ILIFO’s services are available not only to establish the effluent treatment plants but also to proper operation and maintenance of such plants. The technology will be selected based on the characteristics of effluent and the desired characteristics of treated effluent to meet the requirements. Recent works of ILIFO in this area are providing technical guidance for “Zero Liquid Discharge” systems based on reverse osmosis and total evaporation of reject.

The effluent generated in the tanneries is unacceptable for discharge in to the eco-system without treatment. The treatment of effluent should meet the discharge standards prescribed by the pollution control authorities.

ILIFO’s battery of experts provides technical guidance for designing effluent treatment plants, implementation, erection and commissioning and proper operation and maintenance of these plants.

Zero Liquid Discharge

Total Dissolved Solids, TDS in short, has been a major challenge for environment managers of tanning industry. Elsewhere in the world, treated tannery effluent, high in TDS, is allowed to be discharged into domestic sewage treatment plants where it gets diluted or into the sea. Unfortunately these options are not available to tanneries in many tannery clusters, particularly in Tamil Nadu.

I Tamil Nadu, the Pollution Control Board has directed that all ETPs and CETPs of tanning industry should go in for Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) systems. This has necessitated the ETP/CETPs of Tamil Nadu to go in for Reverse Osmosis (RO) Plants. ILIFO has been in the forefront in providing technical assistance to ETPs and CETPs of Tamil Nadu in establishment of RO systems. In order to evaporate the reject of RO systems, high in TDS content, ILIFO has also assisted many ETPs to establish an accelerated solar evaporation system. ILIFO’s services in this regard include complete design, assistance in selection of contractor, technical supervision of contractor’s work and continuing technical assistance, post-commissioning of the systems.