Process characterization and pretreatment of container and drum cleaning industry wastewater using a heat‐activated persulfate oxidation process

Abstract

The aim of this study was to treat wastewater from washing, cutting or crushing of intermediate bulk containers (IBCs), steel drums and plastic drums, using the sulfate radical-based oxidation method. In this study, it was planned to make the wastewater suitable for activated sludge treatment by applying neutralization after a sulfate radical-based oxidation process. Samples were taken from the industry three times to study these treatment processes. To determine the optimum conditions in the study, chemical oxygen demand (COD), removal efficiency was calculated, and optimum temperature, optimum time, and optimum persulfate dose were determined. Since the washing is done with hot water in the industry, the thermal activation method was used for the activation of persulfate. In the results of the study, COD removal efficiency, and total organic carbon (TOC), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and potentially toxic metal(s) removal efficiency was measured in three wastewater samples. According to the results of the study, the temperature at which the best COD removal efficiency was observed was 70 • C, the COD/S 2 O 8 2− ratio was 1:2, and the contact time was 5 h. As a result of the study, it has been revealed that such wastewater can be given to the activated sludge after sulfate radical-based oxidation and neutralization in the same existing reactor instead of the existing FeCl 3 process.