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.
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.
In-situ biological treatment (bioremediation) systems have now gained widespread acceptance for dealing with sites impacted by petroleum hydrocarbons. However, at many remediation sites, the need to pump groundwater to maintain gradient control still generates a stream of contaminated water requiring treatment, even if in-situ technologies are being employed.
This article originally appeared in the 06/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
Most companies that deal with environmental liabilities usually manage a broad array of projects and sites with varying degrees of contamination. While the remediation and cleanup options for many properties can be readily identified, environmental decisions for some sites can be somewhat difficult.
This article originally appeared in the 05/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
This article explores the nature, utilization and differences between centralized and decentralized sanitary sewer systems. It explores how and why the majority of sanitary wastewater is routed to centralized sewer systems, and some of the benefits and problems associated with centralized sewers.
This article originally appeared in the 05/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
With the promulgation of new laws and regulations pertaining to water quality, extensive stormwater and sanitary sewer management plans are no longer a luxury for rapidly growing and affluent communities. Neglecting corrective action to bring systems into compliance can have far-reaching consequences, including polluted drinking water sources, heavy state and federal fines and jail time. In this regard, cities and municipalities are being mandated to assume roles as water resources managers and enforcers of water quality protection.
- By Seth Johnson, John R. Haestad
This article originally appeared in the 04/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
Fiberglass composites have become the material of choice in many water or wastewater treatment operations. For mild to severe corrosion service, they can often be the materials of choice for economy and durability.
- By J. Albert Rolston, PE, FAIChE
This article originally appeared in the 03/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
Water treatment plants and pumping stations supported by variable-frequency drives (VFDs) may be unwittingly threatened with power system problems including interruptions, interference, downtime and even disruption of instrumentation and other sensitive equipment due to an elusive culprit called harmonic distortion, an undetected condition that has been said to cost between $16 to $40 billion in annual losses due to downtime, equipment failures and malfunctioning systems.
This article originally appeared in the 03/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
Odoriferous exhaust gases generated by wastewater treatment facilities can create major problems. No one likes foul odors, especially people who are not responsible for them yet must live with them daily. In fact, many communities are becoming less tolerant of odor-generating facilities and respond with new laws and/or fines against them.
- By Charlie Gans, PE, BSME, MBA, MSIS
This article originally appeared in the 03/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
The use of conventional gravity flow sewers for the collection and transport of wastewater from residences and commercial establishments continues to be popular, especially in areas where the density of development is low.
This article originally appeared in the 03/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
Wastewater collection and treatment has developed over at least the past two thousand years, but if you step back and look, it does not seem to have evolved much. Animals do not seem to pay much attention to where they discharge their waste, even if confined to rather small spaces. When in the "wild," animals let the natural environment take care of this issue.
- By William W. Bohnhoff, ASLA
This article originally appeared in the 01/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
Cost-effective engineering has enabled the City of Poteau, Okla., to achieve major savings while undertaking recent upgrades to municipal wastewater treatment facilities. The approach could provide a model for other communities that must stretch their resources in this troubled economy.
This article originally appeared in the 01/01/2004 issue of Environmental Protection.
When the Oneida Indian Nation was expanding its operations from a small bingo/casino facility to a full resort complex, it began professionally designing new nine-hole and 18-hole golf courses. The two courses were initially designed to include both groundwater and public water systems to support their irrigation needs.
This article originally appeared in the 11/01/2003 issue of Environmental Protection.
Metals are commonly used in manufacturing plants and technical facilities. Production processes for the metal finishing, transportation (automotive, aviation, railroad, subway), electronics (including computers and semiconductor devices), telecommunications and mechanical parts fabrication industries consume vast quantities of heavy metals cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), etc.) and metal-containing chemicals every day.
- By Francis J. Brady, Imran M. Jaferey
This article originally appeared in the 09/01/2003 issue of Environmental Protection.
The enormity of the problem facing the drinking water industry first surfaced in the United States in 1993, when Cryptosporidium, a single-celled parasite living in the intestines of warm-blooded animals, made its way into the drinking water in Milwaukee, leaving 403,000 people sick and 104 people dead.
This article originally appeared in the 09/01/2003 issue of Environmental Protection.
All drinking water treatment plants (WTPs) must dispose of their potable water residuals. One privately owned water utility in Fairbanks, Alaska, uses a filter press to dewater its water treatment mineral byproducts. By doing so, the utility achieves zero discharge to the nearby Chena River, which serves as a recreational area and spawning ground for several fish species threatened with possible extinction.
- By Matthew Burdick, PE, Michael Spring
This article originally appeared in the 09/01/2003 issue of Environmental Protection.
Any company, land developer or individual who has attempted residential or commercial development in a rural suburban area is no stranger to the following scenario: "50 plus acres with good road frontage, high traffic count, public water and gas, but no sewer."
- By Patrick T. Gates, Todd M. Gates
This article originally appeared in the 07/01/2003 issue of Environmental Protection.
While Asia's public and private sector stakeholders strive to achieve robust economic growth, they are faced with the daunting task of mitigating the effects of that growth on the environment and addressing a wide range of legacy environmental problems, particularly in the areas of water and wastewater management.
- By Doug Shuster, Kim Mihalik, Maria Gilpin
This article originally appeared in the 01/01/2003 issue of Environmental Protection.
Anaerobic treatment of industrial wastewater has come a long way in the past 10 to 20 years. Prior to 1980, the process was deemed unreliable for its lack of robustness and overall instability, primarily due to misunderstandings of the biochemical pathways involved and the factors governing sludge characteristics.
- By Shannon R. Grant, MScE, PE, Shashi Gorur, ME, PE, James C. Young, PhD, PE, Robert Landine, PhD, PE, Albert C. Cocci, PhD, PE, C. Calvert Churn, PhD, PE
This article originally appeared in the 11/01/2002 issue of Environmental Protection.
Membrane bioreactor (MBR) has emerged as the wastewater treatment technology of choice for an increasing number of municipalities over the last five years. This growth is driven by the very high quality effluent produced by MBR -- exceeding strict standards or ideal for direct reuse -- and is fuelled by a steady reduction in treatment cost resulting from improvements in membrane productivity.
This article originally appeared in the 09/01/2002 issue of Environmental Protection.