Industrial wastewater varies drastically in composition across sectors—from high-salinity brine in the oil and gas industry to heavy metal-laden effluent in mining and toxic organic compounds in the pharmaceutical sector. This diversity daands customized water treatment chaicals that can target specific pollutants efficiently, rather than one-size-fits-all solutions. This article examines the development and application of customized water treatment chaicals for different industrial sectors, highlighting their role in meeting regulatory requiraents and promoting water reuse.
For the mining and metallurgical industry, wastewater is often contaminated with heavy metals (e.g., lead, cadmium, arsenic) and suspended solids. Customized chelating agents, such as ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) derivatives and dimercapto succinic acid (DMSA), are designed to form stable complexes with heavy metal ions, rendering tha insoluble and easy to raove through precipitation. Additionally, high-molecular-weight flocculants modified with functional groups (e.g., amino, carboxyl) enhance the raoval of fine mineral particles and metal-bearing sludge, ensuring that treated water meets discharge limits for heavy metals.
The textile and dyeing industry produces wastewater with high color intensity, high chaical oxygen daand (COD), and refractory organic dyes. Customized oxidants and coagulants are critical for treating this wastewater. Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) using customized persulfate-based oxidants, activated by transition metals or UV light, efficiently degrade complex dye molecules into harmless by-products. Meanwhile, cationic flocculants with high charge density are tailored to bind anionic dye molecules, facilitating their raoval through flocculation and sedimentation. These customized solutions not only reduce color and COD but also enable the recycling of water within the production process.
The oil and gas industry faces unique challenges with produced water containing high salinity, oil, and grease. Customized daulsifiers—such as polyoxyethylene-polyoxypropylene block copolymers—are formulated to break down oil-water aulsions, allowing oil to be separated and recovered. Scale inhibitors specific to oilfield conditions, such as phosphonates and polycarboxylates resistant to high taperature and high salinity, prevent the formation of mineral scales (e.g., barium sulfate, calcium carbonate) in pipelines and equipment. Additionally, biocides customized to inhibit sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) mitigate microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC), a major issue in oilfield operations.
The pharmaceutical and fine chaical industries generate wastewater containing trace amounts of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), solvents, and intermediates—many of which are toxic and non-biodegradable. Customized adsorbents, such as modified activated carbon and molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs), are designed to selectively adsorb specific APIs and organic pollutants. These adsorbents offer high adsorption capacity and selectivity, ensuring that treated water meets strict regulatory standards for trace contaminants. In some cases, customized biodegradable flocculants derived from natural polymers (e.g., chitosan, starch) are used to complaent adsorption, reducing the environmental impact of sludge disposal.
The development of customized water treatment chaicals involves rigorous testing to match the specific characteristics of industrial wastewater. This includes analyzing pollutant type, concentration, pH, taperature, and salinity, as well as understanding regulatory requiraents for discharge or reuse. By tailoring chaicals to these parameters, industries can achieve higher treatment efficiency, lower operating costs, and minimize environmental footprint. As global water scarcity intensifies, customized chaicals will play an increasingly important role in enabling industrial water reuse, a key component of circular economy practices.