User:Horseshoecrab3/Effluent

Description
Effluent in the artificial sense is in general considered to be water pollution, such as the outflow from a sewage treatment facility or the industrial wastewater discharge from industrial facilities. An effluent sump pump, for instance, pumps waste from toilets installed below a main sewage line.

In the context of waste water treatment plants, effluent that has been treated is sometimes called secondary effluent, or treated effluent. This cleaner effluent is then used to feed the bacteria in biofilters. In the context of a thermal power station and other industrial facilities, the output of the cooling system may be referred to as the effluent cooling water, which is noticeably warmer than the environment and is called thermal pollution.

Effluent may carry pollutants such as fats/oils/greases, chemicals, detergents, heavy metal rinses, solids, and food waste. Possible sources include municipalities, food processing, textile industry, leather-making, biodiesel production, the medical industry, and aquaculture.

Pollution control regulation
In the United States, the Clean Water Act requires all direct effluent discharges to surface waters to be regulated with permits under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) and all indirect effluent discharges to treatment facilities to abide by the Pretreatment Program. The permits require discharging facilities to limit or treat effluent to the levels that result from using the most effective treatment technologies possible at a practical cost to mitigate the effects of discharges on the receiving waters. There are established standards for fifty-nine different industrial sources of effluent. It is mandatory for the Environmental Protection Agency to update the standards every year, and research regarding several sources of effluent are ongoing. Incompliance with these standards is punishable by law. Each year, these regulations stop billions of pounds of contaminants from being released into bodies of water.

Treatment
When treating effluent, it is difficult to reduce expenses, increase productivity, adhere to stringent standards, and prevent discharge of byproducts. Furthermore, depletion of clean, fresh, accessible water is a global issue, but evolving technology can help prevent this because improving treatment methods allows for re-use of water. Additionally, waste-to-energy technology transforms organic matter into usable electricity, heat, or fuel. Treatments also exist to remove certain elements, compounds, salts, and minerals from effluent [Brandt].