Treatment of organic pollution in industrial saline wastewater: A literature review

• Published in: Water research (Oxford) Vol. 40; no. 20; pp. 3671 - 3682
• Main Authors: Lefebvre, Olivier, Moletta, René
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.12.2006; Elsevier Science; IWA Publishing/Elsevier
• Subjects: aerobic conditions; anaerobic conditions; Applied sciences; Biological treatment; carbon; chemical treatment; desalination; Earth Sciences; Exact sciences and technology; Halophiles; Hydrology; industrial effluents; Industrial Waste; literature reviews; microorganisms; nitrogen; organic matter; Other industrial wastes. Sewage sludge; phosphorus; physical treatment; Physico-chemical treatment; physicochemical treatment; Pollution; pollution control; Saline effluents; saline water; salt tolerance; Sciences of the Universe; Sewage; sodium chloride; Sodium Chloride - isolation & purification; turbidity; Waste Disposal, Fluid - methods; Wastes; wastewater treatment; Water Pollutants - isolation & purification; water pollution; Water Pollution - prevention & control; Water treatment and pollution; Saline effluents; Biological treatment; Physico-chemical treatment; Halophiles; Organic matter; Waste treatment; Legislation; Aerobe; Biomass; Petroleum; Waste water; Salinity; Pollution; Anaerobe; Industrial waste water; Chemical treatment; Food industry; Leather industry; Turbidity; Agriculture; Regulation; Waste water purification; Waste water discharge; Saline effluents Biological treatment Physico-chemical treatment Halophiles; BIOLOGICAL TREATMENT; SALINE EFFLUENTS; INDUSTRIE AGROALIMENTAIRE; INDUSTRIE DU PETROLE; INDUSTRIE; PHYSICO-CHEMICAL TREATMENT; HALOPHILES
• ISSN: 0043-1354; 1879-2448
• DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2006.08.027

Many industrial sectors are likely to generate highly saline wastewater: these include the agro-food, petroleum and leather industries. The discharge of such wastewater containing at the same time high salinity and high organic content without prior treatment is known to adversely affect the aquatic life, water potability and agriculture. Thus, legislation is becoming more stringent and the treatment of saline wastewater, both for organic matter and salt removal, is nowadays compulsory in many countries. Saline effluents are conventionally treated through physico-chemical means, as biological treatment is strongly inhibited by salts (mainly NaCl). However, the costs of physico-chemical treatments being particularly high, alternative systems for the treatment of organic matter are nowadays increasingly the focus of research. Most of such systems involve anaerobic or aerobic biological treatment. Even though biological treatment of carbonaceous, nitrogenous and phosphorous pollution has proved to be feasible at high salt concentrations, the performance obtained depends on a proper adaptation of the biomass or the use of halophilic organisms. Another major limit is related to the turbidity problems inherent in saline effluents. For this reason, the major need for research in the future will be the combination of physico-chemical/biological treatment of saline industrial effluents, with regard to the global treatment chain, in order to meet the regulations.