Industrial effluent

In the sewerage system there are three main effluent types: home and municipal effluent (grey water), effluent which source is in agriculture, and effluent who are from factories.

The last two are under the category “industrial effluent”, and are required many times in double monitoring (sampling the effluent and sending it to the Government Ministries: the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Ministry of Health) regarding the toxic substances discharged in them.

Factories and agricultural fields need toxic organic substances and inorganic substances in order to produce their products. The complexity created is how to treat the various effluent of those industries.
In agriculture, there’s usage of fertilizers and pesticides which contain phosphorus and nitrogen, and their leftovers are discharged to the sewage. Factories discharge various industrial leftovers to the sewerage.

Without treatment and purifying of the industrial effluent, our water sources and the groundwater would’ve became polluted and we weren’t been able to use them – a situation that’d create an ecological disaster.
In addition, effluent in the sewage system require it’s planning in advanced, and therefore if there’s a changing in the substances flowing inside the system or their dosage, the system could get damaged.

What is the process of treating effluent? 

The industrial effluent, the industrial leftovers, are discharged from the factory or the agricultural field to the municipal sewerage system and from there to the sewage treatment plant. In the plant, the effluent are taken care of and becoming reclaimed water that you can use in agriculture (especially for crops that filter the substances until they reach the fruit/leaves). After purifying the effluent, according to their contents, the purified waters are discharged to the water sources.

There’s a periodic monitoring that is performed by the municipal body (water and Sewage Corporation/ the council/ the municipality). In the monitoring, the content of the effluent is tested and a sample is sent to the supervisor from the Ministry of Environmental Protection for results analysis and treating guidelines accordingly.

Industrial effluent that contain a high dosage of dangerous substances will lead to a severe fine to the factory or farmer responsible, and the supervision on the same body will be heightened.
Industrial effluent are a staple product of industry or agricultural use that there is no way to complete avoid and therefore, proper and accurate care is essential for the prevention of the environment and man.