Pharmaceutical wastewater has a complex composition and may contain residual pharmaceuticals, chemical solvents, and persistent organic matter. Improper treatment of this type of wastewater can have a significant impact on the environment. Therefore, many pharmaceutical company managers ask, "What key considerations are needed when treating this type of wastewater?" This article will analyze this from the perspectives of stability and advanced treatment.
The key to treating pharmaceutical wastewater lies in managing water quality fluctuations and improving treatment thoroughness. First, pretreatment is crucial. A regulating tank is required to balance water quality and volume to avoid impacting subsequent treatment units. Subsequently, in the primary treatment stage, inclined plate sedimentation tanks are widely used due to their high efficiency. They can quickly remove suspended pharmaceutical particles and some colloidal substances from the wastewater, reducing the burden on subsequent advanced treatment.
Secondary treatment primarily relies on biological methods, but the biotoxicity of pharmaceutical wastewater often inhibits microbial activity. Therefore, incorporating a dissolved air flotation (DAF) system for physicochemical treatment at the front end is particularly important. DAF can effectively separate fat-soluble pharmaceutical components and certain chemicals in the wastewater, significantly reducing the biotoxicity of the wastewater and ensuring the stable operation of the biological treatment system. For applications with particularly complex composition or stringent discharge standards, integrated treatment equipment is a preferred option. Modern integrated treatment equipment often incorporates advanced oxidation units (such as ozone or UV-catalyzed oxidation), which can effectively break down difficult-to-degrade pharmaceutical molecules and ensure consistent effluent quality.
In summary, the key to treating pharmaceutical wastewater lies in balanced water quality, efficient physicochemical pretreatment (such as dissolved air flotation) to reduce toxicity, and reliable advanced treatment (such as integrated treatment equipment with advanced oxidation capabilities). The selection of a process must be based on a detailed analysis of the wastewater sample.
