While sewer systems started centuries ago, sewage grinders are newer. They originated in the 1970s to help wastewater treatment plants handle the increase in sewage trucked in from homes and businesses that used septic systems due to the distance to the city sewers. By grinding the sewage pumped from septic tanks, it eliminated some of the clogs that could happen.

Industrial sewage grinders benefit many businesses and wastewater treatment plants. They’re used in apartment buildings, restaurants, food processing plants, and septage acceptance plants. Suppose you own a brewery with an independent water treatment system to ease the burden on the municipal treatment plant. An industrial sewage grinder can help break up any grains, hop flowers, and flavoring additives like cacao nibs or fruit that slip through screening steps.

Why should you take this step? It can keep your repair costs down by preventing problems before they occur. That’s one reason to look into this system. Or, if you’re plagued by blockages caused by organic and inorganic materials, it’s time to look at the benefits of a sewage grinder. How do you choose the right grinder pump for your needs? Start by understanding how a grinder works.

How Does a Sewage Grinder Work?

Have you ever used a garbage disposal system? If so, you’ll have an idea of what an industrial sewage grinder does. It grinds food particles in a residence before the wastewater continues its way to a sewer system. Some homes have garbage disposals on a septic system, but that’s not advised as the food particles can lead to issues in a septic tank and leach field.

While similar, a sewage grinder is designed for intense use. A sewage grinder pump has a plate at the bottom of the pump that grinds up materials before they’re pumped to a sewer head. The goal is to make sure any solids are small enough particles that they will not clog a line.

The sewage grinder sits in a large fiberglass basin. As wastewater comes in, solids sink to the bottom. When the unit turns on, the grinder’s blades spin and grind the items into small pieces that mix with the fluids to become a slurry. The pump pushes the slurry into the pipe and moves it towards the sewer pipes to continue the journey to the wastewater treatment plant.

An industrial sewage grinder is helpful in food processing plants, restaurants, breweries, and wineries. Before the wastewater heads to a sewer system, organics get ground up. Hop flowers, chicken feathers and skin, small bone fragments, and grape skins and stems are some of the items these grinders are equipped to handle.

You may want to look into one for your hotel or apartment complex. Some things that get flushed by residents can pose a serious issue in sewer lines and wastewater treatment plants. With a line to a sewer suddenly clogged, you have residents dealing with backed-up toilets and sinks. Affording the cleaning costs and damages gets expensive.

Flushable wipes and flushable cat litter aren’t as flushable as people might think. While you don’t want your residents flushing these items, you can’t always stop them. Fecal matter is another issue that can cause clogs in the pipes leaving the building’s basement. By installing a grinder pump, you can help the wastewater district avoid damage to equipment and clogs by grinding these items in a slurry before it travels to the sewers.

Choosing the Best Industrial Grinder Pumps for Your Needs

How do you choose an industrial grinder pump? Much of your decision is based on your industry and distance to a sewer line. The farther you are from the sewer, the stronger a pump you need.

#1 – What’s Your Company’s or District’s Goal?

What is the pump used for? Is it a residential complex or a food processing plant? That also makes a difference. A residential complex may not have loads of food scraps going down the drain all day, while an industrial plant may not have items like flushable wipes.

#2 – What is the Top Flow Rate?

One or more grinder pumps are in that basin where the wastewater collects. What happens next depends on the pump’s design. Some are operated manually, but others have floats that activate the pump. When the float reaches the top, the pump turns on, grinds the organic and inorganic materials, and pumps out all of those grounds and wastewater. Faster flow rates may require the pump to turn on more often. It would be best if you sized the pump to match the speed of the flow.

In some settings, you might find the wastewater flows more at certain hours. If this is the case, a pump that is manually operated may suit your needs. If you can’t predict when the pump will need to run, you need one that runs automatically when the float rises or at timed intervals. You need a pump that handles the max flow rate, not the average flow.

#3 – How Much of an Incline Does the Wastewater Experience?

What is your plant’s or building’s design? You need the pressure to get the wastewater up the slope if you’re downhill from the main sewer line. Do you have gravity helping the flow of sewage? You may need less horsepower if you’re downhill from the sewer as you have gravity helping. The grinder pump’s horsepower is essential if you deal with more lift to get the sewage uphill.

#4 – What Are the Local Codes?

Get to know the local codes to ensure your system is in compliance. This is why it’s often better to talk to an expert in sewer design. It saves you from expensive fines down the road.

#5 – Do You Have a Large Budget for Maintenance?

The lifespan of an industrial sewage grinder varies depending on the usage, whether the right grinder was installed, and flow rates. Maintenance helps extend the life, but there comes a time when you have to replace your grinder due to age or extensive maintenance.

What’s your operating budget? Do you have maintenance around regularly for routine maintenance? Do you use contractors? That can also make a difference. Most pumps are designed to be trouble-free, but things like sealed bearings that never need to be greased are worth looking at.

An industrial sewage grinder system is one of the greatest investments certain businesses and wastewater treatment plants can make. It comprises the grinder pump, a basin, the electricals, piping, and valves, making it something best left to a professional to install. You still should look at the goals of a sewage grinder and understand the options to understand better what type of pump is best for your needs.

Lakeside Equipment is happy to help you choose a suitable replacement for your industrial sewage grinder. Our engineers work with you to come up with the right system for your needs and budget. Give us a call to learn more about grinder pumps for your industrial needs.

One of the most popular questions we hear is how to establish a wastewater treatment plant to be as small in size as possible. Say you own a poultry processing plant and need a wastewater treatment plant, but you don’t have a lot of room. What are you supposed to do?

Your first step is to consult with an expert in wastewater treatment design. You need engineers, field technicians, and customer support personnel to work with you each step of the way. Be clear regarding your budget, be open to advancements like solar power that may cost more upfront but save more money in the long run, and listen carefully to their input on equipment that takes up less space.

There’s a second step you must follow before establishing your company’s wastewater treatment plant. You need to know the local laws and regulations. This is a second reason to enlist the help of a wastewater treatment plant expert. The last thing you want to do is start building your plant without having the proper permits in place. It would be best if you made sure the system you’ve built meets peak flow rates. A sewer overflow can be costly. You also have to meet the effluent guidelines before releasing the water back to lakes, streams, rivers, or ponds. If you don’t, you face hefty fines. It doesn’t matter how much space you have. You can’t ignore local and federal regulations for wastewater disposal.

How much can those fines be? It depends on the situation. It’s always better for your bottom line and the environment if you address concerns before problems arise.

A New York poultry processing plant was fined $330,000 for discharging wastewater that contained chicken fat and tissue. The plant used up to 450,000 gallons of water a day in its operations, leading to excessive flow rates at the local wastewater treatment plant. That wastewater treatment plant had to release untreated wastewater into the area’s tributaries, violating its discharge permit.

A Maryland paper mill owner was fined $650,000 for toxic waste or “black liquid” that ended up in the Potomac River. Though the plant closed years earlier, the waste has been leaking from the plant. The plant’s owner also has to find where the leaking materials are coming from, take care of them, and clean up the contamination.

So, you’re looking to add a wastewater treatment plant in a small area. What do you need? Here’s a guide to the equipment.

Equipment Needed in a Wastewater Treatment System

What equipment makes up a wastewater treatment system? It depends on what you’re using it for. Some equipment won’t be necessary if you’re just pre-treating water before it goes to the sewer. If you’re removing items, you’ll have additional equipment to consider.

No matter what your company does, you’ll start with a basin where the wastewater collects. Suppose you own a poultry processing plant. The water used to clean areas of bone scraps, blood, tissue, and features goes through drains to a holding tank. That basin may be underground. Grinder pumps or screw pumps will help move the wastewater to the first stage of the treatment process, screening.

Before getting to screening, it helps to understand the benefits of a screw pump. They can’t clog. Not only are they easy to maintain, but they’re also an efficient way to pump wastewater. You’ll have lower electricity bills. Screw pumps are also adaptable when it comes to their angle. If you have a small area to fill with your water treatment plant, shifting a screw pump to sit at an incline of 45 degrees will save a lot of space over a 30-degree angle.

Screening removes larger pieces like a tampon applicator from the wastewater before it causes a clog or jams up a mixer, propeller, or recirculation pump. Screening is another area where you can save some space. A Raptor Rotary Strainer is going to require less room than a Rotating Drum Screen in most designs.

A grit removal system may be needed if there are gritty components like coffee grounds or sand in the wastewater your plant produces. Wastewater is then stirred up so that solids and fats are separated from the liquids. They can be removed to an incinerator or compost pile to break down.

Bacteria feed on tiny particles of waste during advanced tertiary treatments. Eventually, the use of chemicals, such as chlorine, are used to sanitize the remaining wastewater. At that point, all that’s left is to allow the chlorine to dissipate. It’s now safe to release it to bodies of water.

The equipment you need depends a lot on what your goals are and where the wastewater goes next. If you’re treating water to remove some contaminants before it goes to the sewer lines, your needs might be different from a paper mill that’s cleaning the water of chemicals and pulp before releasing it to the river.

As you’re planning your wastewater treatment design, consider using technology to keep costs down. For example, we mentioned solar. Take advantage of grants and incentives that can help you install solar panels that will lower your energy bills. Wind power is another option. It would help if you also looked at turning any methane produced during the wastewater treatment process and using that to heat your plant.

Your Guide to Space Saving Water Treatment Equipment

You could have a lot of equipment and crowd it into an area or use a pre-manufactured system that makes the most of a small space.

Have you considered a complete plant? If space is limited and you want to keep operating costs down, a pre-manufactured water treatment system is a smart idea. Often, you have a little room to customize the pre-manufactured complete plant to match your exact needs. Benefits to packaged plants include:

• Simple operation that requires minimal staffing
• Easy to install and maintain, so your installation and maintenance costs are much lower
• Designed to fit in small areas
• Able to handle changing flow rates

A Raptor Complete Plant is a good choice when you have a small space and need to pretreat your plant’s wastewater. This system has a stainless steel tank that contains a Raptor Fine Screen, a Rotating Drum Screen, or a Micro Strainer. Once the wastewater is screened, it moves to the grit removal chamber. You can add aeration systems and grease traps, too.

Smaller spaces benefit from the Headworks Packaged System (H-PAC). Again, it’s a compact stainless steel tank that contains a Raptor Screen and a SpiraGrit Vortex Grit Chamber for grit removal.

Pair those with a Package Extended Aeration Plant that is a stainless steel tank that aerates, clarifies, and disinfects wastewater in one unit. As the wastewater is cleaned, sludge is contained in a holding area for easy removal.

You shouldn’t forgo efficiency and effectiveness when it comes to your design. You can have an effective, efficient wastewater treatment plant without having to cut corners. You just need to talk to an expert in wastewater treatment equipment.

Lakeside Equipment has been helping customers with wastewater treatment goals for decades. In fact, our company’s first water purification systems date back to 1928. Our employees own the company and strive to ensure you have a high-quality solution that matches your goals and budget while also helping the environment. Call us at 630-837-5640 or fill out the online form to get started.

Residential or domestic sewage is the wastewater that leaves a resident’s home or apartment complex. It’s the wastewater from a flushed toilet, washing machine, sink, or dishwasher. While it does need to be treated, it’s generally easier to treat than industrial sewage.

Industrial sewage also contains the wastewater from bathrooms and sinks, but it is harder to clean because it also includes the wastewater from manufacturing processes. For example, a poultry processing plant will have toilets for the staff to use, but there’s also the wastewater from the solutions used to wash the chickens before butchering. It has the wastewater from the butchering process that contains blood, feces, and feather, bone, and skin particles.

According to OSHA, poultry processing plants may use ammonia, chlorine, dry ice, hydrogen peroxide, and/or peracetic acid. That wastewater puts a strain on local wastewater districts, so connecting to sewers may require your plant to treat the wastewater first. If you don’t, you could cause damage to the environment or face fines. To do this, you have to consider the best industrial sewage treatment system for your needs.

What Industries Need Sewage Systems?

Food processing plants are one example of an industry that needs a wastewater sewage system. There are others. Generally, if a business creates large quantities of wastewater, a water treatment system is required. Agriculture, breweries, paper and pulp mills, steel plants, the oil and gas industry, pharmaceuticals, and textiles are examples of other industries that need wastewater treatment systems. Here’s why it’s essential.

• Agriculture – Chemicals like herbicides and pesticides, fecal matter, and the fats and sugars in milk.
• Breweries – Chemicals used for sterilizing processes, the grains and sugars, and water used for rinsing the hops and grains.
• Food Processing – As mentioned earlier, fecal matter, blood, bones, and skin, plus growth hormones and antibiotics.
• Iron/Steel Plants – Oil, cyanide, and ammonia are just a few of the contaminants.
• Paper/Pulp Mills – One ton of paper uses more than 15,000 gallons of water to make, plus there are bleaching agents, acids, hydrocarbons, etc. to consider.
• Pharmaceuticals – Drug waste is mixed into the water.
• Textiles – The clothing industry relies on materials of all colors, so bleach and chemical dyes are in the wastewater from textile plants.

The first step within an industrial wastewater treatment plant is to remove any solids through sludge removal. After that, any grease and oils need to be removed. Organic matter is also removed. At this point, any alkalis and acids are neutralized, and heavy metals are also removed. Chlorine and remaining contaminants are removed through membrane filtration.

It all comes down to the wastewater your company generates. You might need a sewage grinder as part of the process if you have a food processing plant. Other plants may not require it. Working with an expert in industrial wastewater treatment plants is important to ensure you have a system that works effectively, within your budgeted operating costs, and is easy to maintain.

What Are Your Options?

Lakeside Equipment has two package treatment plants if you want an affordable wastewater treatment system that’s ready to go. You have two options: E.A. Aerator Plant or Packaged Extended Aeration Plant.

The Pros and Cons of an E.A. Aerator Plant

To better understand the reasons to choose the E.A. Aerator Plant, it helps to look at what it does and when it’s the best choice. This plant includes a concentric (rings within rings) design with a Closed Loop Reactor in the outer loop and a Spiraflo Clarifier in the inner circle. You can add a second channel for seasonal variations, extra capacity, or more efficient biological nutrients removal.

The Closed Loop Reactor (CLR) aerates the wastewater before it goes into the next ring, where the Spiraflo Clarifier allows the sludge to settle. CLR is done using the Magna Rotor Aerator for fuss-free operation with low maintenance costs. It also is an easy system for workers to operate. The Spiraflo Clarifier offers an optimal hydraulic flow that maximizes performance.

The E.A. Aerator Plant is an in-ground concrete design. A mixture of concrete and steel or just steel are other options.

Pros:

• It offers greater aeration without driving up energy consumption in low-flow conditions.
• It has a space-saving design.
• There’s flexibility in the number of rings in the final design.
• Replacement and service are easy to manage as standard parts are used.

Cons:

• It’s not as effective if flow rates are higher than 0.5 million gallons per day.
• Screening is not part of the system.
• It takes up some space, making it less ideal in a smaller plant.

The Pros and Cons of a Packaged Extended Aeration Plant

Your other option is the Packaged Extended Aeration Plant. It is a pre-engineered system fit within a steel tank that contains screening, diffused aeration, clarification, disinfection, and sludge holding. There is the option of installing it within a concrete structure if that’s preferred.

The Packaged Extended Aeration Plant contains everything in one, making it a powerhouse in a smaller plant. The wastewater is screened to remove items that might otherwise cause clogs. From there, it is aerated and clarified before going through disinfection. All of the sludge goes into a steel chamber for easy removal.

Pros:

• Screening is an integral part of the system.
• The compact steel design is ideal for small plants.
• Easy to install as it’s an all-in-one system.
• It’s optimized for hassle-free operation with minimal staffing.

Cons:

• It’s not practical in larger plants.
• If a concrete structure is preferred, the components are shipped and installed on-site.

What if those are not suitable options for your needs? Consider a custom design. You might need screening as part of a more extensive wastewater treatment system for your factory. You need to have grit removal as a significant part of the process. These pieces of equipment may not be necessary, but you need careful filtration of heavy metals. A custom industrial sewage treatment plant is often the best bet for your business.

Planning Your Design

Your industrial wastewater treatment plant must meet your needs, but there’s much more to it than that. You have to know your district’s regulations. You may be required to complete a wastewater treatability study before taking the first steps.

If you have a poultry processing plant, you’re going to have to account for the biological hazards, fats, and bone fragments. In comparison, a company that cures hides for leather coats needs to consider all chemicals, hairs, sand, and animal fats going into the wastewater.

You have to look at your plant’s energy consumption, too. Your local power plant may not want you to use excessive amounts of energy, which means looking into ways to cut electricity and gas consumption. A wastewater treatment plant that can retain some of the gases for bio-fuel is optimal for your needs. We get it, and we’re happy to help you understand your options.

Lakeside Equipment has a full line of wastewater treatment products for industrial sewage. Our engineers are happy to work with your team to develop the ideal design that matches your budget and goals. We have screw pumps, screens, trash rakes, clarification and filtration, and biological treatment.

Talk to our engineers about your industrial wastewater needs. We’re with you every step of the way, from planning to installation and repairs that become necessary years or decades down the road. Give us a call.