A 2-step approach to reach high environmental effluent standards for an edible-oil refining corporation in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic

A Dominican-based corporation implemented a wastewater treatment facility in a 2-step approach to assure its high environmental standards. Together with company CUSS a wastewater treatment plant was designed and build to treat high-concentrated wastewater originating from edible oil and yoghurt production.

CONCEPTUAL FORMULATION.

Extension Level 1:

A drum screen was implemented in a first treatment step to allow segregation of coarse undissolved material from the watery phase as a protection for subsequent machinery, e.g. pumps. The next treatment step is a well-dimensioned tank to equalize temperatures and organic loads as well as the neutralization of pH by adding acid and caustic into the wastewater. The high concentration of oils and grease were removed by a dissolved air flotation (DAF) before the water was discharged into the sewer.

Extension Level 2:

The second extension level contains an additional DAF to tackle the increased wastewater amount. A subsequent aerobic biological treatment step in form of two equally-sized Sequencing Batch Reactors were installed to allow the degradation of organic, nitrogen and phosphorus load with a degradation rate of more than 95%.

The cleaned wastewater was eventually injected with a NaOCl-solution and is fully disinfected discharged into the public canal.