Pharmaceutical Waste Water
Pharmaceutical wastewater has shown an explosive increase all over the world.
Its massive emissions have caused a serious impact on the environment.
Pharmaceutical Waste Water Category
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Chemical Pharmacy | Herbal Pharmacy | Bio Pharmacy |
Waste Water Origin
Production process drainage: Waste filtrate, waste mother liquor, etc. have high pollutant content and are difficult to handle.
Auxiliary process drainage: Including process cooling water, etc., this wastewater has low pollutant concentration and large water volume.
Rinse water: Including equipment, ground.
Characteristic of Waste
Pharmaceutical wastewater is rich in antibiotic residue, antibiotic production intermediates, organic solvents.
Unreacted raw materials, high COD, high SS, high TN, high TP,oily, inexplicable pH and toxic substances.
A large number of compounds with a benzene ring structure, although the stability of the drug guaranteed, it is difficult to be degraded
General Situation
Sewage Source | Pharmaceutical Domestic Sewage and Pharmaceutical Wastewater, pharmaceutical factories mainly produce drugs such as antibiotics, anti-cancer drugs and western medicine capsules. |
Processing Technology | Regulation Pit → Anaerobic Pit → Anoxic Pit → Contact Oxidation Pit → Sedimentation Pit → MBR Pit → Middle Pit → Activated Carbon Filter Tank → (NF System → Landscape Watering, Greening, Road Washing) / Discharge to Municipal Pipe Network / (RO System → Boiler Water Supply). |
Overview | MBR Membrane Pit with total 2 Corridors, each corridor with 9 units of PR Traditional Flat Membrane Module, at the end of 2021, it cannot operate normally for running three years with rapid pressure rising which affected both of the Permeate Flow Volume and Water Quality. |
Job Description | 2022/2, 9 Membrane Modules of one Corridor In situ were replaced with Array Double-layer Membrane Modules and one Standby unit of Module added,Ten units in total.in order to increase Permeate Flow,2022/10, Ten units of the Double-Layer Modules were replaced by a Three-Layer Modules, which improve the Permeate Flow from 600~700t/d to1000~1200t/d. |
Processing Flow
Wastewater from different pharmaceutical factories and even different workshops requires a lot of experiments to design a qualified process, which is usually a combination of multiple processes. Generally, physical and chemical means are used for pretreatment, followed by biochemical treatment and advanced treatment units.
Preprocessing | Biochemical Treatment | Further Processing |
Remove SS, Improve biodegradability | Remove Dissolved and Colloidal Organic Pollutants, Nitrogen & Phosphorus | Ensure Compliance with Standards or Reuse of Reclaimed Water |
SS(60%), BOD5 (25%) | BOD5 (85%~95%) | COD (5%~10%) |
Physical and Chemical methods: Coagulation, Aeration,Micro-electrolysis, Fenton Reagents, Catalytic Oxidation, etc. | Anaerobic Process: UASB, Two-phase Anaerobic Digestion, EGSB etc. Aerobic Process: Biological Contact Oxidation, Activated Sludge, MBR,CASS, SBR etc. | Membrane Technology, Activated Carbon Adsorption, etc. |
Membrane Module
Single-layer 14PCS Original Design as a Double-layer | Flexible Modular Layered Design | In order to increase the Permeate Flow,the unit was increased from two layers to three layers (the upper layer was lifted out and the new layer was connected) |
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Membrane module in another corridor has been running for four years, and the Permeate Flow has been greatly reduced. The Permeate Flow depends entirely on the Array Membrane, so the module was increased from a two-layer module to a three-layer module.
No. | Comparation | Traditional Membrane Module | Array Membrane Module | Advantages |
1 | Number of Modules | 9 Units | 10 Units | In Situ Replacement |
2 | Single Unit Area | 300㎡ | 378㎡ | Total Area Increased |
3 | Total Membrane Area | 2700㎡ | 3780㎡ |
4 | Unit Size | 3150*724*2650mm | 1720*965*3000mm | Small Footprint |
5 | Unit Specifications | Single Layer 300 PCS, Single PCS 1.5㎡ | Three layers 14 PCS, Single PCS 9㎡ | Double-Three Layers |
6 | Total Permeate Flow | 600~700t/d | 1,000~1,200t/d | Large Permeate Flow |
7 | Design Flux | 10.8LMH | 13.2LMH | Large Flux |
8 | Filling Density | 131.5㎡/㎡ | 227.7㎡/㎡ | High Reload |
9 | Total Aeration | 21.6m³/min | 12.3m³/min | Energy Saving |
10 | Permeate Flow System | The water pump was replaced with a larger flowrate device. | Convenient Operation without Changing Original System. |
Other Supporting System | The aeration & backwash system keep the original pipeline system. |
Double-layer Replacement & Three-layer Installation
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Before Replacement: Original Membrane Module. | Replacement in Progress: Dismantling the Original Unit. | Replacement in Progress: New Double-layer Unit Installation. | New Unit System Installation. | After Replacement: New Unit Operation. |
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Operation Stop, Lowering Liquid Level. | The Upper Membranes of The Unit is Lifted Out. | A New Layer of Membranes is Connected to the Upper Layer. | Three-layer Unit Installation. | Operation and Commissioning: Clear & Stable Water. |