Wastewater Management: With Special Reference to Tanneries

Tanning is an ancient craft in India being practised for many centuries as an industrial operation at the village level has today acquired the status of a mature industry playing an important role in country’s economy. The industry is unevenly scattered in the country, and existing in the large medium, small and cottage sectors. Although the tanning industry has been in existence for long, the problem of environmental pollution received serious consideration only in recent years. The considerable damage caused to the water courses due to the pollutants from large number of tanneries in the country necessitates to find a solution to the problem of disposal of tannery wastes. The development of the tanning industry and an attempt to delineate appropriate waste management options should go hand in hand for maintaining proper ecological balance. The book presents an overview of the tanning industry-its characteristics, pollution impacts, processes and various treatment methods and disposal techniques, which have been experimental or put into practice over the past few decades, including the important data on tanning industries. It also deals with the cost considerations of the treatment techniques and economic assessment of the recovery systems. Development of scale up equations for anaerobic fixed film fixed bed reactor system for the treatment of tannery waste, including cost-benefit analysis, with reference to resource recovery is also presented. Cleaner-technology and waste minimization are also discussed to elaborate, how to reduce End-Of-the-Pipe (EOP) treatment to be given to combined tannery wastewater. The book will be of use to the practicing engineers, consultants, researchers, teachers and students dealing with tanning industry with special reference to waste treatment as also severe as a reference document.