Countless wastewater filtration systems are available for various industries, each with its own applications. In this article, we’re going to look at why wastewater filtration is so important and some of the systems you can use to maintain a clean wastewater supply.

What is Wastewater Filtration?

All types of businesses produce wastewater, whether it’s manufacturing, food production or anything else. The process basically involves removing contaminants, pollutants and any other suspended solids from water. This ensures the water can either be recycled for another purpose or discharged safely into the environment. With businesses all over the world trying to reduce their environmental impact while also keeping costs down, wastewater filtration provides benefits on both fronts.

Not only do you lower your impact on the environment by ensuring wastewater is properly cleaned and filtered. But you also reduce your operating costs, particularly when it comes to the disposal of contaminants. In many sludge dewatering systems, for example, the leftover solids (waste) become a dried-out cake that’s easy to dispose of.

Why is Wastewater Filtration Important for Environmental Sustainability?

An industrial wastewater filtration system isn’t just about protecting the environment, although that’s a big part of it. There are many other benefits to a business, including:

• Protecting Aquatic Life: If untreated wastewater finds its way into aquatic ecosystems, it can cause considerable damage. Like all biodiverse ecosystems, the introduction of contaminants and pollutants is never a good thing. Ultimately, it affects the environment, animal life and many animals’ food sources.
• Protecting Human Health: Animals aren’t the only ones affected by contaminated water. While our drinking water already goes through its own filtration processes, not everybody drinks from the tap. Depending on where you live and where your drinking water comes from, toxins in the water can be extremely damaging to your health.
• Reducing Your Carbon Footprint: Using modern wastewater filtration systems will likely use less energy to achieve your sustainability goals. Older filtration systems use more power and can be less effective. Therefore, installing modern industrial wastewater filtration systems reduces your carbon footprint and overall environmental impact.
• Better Use of Resources: There’s no argument that water is a valuable resource. Industrial operations often use large quantities of water, and this comes at a cost. However, by working with wastewater filtration specialists who can design efficient systems, you can reduce water waste considerably. In many cases, the clean water that’s left after the filtration process can be repurposed or recycled for use elsewhere.

As you can see, there are plenty of reasons to consider industrial wastewater filtration systems, especially modern ones that save you money while helping the environment.

Different Types of Wastewater Filtration Solutions

So, now that you understand why wastewater filtration matters, let’s look at some different treatment methods.

Interfil provides a range of different solutions tailored to your needs, and here are some of the options.

Centrifuges

Using centrifugal force to separate water from solids is one of the easiest and most common ways to deal with wastewater. A centrifuge is essentially a drum that spins at high speeds. This ‘centrifugal force’ pushes solids to the outside of the drum, allowing clean, filtered water to be discharged appropriately. Many industrial processes use centrifuges, which is why they come in all shapes and sizes.

For the ultimate efficiency, look for modern centrifuges that have auto-clean functions, as this reduces the amount of manual intervention required. Many centrifuges can work almost autonomously.

Surface Oil Skimming

Surface oil skimmers are designed specifically to remove oil, coolant and other lubricants from wastewater. Oils and other viscous substances can easily contaminate waterways and aquatic ecosystems, hence the need to remove them from the water before disposal. In addition, most industrial businesses enjoy the option of recycling or reusing oils and lubricants. The only way to do this effectively is to separate them from the water, allowing both the water and lubricant to be used again.

Filtration Media

Depending on the type of filtration system you use, it’s likely that you’ll need filtration media. Filtration media comes in many types, but most are synthetic materials that help to catch contaminants as water or oil passes through. The result is a clean liquid, free of pollutants and ready for recycling or disposal.

Choosing the right filtration media is essential, because they are all made for different filtration levels. Think of it like a fishing net. Water moves freely through a net, but a fish cannot. However, the fish you’re trying to catch will slip through if the spaces between the netting are too big. The same applies to the size of the contaminants that you need to filter out.

Sludge Dewatering Systems

During most wastewater filtration processes, a thick mass of solid waste is left behind. This is usually referred to as sludge, and can be messy and expensive to dispose of. Therefore, a sludge dewatering system is used to remove all remaining liquid from the sludge. The result is a dried-out ‘cake’ that’s easy to get rid of. It also makes the waste far lighter, which is a major factor when determining waste disposal costs.

Need Environmental Wastewater Filtration Solutions?

Interfil is a leading supplier of wastewater filtration and sludge dewatering systems in Australia. With a range of the very best solutions available, we tailor our services to your needs. From choosing the right products to installation and training, we’ve got you covered all the way. Environmental sustainability is a huge topic in all industries, and Interfil is here to ensure you meet your requirements while maximising operational efficiency. Contact us today to find out how we can help.

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