Potential of industrial wastewater reuse Original Research Article

The potential of industrial wastewater reuse in Jordan is discussed. Industrial water requirements, wastewater production, types of pollutants in industrial wastewater and the technologies for wastewater treatment have been evaluated. A total of thirty industries have been reviewed. The total effluent from the thirty industries reviewed estimated at approximately 10,200 m3/d. Of this amount, approximately 4,400 m3/d are discharged to public sewerage system, which is about 3% of the total flow. The amounts of metals to be controlled are: 6800 kg/y, 3000 kg/y, 45 kg/y, 65 kg/y, 20 kg/y, 2 kg/y, 25 kg/y, 60 t/y and 8 t/y of Cr, Zn, Cu, Pb, Ni, Cd, Sn, Fe and Al, respectively. Nineteen industries, which discharge mainly organic polluted process wastewater, are food industries. Approximately 5.3 t of BOD/d is discharged from these industries. Of these, approximately 2.2 t BOD/d are discharged to the public sewerage system and about 3.1 t BOD are used for irrigation. It has been shown that most of the selected industries require some treatment of their wastewater. It is recommended to carry out further studies to establish the type of wastewater pretreatment strategies and their estimated capital cost. There is a need for the introduction of a cleaner technology in the selected industries. This could include substitution of raw and auxiliary materials, water and energy saving, recirculation of water, recovery of chemicals, improved process control, waste minimization, and good housekeeping.