Can air compressor wastewater be discharged directly?

Air compressor wastewater cannot be directly discharged, must be treated to meet environmental protection standards before emissions can be discharged. The following are specific instructions:

1. Composition and hazards of wastewater

Condensate water will be produced during operation of the air compressor. Its main component is the mixture of air compressor oil and condensate water, that is, the oil-water mixture. These oil-water mixtures contain pollutants such as mineral oil lipids, hydrocarbons and synthetic organic compounds. If discharged directly, it will cause serious damage to water resources and soil and pollute several square kilometers of land.

2. environmental regulations

According to the provisions of the “Water Pollution Prevention and Control Law of the People’s Republic of China” and the “Water Pollutant Emission Standards”, the discharge of condensate water from air compressors must meet a series of water quality standards, such as:

• pH value: Should be between 6-9;
• Cod concentration: Less than 200mg/L;
• SS concentration: Less than 50mg/L;
• oil concentration: Less than 5mg/L;
• other indicators: Odor, chroma, turbidity, total bacterial count, etc. should comply with relevant national standards.

3. processing method

Currently commonly used treatment methods include:

• physical separation: Separate oil and water in waste oil water by centrifugal separation, gravity separation, filter paper separation, adsorption separation, etc.
• chemical treatment: Use chemicals to treat wastewater to remove pollutants.
• biological treatment: Degradation of organic matter in wastewater through the metabolism of microorganisms.
• Dedicated equipment processing: Use special equipment such as OWS series oil-water separators to absorb oily wastewater through physical and chemical methods to achieve oil-water separation.

4. emission standards

The treated wastewater must meet national emission standards before it can be discharged. For example, the residual oil content of condensate discharged by air compressors must be less than 10ppm, meeting the requirements of the secondary standard of GB8978-1996 Comprehensive Sewage Discharge Standard.