Title

COKE INDUSTRY BIOLOGICAL WASTEWATER TREATMENT IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY

COKE INDUSTRY BIOLOGICAL WASTEWATER TREATMENT IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY

Authorship

JR., SAM E. SHELBY,

JR., SAM E. SHELBY,

I am this author

DOI

10.5151/2594-357x-5MinFe-771-780

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Abstract

For years, coke plant wastewaters have attracted special interest in industrial wastewater treatment due to their high strength and complexity. Typically, they have high concentrations of ammonia and phenolics, contain significant levels of free cyanide and hydrogen sulfide, and release these known toxic gases under acidic conditions. They also contain oils, tars, heavy metals (including iron, selenium, and mercury), complexed cyanide compounds that make treatment difficult, elevated levels of inorganic compounds, such as fluoride, and toxic organics, such as benzene, naphthalene, and benzo-alpha-pyrene. No other industrial wastewaters contain such a wide variety of compounds, some which can be found at concentrations of up to 1% in raw wastewaters. Biological treatment design and operation, most commonly the activated sludge process, have always been challenging. Now, due to increased regulation on nitrate and all forms of nitrogen, traditional approaches must be modified to address these parameters and improve performance and reliability. Traditional approaches to biological treatment commonly used in the coke by-products industry will be presented. Then, new approaches to better treat traditional compounds of concern, like ammonia, and newly regulated compounds, such as nitrate and all forms of nitrogen will be presented. Lastly, case histories of successful projects will be presented.

For years, coke plant wastewaters have attracted special interest in industrial wastewater treatment due to their high strength and complexity. Typically, they have high concentrations of ammonia and phenolics, contain significant levels of free cyanide and hydrogen sulfide, and release these known toxic gases under acidic conditions. They also contain oils, tars, heavy metals (including iron, selenium, and mercury), complexed cyanide compounds that make treatment difficult, elevated levels of inorganic compounds, such as fluoride, and toxic organics, such as benzene, naphthalene, and benzo-alpha-pyrene. No other industrial wastewaters contain such a wide variety of compounds, some which can be found at concentrations of up to 1% in raw wastewaters. Biological treatment design and operation, most commonly the activated sludge process, have always been challenging. Now, due to increased regulation on nitrate and all forms of nitrogen, traditional approaches must be modified to address these parameters and improve performance and reliability. Traditional approaches to biological treatment commonly used in the coke by-products industry will be presented. Then, new approaches to better treat traditional compounds of concern, like ammonia, and newly regulated compounds, such as nitrate and all forms of nitrogen will be presented. Lastly, case histories of successful projects will be presented.

Keywords

biological treatment, coke plant wastewaters, ammonia, phenolics, nitrogen

biological treatment, coke plant wastewaters, ammonia, phenolics, nitrogen