Physical water treatment (PWT) is a general term that refers to non-chemical methods of controlling or preventing fouling, especially mineral fouling or scale. PWT technologies use the laws of physics to impact water chemistries and mitigate scale without the use of chemical additives. Such technologies target lime scale, an extremely adhesive crystalline precipitate of calcium carbonate, which is responsible for the majority of scaling problems. Calcium carbonate also traps other minerals, such as magnesium, to form combined scales, just as it traps soap in residential sinks and bathtubs to form so-called "soap scum."
- By Daniel J. Cho
- Nov 01, 2005
This article originally appeared in the issue of .
What's bright blue, heavier than water and mostly insoluble? In the case of a brownfield site in the Midwest, the answer is a daunting remediation challenge.
- By Joseph F. Lorenz, Ronald E. Hutchens
- Nov 01, 2005
This article originally appeared in the 11/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.
The following is the first part in a two-part series that examines the subject of product stewardship. This issue is taking on a whole new significance in light of emerging global regulations based on the precautionary principle and management's push to develop new products in expanded markets.
- By Richard MacLean
- Nov 01, 2005
This article originally appeared in the 11/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.
Water reuse has gone from being a positive environmental alternative to a growing necessity. Reusing wastewater saves money and the environment, but it can be expensive to pipe treated water through miles of distribution lines from a centralized reclamation facility to where it is needed.
This article originally appeared in the 11/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.
It took years and years of designing, planning, and problem-solving before a vehicle that wasn't powered by a gasoline engine actually made it onto the market in quantities sufficient to satisfy more than the most adventurous or environmentally conscious of consumers.
- By Jason Goodman
- Nov 01, 2005
This article originally appeared in the 11/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.
SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- Daniel Hinerfeld, the young, ultra-articulate director of communications for the Southern California office of the Natural Resources Defense Council ("NRDC"), agreed to let me drop by in mid-September to interview him and some other NRDC staffers so I could write this installment. I was slightly nervous about visiting.
- By J. Daniel Hull, JD
- Nov 01, 2005
This article originally appeared in the issue of .
Over the past few decades there has been an increased awareness of the importance of water quality. Many municipalities and industrial facilities have upgraded or installed new technologies to meet the demand for clean water. Advances in water quality science show that further improvements are needed to ensure a plentiful water supply and to protect the natural environment.
- By W. Wesley Eckenfelder, William Ney Hansard
- Oct 01, 2005
This article originally appeared in the 10/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.
The accounting scandals, perp walks to prison, and Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) have sent shock waves throughout the ranks of boards and executives. Has this significantly improved environmental, health, and safety (EHS) and social responsibility governance at the top? Unlikely. What will it take to get executives and the board fully engaged?
- By Richard MacLean
- Oct 01, 2005
This article originally appeared in the 10/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.
Water is the hot issue of the next 25 years. You know it, I know, but the American public doesn't. Why should they? American households spend less than any other industrialized nation for their water use. In fact, every year they spend nearly twice as much on carbonated and caffeinated beverages as they do on treating drinking and wastewater.
- By Merrie Spaeth
- Oct 01, 2005
This article originally appeared in the 10/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.
Attention is typically given to regenerative thermal oxidizer (RTO) performance only when a specific problem or fault shuts the system down or when the system is out of compliance.
- By Steve Blocki
- Oct 01, 2005
This article originally appeared in the 10/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.
We are proud to showcase the five winners of our tenth annual Facilities of the Year Competition. These facilities represent a wide variety of industrial sectors and geographical locations.
- By Angela Neville
- Oct 01, 2005
This article originally appeared in the 10/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.
n the July/August edition of Water & Wasterwater Products, the first appearance of this column, I referred to my first "real" job: a 1974 internship in the office of the U.S. Senator from Wisconsin who died recently at the age of 89.
- By J. Daniel Hull, JD
- Sep 01, 2005
This article originally appeared in the issue of .
Despite the very best in design, there does come a time in every wastewater lagoon system when sludge must be removed.
- By Steve Harris
- Sep 01, 2005
This article originally appeared in the issue of .
Water quality is intimately connected to quality of life. Although this fact of life has been understated for many years, water professionals have long known that clean water is an increasingly scarce and valuable commodity that cannot be taken for granted. The Clean Water Act brought about increased regulatory oversight, resulting in recent criminal charges and fines against violators, and environmental organizations are succeeding in bringing about public awareness of the need to protect water resources by encouraging businesses to include water stewardship and utilization in corporate sustainability reporting.
- By David Cain, PhD
- Sep 01, 2005
This article originally appeared in the issue of .
There are two standards that apply to municipal water and wastewater treatment plants: NFPA 820 Standards for Fire Protection in Wastewater Treatment and Collection Facilities, 2003, and OSHA 1910.148 Appendix E: Sewer System Entry. While both standards apply, they address different facets of the treatment facility.
- By Paul W. Schmitt
- Sep 01, 2005
This article originally appeared in the issue of .
This year marks the 15th anniversary of the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990, established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reduce or prevent pollution at its source, before it's generated.
- By Mark Wysong
- Sep 01, 2005
This article originally appeared in the 09/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.
As competition for the world's oil resources increases with the advance of developing economies, the United States must seek out ways to reduce its petroleum usage or put its economic security at risk. The era of "cheap oil" may well be over, and as our imports increase we become more and more dependent on resources from such politically unstable regions of the world as the Middle East, Central Africa, and South America.
- By Edward J. Wall
- Sep 01, 2005
This article originally appeared in the 09/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.
Students enjoy the visible bounty of the Biosphere without a clue of the wondrous invisible world that embraces them. This invisible world indeed sustains their very lives, for within this microcosm exists not only the supply of life-preserving oxygen, but also potentially life-destroying microbes and toxic gases.
- By Anthony J. Sadar
- Sep 01, 2005
This article originally appeared in the 09/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.
Ultraviolet (UV) irradiation is a proven disinfection technology that has been used for almost a century. The technology is used to disinfect drinking water (municipal and consumer), wastewater (discharge and water reuse), indoor air, swimming pools, and industrial effluents from the food and beverage industries, cooling towers, fish hatcheries, ballast water, semiconductor fabricators, and pharmaceutical manufacturers.
- By Bertrand W. Dussert, PhD
- Sep 01, 2005
This article originally appeared in the issue of .
Web-based software helps predict sewer failure and overflows by monitoring flow data
- By Patrick Stevens
- Sep 01, 2005
This article originally appeared in the issue of .