Design and Performance of a High Conductivity, High Strength Wastewater Treatment Plant for a new Phenol Production Facility

A wastewater treatment plant was installed to treat a high conductivity (30,000-35,000 uS/cm) high strength (4,000 mg/L Chemical Oxygen Demand - COD), high phenol (200 mg/L phenol) wastewater at a phenol production plant located on mainland China. Bench-scale biological treatability tests were conducted at an existing facility with biomass from the existing treatment plant and wastewater collected from an upstream production process with characteristics similar to the new production plant. The treatability tests showed that the existing low conductivity biomass could be acclimated to the higher conductivity wastewater and achieve 95 percent COD removal. A detailed biological seeding, acclimation and commissioning plan was developed based on the success of the treatability test program. This plan proved to allow a smooth transition to production wastewater.