Integrated Effluent Treatment

Integrated effluent treatment for air pollution control packages

Most ERG air pollution control (APC) packages generate a liquid effluent stream that must be managed safely and cost‑effectively. Integrated effluent treatment allows the gas cleaning plant to be linked directly with dedicated liquid treatment steps, reducing effluent volumes and contaminant loads and lowering ongoing disposal costs compared with standalone treatment or tanker export.

Why integrate effluent treatment with APC systems

In many projects, scrubber effluents are handled by an on‑site effluent treatment plant (ETP), discharged to sewer under a trade effluent consent, or tankered off site for specialist treatment. By integrating targeted effluent conditioning into the APC package, ERG can:

Minimise the volume of effluent needing external treatment or disposal.
Adjust effluent composition (for example pH and solids content) to fit within existing ETP or sewer consent limits.
Reduce reliance on tanker disposal and associated operating costs.

The level of integration can range from relatively simple pH correction or solids separation through to complex pre‑treatment and evaporation schemes delivering near‑zero liquid discharge.

Effluent treatment steps ERG can provide

To complement the gas cleaning package, ERG can include one or more of the following effluent treatment steps:

pH correction.
Settling and solids separation.
Flotation and flocculation for fine‑particle removal.
Sand filtration and carbon filtration for polishing.
Hydrocyclone thickening for solids concentration.
Dewatering using vacuum or gravity belt thickening.
Low‑temperature, low‑pressure evaporation for high‑strength liquors and zero‑ or low‑effluent discharge strategies.

These steps are selected and combined based on contaminant type, flowrate, existing site infrastructure and disposal route, ensuring that the effluent treatment is proportionate to both risk and cost. Contact ERG’s process sales team to find out more.