First full-scale application of electron beam technology for treating dyeing wastewater (30,000 m3/d) in China

Abstract

Electron beam technology has been widely investigated for the degradation of recalcitrant organic pollutants in water and wastewater in laboratory scale. However, it needs verification in practical application for long-term operation. Strikingly, for the first time, we have successfully applied electron beam technology to treat the actual dyeing wastewater in capacity of 30,000 m3/d in Jiangmen city, Guangdong Province, China. The continuous monitoring data of the effluent water quality showed that electron beam technology can be used as advanced treatment process to effectively improve the removal efficiency of COD and color. The effluent COD of electron beam unit stayed between 20 and 50 mg/L when the influent COD ranged from 180 to 280 mg/L, and the color of the treated dyeing wastewater decreased to about 10 times. The operational cost of whole wastewater treatment processes was about 2.0–2.5 ¥/m3, including electron beam unit. Based on the monitoring data of more than one year's operation, it can be concluded that electron beam technology could provide a solution for refractory industrial wastewater treatment, which is a high efficient and cost-effective advanced treatment process.