PHYSICO—CHEMICAL TREATMENT OF SUNMICA FACTORY WASTEWATER

Abstract

Manufacturing of sun-mica sheet is done by using phenol, formaldehyde and caustic soda as basic raw materials. The effluents from this process are produced from two units of the factory viz. the Laminate Section and the Distillate Chamber. These wastewaters contain very high ammount of COD, BOD etc. which may owe to large concentrations of phenols and formaldehydes. The disposal of such polluting and toxic wastewaters without treatment is not possible. Since the above constituents of the wastewaters, present in large concentrations are very toxic to bacteria, their prior reduction by physico-chemical treatment (PCT) will help in improving their biodegradability. Therefore this study was planned on the PCT of these wastewaters. On Laminate Section wastewater, coagulation, activated carbon adsorption and aeration studies were done in a series. The overall removal efficiencies are found to be good. On Distillate Chamber wastewater, phenol extraction using benzene as solvent, activated carbon adsorbtion and aeration studies have been carried out in series. The results of this wastewater treatment are also found to be encouraging. Despite of above mentioned treatments as the quality of the final effluent is not in the allowable disposal limit. Biological treatment may now be possible due to reduction in concentrations of phenol, formaldehyde and COD.