r% PDA United States	°^e

Environmental Protection

Agency	March2024

Industrial Wastewater Treatment Technology
Database (IWTT) Web Application

Summary

EPA released the Industrial Wastewater Treatment Technology Database (IWTT) in 2017 as a publicly
accessible web application. IWTT presents industrial wastewater treatment technology performance data
from conference proceedings, industry publications, peer-reviewed research articles, and other government
data as a web-based database application to provide public access to this useful resource. IWTT can be used
for many purposes including investigating established and emerging treatment technologies, identifying
technologies that can treat a particular pollutant, and understanding the motivation behind installation of new
treatment at an industrial facility.

To use the IWTT Web Application, go to EPA's website at: https://watersgeo.epa.gov/iwtt/guided-search

What questions can IWTT help me answer?

IWTT can help answer questions like:

¦	What pollutants can be removed using an existing treatment technology, and what has been the percent
removal and/or influent and effluent concentrations?

¦	What treatment technology or technologies are being used to remove particular pollutants or categories
of pollutants (e.g., metals, priority pollutants) from industrial wastewater?

¦	What new or existing treatment technologies are being developed or improved by a particular industry?

¦	What new treatment techniques or strategies are being used to improve treatment performance?

¦	What is motivating innovation, development, and implementation of new or upgraded treatment systems?

Background

EPA developed IWTT to compile performance data for industrial wastewater treatment technologies into a
comprehensive, readily searchable database. IWTT contains information from over 200 peer-reviewed articles
that document the performance of new and improved industrial wastewater treatment technologies. EPA
continues expanding the information in the database and improving the web application to make IWTT even
more useful.

What types of information can I find in IWTT?

IWTT is a collection of information from peer-reviewed and technical literature containing data from pilot- and
full-scale industrial wastewater treatment systems. IWTT data sources include research journals, industry
trade group publications, and conferences proceedings. IWTT contains comprehensive bibliographic
information from each publication and catalogs all technical data available in the publication. You can find
more details about the information in IWTT by reading Table 1.


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Table 1. Overview of Information Captured in IWTT

Information about the Paper

Treatment Technology Information

Pollutant Removal Performance

• Article reference information

• Relevant point source category, SIC and

• Pollutant parameter name and CAS

• Abstract

NAICS codes

Number

• Key findings

• Scale (pilot or full)

• Analytical method

• Motivation (e.g., meet effluent

• Treatment system units comprising the

• Influent and effluent detection

limits, cost savings, water reuse,

system (in order of the treatment train)

limits

capacity increase, remedy

• Operating parameters (e.g., pH,

• Influent and effluent concentrations

environmental impairment,

treatment chemicals)

and qualifier flags

resource recovery)

• Narrative description of the system

• Reported percent removal

• Type of wastestream (e.g., process

• Wastewater discharge type (direct or

• Effluent limits required for discharge

wastewater, commingled

indirect)



stormwater, process wastewater)

•	System manufacturer

•	Cost information



IWTT organizes this information in the following categories:

¦	Treatment systems: treatment units in the system, unit order, and treatment chemicals used.

¦	Industries: industry or industries for which the technology has been tested.

¦	Pollutant parameters: pollutants removed by the technology, including influent and effluent
concentrations and wastewater quality, percent removals, and analytical detection methods when
identified.

¦	Motivation: stated reason for industry to evaluate or employ the new technology.

How do I find information in IWTT?

IWTT has two search modes to help you find the most useful information. Guided Technology Search allows
you to search by industry, treatment technology, or pollutant to drill down to the most relevant data. Article
Search allows you to identify industrial wastewater treatment data sources by searching bibliographic
information or treatment performance criteria.

How is EPA using IWTT?

EPA issues national, technology-based industrial wastewater regulations called effluent guidelines and is
required to review them annually. EPA uses IWTT when conducting these reviews as a source of treatment
technology performance information. IWTT helps assess new technologies and technology improvements that
industry is using to treat wastewater. Interested/affected parties can also use IWTT to find technologies that
treat pollutants that are not currently regulated by effluent guidelines or pretreatment standards or that
provide better treatment than currently required.

Where can I find more information?

The IWTT Web Application is available at https://watersgeo.epa.gov/iwtt/guided-search.

EPA is interested in feedback on the web application and uses of the database. If you would like further
information, have ideas to share, or have specific questions about IWTT, please email Doruntine Rexhepi of
EPA's Office of Water, Engineering and Analysis Division, at rexhepi.doruntine@epa.gov.

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