Industrial Wastewater and Membrane

Technology

CHAPTER TWO
EQUALIZATION &
NEUTRALIZATION

Corliss Lin (Edited as of March 201

LESSON OBJECTIVES
1. Technologies for treatment of industrial wastewaters
2. Primary treatment
3. Equalization
- Objective and Purpose of Equalization Tank
- Type of Equalization Tank
- Sizing of Equalization Tank
4. Neutralization
- Objective of Neutralization
- Type of Neutralization Process
- Control of Neutralization process
Source: Industrial Water Quality 4th Ed [Link] Eckenfelder, Jr., Davis L. Ford., Andrew J. Englande, Jr. McGraw
Hill
Source: Industrial Water Quality 4th Ed [Link] Eckenfelder, Jr., Davis L. Ford., Andrew J. Englande, Jr. McGraw
Hill
 EQUALIZATION
• Equalization tank serves as holding tank so that
wastewater can be stored & supplied
continuously to IWWTP

• EQ tank effluent is more consistent in its

characteristics than is each separate influent -
Serve to produce flows or compositions, that are
closer to the average value

• Reduce the strength of the wastewater

When occasional dumps or spills are anticipated,
a spill basin with an automatic bypass activated
by a monitoring devise to divert into the spill
basin should be used
OBJECTIVE

January 19, 2026 6

 PURPOSE
• To provide adequate dampening of organic
fluctuations in order to prevent shock
loading of biological systems.
• To provide adequate pH control or to
minimize the chemical requirement
necessary for neutralization
• To minimize flow surges to physical –
chemical treatment systems and permit
chemical feed rates compatible with
feeding equipment
• To prevent high concentrations of toxic
materials from entering the biological
treatment plant January 19, 2026 7
 TYPES OF EQUALIZATION
PROCESS
• Alternating flow diversion
• Intermittent or off-line equalization
• Completely mixed on-line equalization
 ALTERNATING FLOW DIVERSION
EQUALIZATION

• Two or more basins.

• Design to collect total effluent flow in one
basin for a given period (typically 24 hours),
while a second basin is discharging.
• basins alternate between filling &
discharging
 INTERMITTENT OR OFF-LINE
EQUALIZATION

• Design to allow any significant variance in

wastewater parameters to be diverted to an
off-line equalization basin for short periods.
• used when toxic or difficult to treat flows are
occasionally expected.
• refineries, metal-finishing operations with CN
or Cr+6 batch operations, food & dairy
 COMPLETELY MIXED ON-
LINE EQUALIZATION
Industry A Equalization Tank

Industry B

Industry C
• Designed to completely mix a single flow or
multiple flow streams combined at the front
end of the wastewater treatment facility
• It is on-line & receives flows continuously
• This type of EQ is most often used by industry
MIXING IN EQUALIZATION
TANKS
 Contents of EQ tank need to be mixed
 Mixing provided to:
• Ensure
• Prevent settleable solids from depositing
in the basin of EQ tank
 Methods used for mixing
• Distribution of inlet flow and baffling
• Diffused air aeration
• Submerged mixers (commonly used)
January 19, 2026 12
SIZING OF EQUALIZATION
TANKS
The most common method for sizing EQ
tank is the mass balance approach, using a
cumulative flow or mass diagram,
sometimes called a Rippl Diagram.
 Rippl Diagram consists of plotting
cumulative flow versus time for one
complete cycle.

January 19, 2026 13

 Step 1: Plot accumulated
quantity of flow of the
waste stream versus
time
Step 2: Draw line that is
parallel to the line that
represents the average
rate of flow
Step 3: Draw tangent
lines to the mass
diagram at points that
are the maximum
distances above &
below the average rate
of flow line
Step 4: EQ tank storage
volume = volume
represented by vertical
distance between the 2
tangent lines
January 19, 2026 14
Source: Industrial Water Quality 4th Ed [Link] Eckenfelder, Jr., Davis L. Ford., Andrew J. Englande, Jr. McGraw
Hill
 Step 1: Plot accumulated
quantity of flow of the
waste stream versus
time
Step 2: Draw line that is
parallel to the line that
represents the average
Cumulative inflow volume, ft3

rate of flow
Step 3: Draw tangent
lines to the mass
diagram at points that
are the maximum
distances above &
below the average rate
of flow line
Step 4: EQ tank storage
volume = volume
represented by vertical
distance between the 2
tangent lines
January 19, 2026 15
Source: Industrial Water Quality 4th Ed [Link] Eckenfelder, Jr., Davis L. Ford., Andrew J. Englande, Jr. McGraw
Hill
Industrial Wastewater and Membrane
Technology

NEUTRALIZATION

Corliss Lin (Edited as of March 201

WHY NEUTRALIZATION ?
 Acidic & alkaline industrial wastewaters requires
neutralization prior to discharge to receiving waters.
 For biological treatment, a pH in the biological system
should be maintained between 6.5 & 8.5 to ensure
optimum biological activity.

January 19, 2026 17

TYPES OF NEUTRALIZATION
PROCESS
1. Mixing acidic & alkaline waste
streams
 Requires sufficient equalization
capacity to affect the desired
[Link]
Acid wastes neutralization through
limestone beds
 Acid conc. < 0.6% H SO (if present)
2 4

The low percentage sulphuric acid is used to

avoid coating of limestone with nonreactive
CaSO4 & excessive CO2 evolution  limit
complete neutralization
 The neutralization could be down-flow or
upflow January 19, 2026 18
TYPES OF NEUTRALIZATION
PROCESS
1. Mixing acidic & alkaline waste
streams
 Requires sufficient equalization
capacity to affect the desired
[Link]
Acid wastes neutralization through
limestone beds
 Acid conc. < 0.6% H SO (if present)
2 4

The low percentage sulphuric acid is used to

avoid coating of limestone with nonreactive
CaSO4 & excessive CO2 evolution  limit
complete neutralization
 The neutralization could be down-flow or
upflow January 19, 2026 19
SIMPLIFIED FLOW DIAGRAM OF
LIMESTONE NEUTRALIZATION

Source: Industrial Water Quality 4th Ed [Link] Eckenfelder, Jr., Davis L. Ford., Andrew J. Englande, Jr. McGraw
Hill
January 19, 2026 20
 TYPES OF NEUTRALIZATION
PROCESS
3. Mixing acid wastes with lime slurries
 Reaction is accelerated by heat & agitation
(oxygenating the mixture)
 The lime reaction is
 Lime is used up & carried out in waste
 E.g. NaOH, Na CO , NH OH, Mg(OH)
2 3 4 2

4. Alkaline wastes
 Mixing with H SO or HCl
2 4

 Bubble (Flue gas) CO through the waste  H CO 

2 2 3
react with the waste

January 19, 2026 21

CONTROL OF PROCESS
 System must:
 1. Add the proper amount of acid or base to the wastewater
 2. Adequately mix the wastewater & the pH-control chemicals
 3. Provide enough time for the neutralization reaction to reach
equilibrium or near-equilibrium conditions.
Note that the relation between pH and concentration or regent
flow is highly non-linear

January 19, 2026 22

PRIMARY NEUTRALIZING
AGENTS
1. Basic neutralizing agents
 Lime-strong
 Caustic soda-strong
 Magnesium hydroxide-medium
 Sodium bicarbonate-weak
 Sodium carbonate-weak

2. Acidic neutralizing agents

 Sulfuric acid-strong
 Carbon dioxide- weak

January 19, 2026 23