Advanced USR Process Solutions from a Leading EPC Contractor for POME Treatment Projects

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.

Addressing these "three highs" requires both robust equipment and efficient biological processes. Corrosion-resistant tank technology and optimized anaerobic design together determine whether a project can remain cost-effective over its full lifecycle.

GFS Tanks Corrosion Resistance Far Superior to Traditional Concrete Tanks

Center Enamel's independently developed double-sided double-layer enameling technology is the industry's leading coating anti-corrosion technology, with corrosion resistance completely surpassing concrete tanks. Concrete tank interiors are riddled with pores, allowing wastewater and acid/alkaline media to easily penetrate and corrode the structural layer. Long-term use leads to irreversible problems such as internal wall spalling, water seepage, and rebar corrosion, which are difficult to repair and cannot be fundamentally resolved.

GFS Tanks feature high-temperature enameling on both the interior and exterior surfaces of steel panels, with a dense, non-porous enamel finish that completely blocks corrosive liquids and biogas permeation. The enamel layer has extremely strong chemical stability, resisting acids, alkalis, salts, and microbial corrosion. Concrete tanks will develop extensive corrosion and leakage after 5-8 years of use, while GFS Tanks anti-corrosion service life can exceed 30 years, with no need for frequent internal lining repairs throughout the service life, significantly reducing long-term anti-corrosion maintenance investment and fundamentally eliminating environmental risks of medium leakage contaminating sites and groundwater. Compared to traditional concrete and FRP tanks, GFS Tanks coatings have no risk of peeling or blistering, and are adaptable to highly corrosive conditions such as palm oil mill effluent, livestock manure, and chemical high-salinity wastewater, with outstanding long-term comprehensive cost advantages.

With a durable tank shell in place, the next critical factor is the biological process itself-especially for waste streams with high solids content.

USR Reaction Process

High-solids organic wastewater, after simple pretreatment to remove large debris, is uniformly fed into the reactor through the bottom distribution system. The upward flow drives solid substrates and anaerobic sludge to slowly rise and thoroughly mix. In the sealed anaerobic environment, microorganisms sequentially degrade organic matter through hydrolysis, acidogenesis, acetogenesis, and methanogenesis-converting complex organics into biogas (methane and carbon dioxide). The USR Process eliminates complex three-phase separators, relying instead on upflow hydraulics for mixing, which allows flocculent sludge to operate stably without strict granular sludge formation. This design delivers high solids tolerance, clog resistance, and stable degradation performance-making it particularly suitable for high-impurity organic wastewater.

Understanding the process is essential, but its real value becomes clear when applied to one of the most challenging waste streams in the world.

Palm Oil Mill Effluent Key Water Quality Characteristics

Prominent "five highs and one low"-high COD, high BOD, high oil and grease, high suspended solids, high temperature, low pH-pollution load far exceeding conventional industrial wastewater, one of the highest concentration wastewater categories in agricultural processing. Very high COD-combined wastewater 45,000-100,000 mg/L, oil separation wastewater peaking above 150,000 mg/L-dozens to hundreds of times higher than municipal wastewater. High BOD-25,000-65,000 mg/L, BOD/COD 0.5-0.6-excellent biodegradability with very high anaerobic digestion efficiency. High oil and grease-combined 2,000-8,000 mg/L, oil separation above 10,000 mg/L-oil readily adheres and scales on pipe/equipment surfaces, affecting heat transfer and causing blockages. High suspended solids-10,000-20,000 mg/L-primarily fruit pulp residues, fruit shell fibers, colloidal proteins-readily settling and clogging equipment. Moderate total nitrogen-ammonia 500-1,500 mg/L with abundant organic nitrogen but low inorganic nitrogen. High total phosphorus-200-800 mg/L. Very low pH-raw water pH 4.0-5.0-requires alkali neutralization before biological treatment. High temperature-discharge 60-80°C-requires cooling to 35-38°C before anaerobic digestion.

Water quality varies significantly with palm oil mill processing seasons-peak production during fresh fruit bunch harvest season (March-September annually) with full-load operation, wastewater volume and organic concentration at maximum; off-season (October-February) with reduced or halted production-water quality fluctuations require high shock load resistance. These demanding characteristics are precisely why a POME Treatment Project demands both a proven USR Process and an experienced EPC Contractor.

Over a Decade of Global Installation Experience

Unmatched global practical experience among domestic peers-over a decade covering multiple regions and all industry sectors. In 2009, Center Enamel completed the first overseas GFS Tank installation-sending a team to Niger, Africa for drinking water storage tank installation. In 2015, it broke industry ground with China's first GFS Tank export and installation to the US-passing strict US acceptance standards. All installed projects have operated stably for many years, covering livestock biogas, POME, municipal wastewater, and drinking water storage applications. Construction has covered Southeast Asia, Africa, the Americas, and other regions-accumulating specialized solutions for complex sites including mountainous terrain, coastal salt spray, tropical high temperatures, and high-standard European/American facility conditions-maturely addressing global special construction requirements.

This track record demonstrates that reliable delivery depends not only on equipment quality but also on integrated project execution capability.

Full-Industry-Chain Integrated Delivery Capability

Center Enamel is the only company globally integrating proprietary enamel frit R&D, self-manufactured tanks, and EPC general contracting-full-process self-control from solution design, equipment production, cross-border logistics, overseas construction, to post-construction O&M-significantly reducing client coordination and time costs. As a specialized EPC Contractor, Center Enamel ensures every stage of a POME Treatment Project remains under unified quality control, from enamel formulation to final commissioning.

Beyond core tank and process delivery, project completeness also depends on well-matched accessory solutions.

FRP Roof Cover Solution

FRP Roof is a general-purpose economical roof for atmospheric pressure storage tanks without air-tightness requirements, suitable for drinking water storage, agricultural irrigation water, firewater reserve, and general production wastewater temporary storage. It is available in two styles: flat and dome, allowing flexible selection based on tank specifications and site aesthetic requirements. The roof is integrally molded from resin and fiberglass, lightweight, with natural water resistance and mild acid/alkali corrosion resistance. It will not rust or rot in long-term humid environments, eliminating the frequent anti-corrosion maintenance required for metal roofs. The dome style features excellent drainage performance due to its curved structure, resisting water accumulation, dust buildup, snow load, and strong winds. The flat style facilitates the installation of maintenance walkways, level gauges, and vents on top, making inspection and operation convenient.

The product is fully insulated with no risk of galvanic corrosion, will not contaminate drinking water quality, and meets environmental standards for domestic water storage. The modular design with low individual component weight allows for simple on-site hoisting and assembly, offering high construction efficiency and affordable procurement and installation costs. It is only suitable for atmospheric pressure water storage tanks without biogas collection or pressurization requirements, and is not recommended for anaerobic fermentation gas-producing conditions. It is widely used in rural agricultural water storage tanks, industrial park firewater tanks, waterworks buffer tanks, and small to medium-sized domestic wastewater temporary storage facilities, making it a cost-effective general-purpose roof choice for conventional water storage applications.

Still searching for the right solution for palm oil wastewater or other industrial wastewater treatment? Contact us now - we will offer you professional, efficient, and customized wastewater treatment solutions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: Why is the USR Process ideal for high-solids POME wastewater?
The USR Process tolerates high suspended solids and impurities without clogging. Its upflow hydraulics and flocculent sludge operation ensure stable degradation, fast start-up, and low maintenance-perfect for POME and livestock wastewater.

Q2: What does Center Enamel provide as an EPC Contractor?
Center Enamel integrates enamel frit R&D, tank manufacturing, and EPC general contracting-covering design, production, logistics, overseas construction, and O&M for complete POME Treatment Projects.

Q3: How long do GFS Tanks last in corrosive POME conditions?
GFS Tanks feature non-porous enamel coatings resisting acids, alkalis, and microbial corrosion, with a service life exceeding 30 years-far outperforming concrete tanks that corrode within 5-8 years.