Evaluation of a chemical dissolved air flotation system for the treatment of restaurant dishwasher effluent

Restaurant dishwashers consume a large quantity of fresh water and produce significant amounts of high strength oily wastewater which may cause serious problems when discharged into the sewer. An analysis of restaurant dishwasher effluent (RDE) from a busy upscale restaurant identified high levels of oil and grease, chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), alkalinity, pH, and chlorine, but low levels of nitrogen and phosphorus. In this study, RDE was treated using an internationally patented chemical dissolved air flotation (chemical DAF) system. The chemical DAF system was designed so that coagulation, flocculation, and flotation processes could be carried out within the same reactor. The treatment system is therefore small and compact and suitable for use in restaurants where space is limited. The treatment performance of the chemical DAF was evaluated by determining optimal process conditions, contaminant removal efficiencies, and residual contaminant concentrations. It was found that removal efficiencies of 98.90%, 93.16%, 98.68%, 90.04%, and 88.20% could be achieved under optimal process conditions for turbidity, oil, TSS, BOD5, and COD, respectively. Total coliform and E. coli were not detected in either the raw dishwasher effluent or the treated dishwasher effluent due to the use of sodium hypochlorite as a dishwashing sanitizer. Water quality of the treated effluent met the criteria put forth in the Canadian Guidelines for Domestic Reclaimed Water for Use in Toilet and Urinal Flushing, with the exception of BOD5. Present findings suggest that chemical DAF is a promising treatment process for the removal of contaminants from restaurant dishwasher effluent.