Environmental Protection salutes five outstanding facilities that represent a new progressive attitude in dealing with environmental issues. Our top picks show that a forward-thinking approach, industrial development, and greater profit margins can be balanced with a cleaner environment.
This article originally appeared in the 10/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
An existing consent decree (CD) provides that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was required to issue a final particulate matter (PM) CD no later than December 19, 2003, and that EPA had to sign for publication notices of proposal and final rulemaking concerning its review of the PM national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS).
- By Rodney L. Pennington, PE
This article originally appeared in the 10/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
Environmental, health and safety (EHS) managers are keenly aware that their careers and longevity within their organizations are dependent upon their ability to demonstrate that they bring something of value to the table beyond just the donuts for a meeting. It's a subject in need of considerable attention, especially in today's tight economy. This month we examine how to identify the communication barriers that impede real progress.
This article originally appeared in the 10/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
While reminiscent of the many ranches that once occupied this region, the slowly turning windmill and large cisterns on the Roy Lee Walker Elementary School campus in McKinney, Texas, are not intended for decoration. They're examples of the many sustainable practices the school district has incorporated to protect the environment and teach environmental awareness through hands-on learning.
This article originally appeared in the 09/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
Over the last several years there have been widespread misconceptions about which type of heat recovery media (HRM) is best for heat exchange and horsepower usage when used with a regenerative thermal oxidizer (RTO), a type of air pollution control technology used to destroy volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
This article originally appeared in the 09/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
Environmental Protection's readers respond to the question, "Do environmental management systems provide value?"
This article originally appeared in the 09/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
It is no secret that the financial scandals of recent years have had a dramatic impact not just on the business world itself, but also on individual investors and government regulators. Enron, WorldComm, Tyco, MCI and others have entered the popular lexicon as words that will forever be associated with rampant greed and seemingly non-existent oversight. Whether we've seen the last of the fall of the giants, involving nearly incomprehensible loss of capital, is anyone's guess.
This article originally appeared in the 09/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
Water shortages have become a problem in America due to an ever-increasing population and a dwindling water supply. Areas where water is being restricted are the west coast states, the southwestern states, and even states in New England.
- By Peter S. Cartwright, PE, George R. Alther
This article originally appeared in the 09/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
Biosolids -- in the United States, more than 19,000 municipal wastewater treatment facilities generate 7 million dry tons of this material every year. Biosolids are the nutrient-rich organic materials resulting from the treatment of sewage sludge, which is the name for the solid, semi-solid, or liquid untreated residue generated during the treatment of domestic sewage in a treatment facility. Wastewater treatment plants spend $1.1 billion to treat and dispose of the stuff. Over 80 percent of it is recycled and reused.
This article originally appeared in the 09/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
Total organic carbon (TOC) analysis can be used as an effective industrial wastewater monitoring tool. However, heavily particulated sample matrices present significant challenges for most TOC analyzers. The following guidelines address the various considerations for performing automated TOC analysis on these types of samples.
- By Mike Purcell, Brian Wallace
This article originally appeared in the 09/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
The full cost of ownership related to operating a water or wastewater treatment facility consists of the initial capital, commissioning, training, spare parts, maintenance, and calibration costs for the lifetime of the equipment.
This article originally appeared in the 09/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
U.S. industry faces the daunting task of managing investigations and clean-ups at thousands of contaminated properties. In staying abreast of new technology and ever-evolving regulatory programs, companies must address many challenges involving regulations, technologies, and costs.
- By David H. Simpson, Rusty B. Norris, PE, PLS, RSM
This article originally appeared in the 09/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
Sludge dewatering operations at the Lancaster wastewater treatment plant run continuously five and a half days every week, processing an average of 95 cake tons per day. Before it adopted a new polymer preparation approach to more fully activate cationic polymer, belt-press dewatering at the facility had become highly expensive and inefficient.
This article originally appeared in the 09/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
The 1972 Clean Water Act (CWA) was created to restore and maintain the integrity of the nation's water. One of the specific goals of the CWA is the complete elimination of pollutant discharge into navigable waters. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permitting Program, which supports the CWA, requires permitting for all point source discharges to U.S. waters (i.e., "direct discharges").
This article originally appeared in the 09/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
A powerful, novel technology for mercury removal in waste streams provides an ounce of cure for municipalities, government, and industry. Scientists at the Department of Energy's (DOE) Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have developed Thiol-SAMMS, or Self-Assembled Monolayers on Mesoporous Supports, as an effective and voracious tool for adsorbing mercury.
This article originally appeared in the 09/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
One pleasant June morning, I was relaxing on my patio, when I observed a robin hovering momentarily above the grass in the backyard. Its fluttering wings were forcing the air beneath to wave the lush green grass. The air in motion (the simplest definition of wind) generated by the robin was in the range of what meteorologists call the microscale.
This article originally appeared in the 09/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
Creosote and other non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPLs) are responsible for high pump-and-treat costs in groundwater remediation because, due to their molecular size, they tend to clog activated-carbon pores quickly. The result is frequent change outs, which renders the pump-and-treat method too expensive.
This article originally appeared in the 07/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
The majority of industrial manufacturers discharge their wastewater to publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) after some form of pretreatment. However, approximately one-third of industrial facilities operate their own wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs).
- By Bipin R. Ranade, Robert D. Sproull, PhD, PE
This article originally appeared in the 07/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
One of the most necessary, yet taken for granted, resources we require is energy. The United States consumes more than its fair share of the global energy supply when compared to other countries -- nearly four times the amount of the second largest consumer, China.
This article originally appeared in the 07/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
Access to safe drinking water and contamination of surface water bodies is a major problem in many areas of the globe. In the year 2000, approximately 1.1 billion people (18 percent of the world's population) lacked access to safe drinking water, and 2.4 billion (40 percent of the total population) lacked adequate sanitation.
This article originally appeared in the 07/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.