Effluent Treatment System 5-Day Course Outline

Course Overview

This 5-day course gives participants a practical understanding of Effluent Treatment Systems (ETS/ETP) used in industrial facilities to control, treat and reuse wastewater safely and efficiently. It covers influent characterization, primary, secondary and tertiary treatment, sludge handling, operation and maintenance, troubleshooting, monitoring and compliance. The course is aligned with the principle that industrial effluent control is driven by treatment performance and discharge standards, as reflected in technology-based industrial effluent regulations. US EPA

The course is especially relevant for KSA, GCC and Africa, where water security, wastewater reuse and sustainable industrial growth are strategic priorities. Saudi Arabia places water security and innovation at the center of national priorities; the UAE reports more than 160 wastewater treatment plants, over 3 million m³/day capacity and 73% reuse of treated wastewater, with a target to increase reuse to 95% by 2036; and African water strategies increasingly emphasize wastewater treatment, reuse and circular water solutions to strengthen water security. Saudi Water Authority UAE Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure African Development Bank

Who Should Attend

Process engineers, environmental engineers, plant operators, utilities personnel, HSE professionals, maintenance engineers, production supervisors, laboratory staff and project engineers working in oil and gas, chemicals, food and beverage, textiles, mining, utilities, pharmaceuticals and manufacturing.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Understand industrial wastewater characteristics and treatment objectives

• Explain the role of screening, equalization, neutralization, chemical and biological treatment

• Monitor key operational parameters and plant performance

• Troubleshoot common ETP process and equipment issues

• Improve sludge management, safety and compliance practices

• Support water reuse, recycling and sustainability initiatives

5-Day Course Outline

Day 1: Fundamentals of Effluent Treatment

• Introduction to industrial wastewater and effluent treatment systems

• Sources and characteristics of industrial effluent

• Key pollutants: pH, TSS, TDS, BOD, COD, oil and grease, nutrients, metals

• Regulatory concepts, discharge standards and environmental risks

• Typical ETP process flow and plant layouts

Workshop: Read a simple ETP flow diagram and identify each treatment stage.

Day 2: Preliminary and Primary Treatment Processes

• Screening, grit removal, oil-water separation and equalization

• Neutralization and pH control

• Coagulation, flocculation and clarification

• Sedimentation, flotation and chemical dosing basics

• Selection of primary treatment steps for different industries

Workshop: Build a treatment train for a sample industrial wastewater case.

Day 3: Secondary and Biological Treatment

• Biological treatment principles for industrial wastewater

• Aeration systems, activated sludge and attached growth concepts

• Anaerobic versus aerobic treatment

• Nutrient balance, dissolved oxygen, sludge age and biomass control

• Common biological treatment upsets and corrective actions

Workshop: Diagnose common biological problems such as foaming, bulking and overload.

Day 4: Tertiary Treatment, Reuse and Sludge Management

• Filtration, carbon, membranes and advanced polishing options

• Disinfection methods and reuse quality considerations

• Water recycling and reuse opportunities in industry

• Sludge thickening, dewatering, storage and disposal

• By-product, odor and housekeeping management

Workshop: Evaluate reuse options for cooling, irrigation or process applications.

Day 5: Operation, Maintenance, Troubleshooting and Optimization

• ETP start-up, shutdown and routine inspection practices

• Pumps, blowers, dosing systems, instrumentation and control basics

• Performance monitoring, sampling and lab interpretation

• Root-cause troubleshooting for poor effluent quality

• Energy efficiency, chemical optimization and operator best practices

• Building a site action plan for compliance and reliability

Workshop: Prepare a 90-day improvement plan for an existing effluent treatment plant.

Delivery Options

Available as online, onsite or in-house training across Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, Egypt, Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa and wider Africa.

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