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Case Study

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Pharmaceutical Wastewater TreatmentIntroduction

Pharmaceutical wastewater streams can be diffi-cult to treat with conventional physical/chemicaland biological treatment systems. High chemicaloxygen demand (COD), variable strength wastestreams, and shock loads are just a few of the con-ditions that limit the effectiveness of these conven-tional systems.

Physical/chemical systems are a common methodof treating pharmaceutical wastewater; however,system results are limited due to high sludge pro-duction and relatively low efficiency of dissolvedCOD removal.

Biological aerobic treatment systems are also usedextensively, often with limited success due to thefinal clarification step. The clarifiers are susceptibleto sludge bulking and variations in total dissolvedsolids, often associated with batch process produc-tion, which can cause destabilization of bacterialfloc formation, with a consequential loss of biomassin the final effluent. These systems require constantoperator attention to adjust chemical dosing for thedaily, even hourly changes in influent flow.

Solution

GEs Water & Process Technologies has been devel-oping and advancing membrane bioreactor (MBR)systems to meet changing market needs. TheZeeWeed* MBR system is helping manufacturersmeet and exceed all direct discharge regulations,while simplifying the treatment process.

ZeeWeed MBR combines membrane filtration withbiological treatment. The system replaces conven-tional treatment and combines clarification, aera-tion and filtration into a simple and cost-effectiveprocess that reduces capital and operating costs.

ZeeWeed Features & Benefits

Feature Benefit

Membrane barrier technology Reliable, high quality effluent at all times Handles shock loads Reduces treatment chemical costs

Ability to handle high MLSS concentration Reduces sludge production and disposal costsSmall system footprint Reduces capital costs, clarifiers are not required

System can be placed virtually anywhereModular system Retrofit existing treatment tanks/infrastructure

Just-in-time plant expansion reduces capital costsSimple to operate Reduces labor costs

System can be operated remotely

Typical Treatment Results

COD Reduction > 90%

TSS Reduction > 99%

Phosphorus Reduction > 90%1

COD Reduction > 90%

TSS Reduction > 99%

1with chemical addition

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Page 2 Case Study

By using membrane technology, biomass retentionis assured, resulting in consistently high quality ef-fluent.

GlaxoSmithKline, Ireland

Capacity:130,000 gpd (492 m3/d)

Commissioned:2001

GlaxoSmithKline (Cork) Ltd. installed a ZeeWeedMBR system as part of an ongoing plant expansionfor treatment of side-stream wastewaters. The MBRis equipped with two ZeeWeed membrane filtrationtrains and has been integrated into the sites overallwastewater treatment system. The system is de-signed for treatment of sanitary waste and utilityblow down streams.

The plant consists of an equalization tank, pre-treatment screening, a combination bioreactor andfiltration tank, equipped with fine bubble diffused

aeration for aerobic biological treatment and Zee-Weed filtration.

ScinoPharm, Taiwan

Capacity:65,000 gpd (250 m3/d)

Commissioned:December 2002

ScinoPharm installed a ZeeWeed MBR system aspart of a complete solution to provide several levelsof ultrapure water through the facility, and to treat

all facility wastewater to meet discharge standards.The wastewater treatment system treats all R&Dand production wastewaters aerobically with aZeeWeed MBR system, including denitrification. Thewastewater is highly variable with high solvent con-centrations. The influent COD of 50,000 mg/L is ef-fectively degraded to a final effluent concentration

of < 500 mg/L.

Pfizer, IrelandCapacity:400,000 gpd (1,514 m3/d)

Commissioned:2001

Pfizer installed a ZeeWeed MBR system as part ofan ongoing plant expansion and upgrade. The deci-sion to install a containerized ZeeWeed MBR systemwas approved after successful pilot tests with theZeeWeed ultrafiltration membranes.

The new MBR plant is designed to work as an ex-tension of the existing activated sludge plant. The

membrane system consists of two treatment trains,each designed to operate in parallel. These trainsare standard systems, with a wet section housingthe membranes and a process section housing theancillary equipment, including process pumps,valves, instruments and control systems.