microbial metabolic activity to degrade organic matter
1. Aerobic biological treatment: Under aerobic conditions, aerobic microorganisms are used to degrade organic matter in wastewater. Including activated sludge process, biofilm process, etc. Suitable for treating wastewater with good biodegradability and relatively low operating costs.
2. Anaerobic biological treatment: Under anaerobic conditions, anaerobic microorganisms are used to decompose organic matter, producing methane and carbon dioxide. Including technologies such as UASB and CSTR. Suitable for treating high concentration organic wastewater, with low energy consumption but long reaction time.
3. Combination process treatment method: Combining aerobic and anaerobic treatment, first reducing organic matter concentration through anaerobic process, and then further purifying through aerobic process. Can more effectively treat pharmaceutical wastewater, improve treatment efficiency and stability.
These methods each have their own advantages and limitations, and usually require selecting appropriate treatment processes based on the specific characteristics and treatment goals of the wastewater.
