INTERNATIONAL CLEANER PRODUCTION INFORMATION CLEARINGHOUSE

CASE STUDY #47

1. Headline: Treating wastewater in the rubber industry

2. Background: Wastewater produced from the processing of

latex concentrate and the production of Standard Malaysian

Rubber (SMR) is traditionally treated in biological oxidation

ponds. In an increasingly environment-conscious country such as

Malaysia, where the permitted standards for discharge of

effluents into waterways have become very stringent, it is

difficult or impossible for the ponding system to meet

requirements. Furthermore, the traditional system uses a great

deal of costly process water.

Designing a system to treat the effluent to a standard

suitable for reuse or recycling has become an important

and challenging goal. Malaysia has about 80 latex

concentrate and 100 SMR factories, plus numerous rubber

product factories, that produce contaminated wastewater.

The implications of improved treatment techniques for the

preservation of the environment are therefore

considerable.

Golden Hope Plantations Berhad is a leading Malaysian

corporation involved in four business sectors:

plantations, resource-based manufacturing, property

development and overseas operations. Golden Hope has a

strong commitment to the environment and was admitted to

the United Nations Environment Programme Global 500 Roll

of Honour in 1992.

3. Cleaner Production Principle: New technology

4. Description of Cleaner Production Application: The

effluent from an existing oxidation ponding system is further

treated using a new system that produces water of a quality

that not only complies with statutory discharge criteria but

also suitable for reuse. No water is discharged into the

waterways.

Enabling technology: The new wastewater treatment system

is essentially an upward-flow clarification system with

integrated filtration and aeration features that makes use of

both physiochemical and biochemical processes to reduce the

chemical oxygen demand (COD), the biological oxygen demand

(BOD) and the solids content (SS) of the effluent.

The unique features of the system are:

- instant coagulant `penetration' of the `solids barrier',

resulting in ultrashort chemical reaction time, optimum

precipitation efficiency and minimum chemical

requirements;

- dual-stage clarification that maximizes the rate of

clarification and produces highly clarified water;

- closed-loop hydraulic agitation that improves

oxygenation of the flocculating mass;

- cascade aeration following filtration which gives

sparkle to the final effluent and improves the level of

dissolved oxygen in the water; and

- reduction of BOD and COD by as much as 90-95 per cent,

yielding single-digit values-sludge is soaked away in an

earth pit or filter bed.

5. Economics:

ringgits/year

Savings in treatment costs 25 920

Savings in process water 38 880

Net savings 64 800

Capital investment 355 000

Payback period 5.5 years

Where expensive public water supply is used for

processing, recycling offers a net saving of some 60 per cent.

A medium-sized latex concentrate factory can save 180 cubic

meters of water a day.

US$1 = about 2.54 Malaysian ringgits

6. Advantages:

- zero discharge to the waterways

- water reuse conserves an important resource

- the system is relatively inexpensive and easy to

operate.

7. Constraints: N/A

8. Contacts:Messrs Abdul Patah Abdullah and Chang Sin

Golden Hope Agrotech Consultancy Sdn

Bhd

12th floor, Menara PNB

201-A Jalan Tun Razak

P.O. Box 11043

50734 Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia

Tel: +60 3 261 5377

+60 3 261 5548

Fax: +60 3 263 1905

Telex: MA 30844/5

9. Keywords:Malaysia, rubber, new technology, latex,

oxidation pond, COD, BOD, filtration, clarification, water

saving

10. Reviewer comments: This case study was originally

published in the UNEP IE document "Cleaner Production in the

ASIA and Pacific Economic Coorporation (APEC) Region. In the

process of preparing the document the case study underwent a

technical review.