The alarming point is that the (AMW) effluent even after the anaerobic treatment still contains very high COD and BOD values.

My two cents on the agitation going on in Punjab, Zira, against the industry engaged in ethanol production:

The production of sugar from sugarcane generates several waste products such as bagasse, press mud, and molasses. Molasses is the final residue from sugar crystallization. It is used as a raw material to produce several products and one of those products is ethanol.

The ethanol production produces molasses wastewater (MW) which is a high-strength wastewater; high in COD and BOD with low pH, strong odor, and dark brown color because of color compounds such as melanoidins including phenols, melanin, and caramel. It also contains nutrients in the form of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.

On average, 1 ton of molasses produces 0.2 tons of alcohol and generates 2.5 to 3 tons of MW. In simpler terms, the production of 1 liter of ethanol generates 10 to 15 liters of MW. MW is treated anaerobically and the effluent generated after the treatment is called (AMW).

AMW effluent after anaerobic treatment has lower values of BOD and COD as the process is able to reduce the COD values by around 60 % and BOD values by around 95%, respectively. But the process is unable to remove the dark brown color and a strong odor in the effluent.

The alarming point is that the (AMW) effluent even after the anaerobic treatment still contains very high COD and BOD values; the typical values of COD and BOD in the AMW effluent are; COD between 30-90 g/L and BOD between 1.0-3.0 g/L.

These values are very high than the typical values required for the disposal of any effluent on land or in a water body. For example, according to the norms prescribed by the World Health Organisation (WHO), an effluent with a BOD of less than 5.0 mg/l is ideal for discharge into the water bodies. At this limit, BOD will not cause any harmful impacts on the human body.

Similarly, the COD values of the effluent that can be safely discharged to a water body should be around 75-100 mg/L. So the AMW effluent, even after it is put through anaerobic treatment, has COD values that are 300-1000 times higher than the permissible limits and the BOD values of the AMW are also 200-600 times higher than the permissible limits.

AMW effluent also typically contains Potassium (K) around 3.0-9.0 g/l and Nitrogen N around 0.5-3.0 g/l. AMW effluent does not have Phosphorus (P) but it contains heavy metals such as Barium (Ba), Mercury (Hg), and Selenium (Se) at concentrations quite higher than the limits set by WHO for discharging the effluents into water body. These heavy metals invariably end up in the drinking water system.

It is a well-established fact that Mercury ingestion has bad effects on our nervous, digestive, and immune systems along with harmful effects on some organs, like the liver and the kidneys, which could prove to be fatal in the end.

Similarly, the deleterious effects of higher levels of Selenium (Se) in humans are; dizziness, fatigue, irritation of mucous membranes, and damage to the respiratory tract.

Conclusions:

1. From the above observations, it is evident that AMW effluent needs to be further treated and polished off by some chemical oxidation techniques coupled with UV treatment to bring down the levels of pollutants to the prescribed dischargeable limits before it could be discharged on the land or in a water body.

2. From my personal experience, while working as a Scientist at PAU (Department of Civil Engineering) in India, where a couple of my students carried out research in the area of management and treatment of industrial effluents, under my guidance, for their M.Tech thesis, I am not even sure, if there is a treatment being carried out for treating the MW generated at production unit, following the standard protocols and established norms for the treatment of such wastewater. It would be very easy to establish this fact.

3. Some third-party, other than the Punjab Pollution Control Board (PPCB), should be involved to find out the level of COD, BOD, Hg, K, and Se in the effluent. The third-party could be a well-reputed laboratory engaged in this type of investigation. The results can help the authorities to decide about the future course of action if they carry an honest and serious intent to solve this issue.

As explained earlier, the treatment of effluent from any ethanol production unit is not a simple process. It is energy intensive and needs an extensive multi-stage treatment system depending on the characteristics of the effluent. It is my guess, and not any conclusive information, that there was no treatment happening at the ethanol production plant, except diluting the effluent and discharging it either on the land or injecting it deep beneath the surface.

It is also true that the issues pertaining to the Zira factory can not be a recent phenomenon since it takes quite a while for the waterbody to get saturated with pollutants and appear in the water pumped out by tubewells or handpumps. The untreated effluent must have been injected or discharged from day one when the plant started its ethanol production.

The samples whose readings have been submitted to the court must be fudged samples. A judge has no means to confirm the authenticity of the findings. The only way is to involve an independent laboratory to confirm the characteristics of the effluent and find out the manner in which it is being discharged by this industry.

If I was investigating this I would be able to get conclusive evidence in not more than a week, if I had proper access to the ethanol production plant and an accredited laboratory for the required tests.

From my experience as a Scientist in India, it is very easy to establish any industry without establishing the protocols for the treatment of the effluent. The approval is usually granted without any hassles if the industrialist (owner) knows to use the right channels and pay bribes. Even the regular checking by the state agency, PPCB, is an eye wash.

All the parameters in the effluent are brought within the established norms by cooking the data. Hence, the industries flourishing in Punjab are operating without treating their effluents. There are no proper wastewater treatment plants for treating effluents.

Most of the electroplating and dyeing industries just inject their pollutants deep into the second strata under the earth. No industrialist wants to engage in treating the effluents since it is a cost-intensive process and would eat away a major chunk of profits.

While working in the Department of Civil Engineering, PAU Ludhiana, as a Scientist, I undertook a couple of research projects pertaining to this area. The results were shocking. There was no wastewater treatment plant on the premises, instead, there was a big mailbox-type box that was in one corner with WWTP written in bold letters over it.

The toxic water of the effluents, loaded with heavy metals, minerals, dyes, and other organic and inorganic pollutants, was apparently injected into the deep crevices, sometimes maybe 200 feet. We studied the samples from the first and the second strata of water underneath and the results from our investigation in the laboratory were horrifying, to say the least.

We compiled the report and sent it to PPCB. I am sure that it must have been assigned to the confines of their dustbin.

Note: These observations are based on my 18 years of working as a Scientist in the area of wastewater treatment and are not politically influenced.

___________

Also Read:

75 years of hope and despair

Centre’s Opaque Auction Rules For Pulses Rip Off Govt Coffers, Help Millers Strike Rich

Need to amend laws like UAPA to provide for punishment for those who slap false cases

Global Arms Trade: Who are the real winners?

Why not 40 pc tickets for women in Punjab and elsewhere?

Punjab – How a deadly cocktail of Agri-Water-Energy nexus going to destroy it?

North Pole and the ideological conflict of RSS & Hindutva

Politics of Symbolism: Dalit Chief Ministers in India