Advanced Turnkey Solution for Industrial Wastewater: USR Process for Palm Oil Wastewater Treatment Project

The core challenges of industrial wastewater treatment center on the “three highs”-high difficulty, high cost, and high energy consumption. Wastewater from new energy, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries is complex in composition with numerous characteristic pollutants, and traditional treatment processes are difficult to remove effectively. Chinese companies have significant price advantages in the mid-to-low-end equipment segment. The industry also faces continuous technological upgrade pressure from increasingly stringent emission standards, as well as new requirements for digitalization and low-carbon transformation on operational refinement management capabilities.

These industry pressures drive the need for more adaptable, cost-efficient treatment infrastructure. That is precisely where prefabricated tank technology enters the picture-offering a construction model fundamentally different from conventional concrete approaches.

GFS Tanks Bolted Assembly Construction

GFS tanks are assembled on-site from prefabricated panels, with short construction periods and support for expansion, relocation, and reuse-advantages distinctly different from immovable concrete tanks. Concrete tank pouring requires formwork, rebar tying, pouring, and long curing periods, with a single tank construction taking months. Rain, snow, and low temperatures force work stoppages and delays. Once poured, they are permanent fixed structures that cannot be dismantled, expanded, or relocated-project relocation means complete abandonment.

GFS tank panels are all factory-prefabricated, transported to site, and directly assembled in panels with simple procedures. Construction can proceed even in low-temperature, light-rain conditions, with installation time only one-third that of concrete tanks-construction schedules are controllable. For expansion, additional steel panels can be installed to increase volume; for plant relocation, tanks can be fully disassembled with panels transported to new sites for reassembly and reuse, significantly reducing material and construction costs for new construction and reconstruction. This is ideally suited for short-term environmental projects, phased expansion projects, and relocated construction projects. This construction flexibility becomes especially valuable when deploying specialized anaerobic treatment systems-such as the USR Process - where tank configuration must adapt to high-solids wastewater conditions.

USR Supporting Equipment 

Core equipment is the GFS tank with no complex media or precision three-phase separators, featuring a rugged clog-resistant structure. Bottom large-diameter anti-clogging distribution system suitable for high-solids wastewater, preventing pipe clogging. Supporting equipment includes influent lift pumps, simple pretreatment screens, and equalization tanks for impurity removal and water quality balancing. Simple top gas collection devices and biogas conveying/desulfurization equipment for biogas resource recovery. Temperature, level, and pH online monitoring equipment. Bottom large-diameter sludge discharge pipes and pumps for rapid removal of high-concentration residual sludge, suitable for high-solids conditions. The complete system has extremely low failure rates, outstanding wear and clog resistance, and is far easier to maintain than conventional anaerobic processes.

This robust equipment configuration directly translates into practical advantages for complex industrial effluents. One of the most demanding applications-and one where Center Enamel has demonstrated repeatable results-is the treatment of palm oil mill effluent through a fully integrated approach.

Palm Oil Mill Effluent Standardized Treatment Solutions

Core treatment uses a mature train of “oil separation/cooling pretreatment + CSTR/USR anaerobic digestion + aerobic treatment + advanced treatment”-perfectly suited for POME’s high-concentration, high-oil, high-temperature, low-pH characteristics. Pretreatment: Raw POME first enters oil separation tanks/oil separators to remove free and dispersed oil-recovered palm oil can be sold as a resource, significantly reducing organic load. Cooling towers/heat exchangers reduce temperature from 60−80∘C60−80∘C to 35−38∘C35−38∘C for mesophilic anaerobic digestion. Lime/NaOH addition adjusts pH from 4.0-5.0 to 6.8-7.2 for optimal anaerobic conditions.

Screens and sedimentation tanks remove fruit shell fibers, fruit pulp residues, and other large suspended solids to prevent distribution system and pipe clogging. Main anaerobic treatment: Center Enamel CSTR or USR Process anaerobic reactors with GFS tanks as core reaction equipment, suited to POME‘s high-concentration, high-oil, high-suspended-solids conditions. CSTR mechanical mixing addresses oil floating layers, suspended solids sedimentation, and surface crusting-the three major challenges-ensuring thorough material-microbe contact. USR simplifies internal structure with anti-clogging, high-solids tolerance-suited for high-suspended-solids POME. Single GFS anaerobic tank effective volume 3,000-10,000 m3m3, with multiple tanks configurable for different mill capacities.

Anaerobic digestion HRT 20-30 days, COD removal 80−90%80−90%, BOD removal 85−92%85−92%, with simultaneous large-volume biogas production. Aerobic treatment: Anaerobic effluent still has COD 3,000-10,000 mg/L-requiring aerobic polishing. A/O, A2OA2O, or SBR processes further degrade residual organics and remove nitrogen/phosphorus, reducing COD to 200−500mg/L200−500mg/L and BOD to 50−100mg/L50−100mg/L. Advanced treatment: Depending on discharge standards or reuse requirements, BAF, coagulation/sedimentation, sand filtration, or constructed wetlands reduce COD to below 100mg/L100mg/L and ammonia to below 10mg/L10mg/L for irrigation reuse or surface discharge compliance. Biogas utilization: POME anaerobic digestion produces exceptionally high biogas yields-8-15 m3m3 biogas per m3m3 wastewater-after desulfurization and dehydration, biogas can be used for CHP, meeting 30−50%30−50% of mill electricity demand, with waste heat used for digester heating and FFB sterilization preheating-achieving energy self-sufficiency.

The effectiveness of this standardized approach is not limited to theoretical design. It has been validated in full-scale municipal and industrial deployments across multiple continents-including a notable project in West Africa.

Ghana Municipal Domestic Wastewater Treatment Project

Completed installation in 2021, treating 1,800 m3m3/day of municipal wastewater using UBF anaerobic +A2/O+A2/O nitrogen/phosphorus removal mature processes. Equipped with multiple Center Enamel GFS tanks including 1 UBF anaerobic reactor, 1 secondary clarifier, and 2 internal/external double-layer A2/OA2/O biological tanks. Influent has high COD, BOD, suspended solids, and nitrogen/phosphorus concentrations-after full treatment, effluent parameters are significantly reduced with pH stable at 6.5-9.0, fully meeting local environmental discharge standards. Corrosion-resistant, conveniently assembled GFS tanks efficiently solve urban domestic wastewater pollution while balancing treatment effectiveness and O&M economics-a mature municipal wastewater case in Africa.

This project exemplifies the kind of integrated delivery capability that Center Enamel brings to each engagement-not merely supplying tanks, but delivering complete engineered systems tailored to site-specific conditions.

Full-Category Complete Product Matrix of Center Enamel

Center Enamel has built a complete product matrix of “core storage tanks + supporting covers + specialty pressure vessels + complete environmental engineering services”-the only company globally to achieve integrated enamel frit R&D, self-manufacturing, and GFS tank application.

① Core: Proprietary GFS Tanks Using proprietary double-sided hot-rolled double-layer enamel anti-corrosion technology-resistant to strong acids/alkalis, high salinity, and microbial corrosion-modular quick assembly-suitable for all strong-corrosion conditions in wastewater, biogas, and chemical applications.

② Supporting: Fusion Bonded Epoxy Tanks Produced on China‘s first intelligent standardized production line-primarily for drinking water, fire water, and neutral medium storage.

③ Sealing: Aluminum Dome Covers Proprietary high-strength aluminum alloy self-supporting structure-meeting international waterproof and load-bearing standards-suitable for tank sealing and biogas collection.

④ Other Tanks: Carbon Steel Tanks, Stainless Steel Tanks, Composting Tanks, Various Non-Standard Pressure Vessels.

⑤ Engineering Services: Environmental EPC General Contracting, Anaerobic Process Section Subcontracting - one-stop coverage across food waste, leachate, municipal wastewater, livestock biogas, petrochemical/metallurgical, and seawater desalination industries-customizable tank volume, corrosion protection grade, and complete process solutions with integrated equipment manufacturing and engineering construction.

This comprehensive product and service matrix enables Center Enamel to function as a single-source Turnkey Solution provider-from design and manufacturing through installation and long-term service-which is supported by a globally integrated service infrastructure.

Global Integrated Standardized Service System

Leveraging regional sales centers in China and overseas local agent networks, Center Enamel has established a complete after-sales service loop covering all markets. The system provides four core service pillars: 24/7 rapid response mechanism, on-site domestic/overseas installation services, full-project-cycle aftersales support, and long-term warranty protection-forming a complete service chain from preliminary site survey, mid-term construction management, to long-term inspection and maintenance. The entire system is uniformly adapted to both domestic and international project service standards, coordinating personnel scheduling, material support, and on-site coordination for simultaneous projects across multiple regions-significantly reducing customer multi-party coordination costs and ensuring efficient domestic and overseas project delivery.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Turnkey Solution for industrial wastewater treatment?

A Turnkey Solution covers design, equipment manufacturing, installation, commissioning, and ongoing service from a single provider. Center Enamel delivers this model with GFS tanks and anaerobic process integration, reducing coordination costs and accelerating project timelines.

How does the USR Process handle high-solids palm oil wastewater?

The USR Process uses a rugged, clog-resistant structure without complex internal components. It tolerates high suspended solids in POME, simplifies maintenance, and pairs with GFS tanks for durable anaerobic digestion with reliable biogas recovery.

What makes Center Enamel’s Palm Oil Wastewater Treatment Project approach different?

It combines pretreatment, USR anaerobic digestion, aerobic polishing, and advanced treatment in one standardized train. This achieves COD removal above 80%, biogas yields of 8–15 m³/m³, and energy self-sufficiency for palm oil mills.