The need for removal and destruction of contaminants of concern (COC), like petroleum hydrocarbons and chlorinated organics, in soil and groundwater has led to the development of a wide range of technologies for both in ground (in-situ) and above ground (ex-situ) treatment of these contaminants.
This article originally appeared in the 06/01/2006 issue of Environmental Protection.
When people think of water issues at electric utilities, the first thought that usually comes to mind is production of high-purity water for steam generation. Even though a power plant may not have myriad fluid processes like a refinery or petrochemical facility, water discharge from a steam-generating facility is usually considerable. Chemistry in discharge streams must be carefully controlled to prevent pollution of receiving bodies of water or surrounding land.
- By Gary Antony, Brad Buecker
This article originally appeared in the 05/01/2006 issue of Environmental Protection.
U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez has called it "a unique and deadly threat to our nation -- which destroys lives far beyond those of just the addicts and the users."
This article originally appeared in the 05/01/2006 issue of Environmental Protection.
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
This article originally appeared in the 11/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.
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
This article originally appeared in the 10/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.
Despite the very best in design, there does come a time in every wastewater lagoon system when sludge must be removed.
This article originally appeared in the 09/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.
This article originally appeared in the 09/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.
On a global level, the wastewater minimization market is highly affected by a few key drivers: pollution prevention, water recycling, water reuse, and zero liquid discharge.
This article originally appeared in the 07/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.
Groundwater impacted by methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) continues to challenge remediation efforts around the country, and it remains a high priority for many companies due to the potential for contamination of potable groundwater supplies. MTBE is a flammable liquid that is used as an additive in unleaded gasoline.
This article originally appeared in the 05/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.
The City of Orlando in Florida treats up to 40 million gallons a day (mgd) of wastewater at its Iron Bridge Regional Water Reclamation Facility. The city bills one major upstream source based on the amount of wastewater treated. Both parties want accurate flow measurements to ensure a fair assessment of costs. A few percentage points of error can quickly add up to thousands of dollars in questionable billings.
This article originally appeared in the 05/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.
When the staff at Middletown, Ohio's wastewater treatment plant decided two years ago to switch from gaseous chlorine to sodium hypochlorite for disinfection, they also wanted to find an alternative to using a pressurized liquid chemical delivery system.
This article originally appeared in the 01/01/2005 issue of Environmental Protection.
For more than 30 years the Clean Water Act (CWA) has established programs and requirements to protect the quality of U.S. rivers, lakes, and coastal waters. In that time, this regulatory framework has succeeded in doubling the number of water bodies in the United State that are considered swimmable and fishable. Today, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) more than two thirds of water bodies are regarded as healthy compared to only one third in 1972 when the CWA was first created by Congress.
This article originally appeared in the 12/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
Benjamin Franklin once said, "When the well's dry, we know the worth of water." With that in mind, paper companies recognize it is not a question of whether they should treat and recycle their spent water -- the question is "How?" Some paper companies are not only finding environmentally friendly ways to take care of spent water, they are going a step further by putting the sludge from their wastewater treatment plants to beneficial use by converting it to glass aggregate, steam, and electricity. In fact, paper companies are leading the charge in using practices that reduce the consumption of resources and related emissions for themselves and their customers.
This article originally appeared in the 12/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
The environment in which the water and wastewater industries operate has never been more challenging. Increasingly complex financial and environmental regulations, security concerns, and shrinking budgets are just a few of the realities keeping managers up at night. Simultaneously addressing these sometimes conflicting demands may seem overwhelming on the surface, but it doesn't have to be. Experience shows that integrating information -- both horizontally and vertically throughout an organization -- can make it easier to satisfy these competing concerns, while at the same time producing additional measurable benefits.
This article originally appeared in the 12/01/2004 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.
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.