Water & Wastewater News Logo

Poll

New Technologies

Water & Wastewater News Roundtable 2007

June 1, 2007By Water and Wastewater News Staff

Despite the roar from the municipal water and wastewater industry about the lack of funds for infrastructure, Water & Wastewater News’ roundtable participants seemed to agree that the money is “out there,” it is just a matter of finding the right source.

No Foul, No Harm

March 1, 2007By George R. Alther

Experiments test organoclay's sorptive capacity

While cationic and anionic resins typically last a long time in industrial wastewater and groundwater applications, they frequently become fouled by any of several compounds. The fouling eventually will destroy the resins' capacity to adsorb metals or other materials.

The New Alchemy

March 1, 2007By Robert Rubin, Ph.D., Edward W. Miles

Chemical Process changes brown grease glut into energy resource

Heavy Metal Combo

November 1, 2006By Ratana Kanluen, MSc., Sultan Amer, Ph.D.

A new treatment successfully removes arsenic, selenium, and mercury from a variety of waste streams

Arsenic, selenium, and mercury occur widely in nature, though at low levels, and are associated with sulfide ores, elemental sulfur, and in crude oil and coal deposits. These metals are used in the manufacture of numerous industrial products, such as semiconductors, fuel cells, photographic processes, agricultural products, preservatives and pharmaceuticals, to name just a few.

Probing for Better Data

September 1, 2006By Bob Dabkowski

A new sensor is helping operators control aeration and provide more accurate readings

Switching from a membrane-type dissolved oxygen (DO) probe to new, breakthrough luminescent technology has brought tighter control to the conventional aeration system serving the Holland Area Wastewater Treatment Plant. Plus, a four-month trial demonstrated that the new luminescent DO (LDO) probe performs well monitoring high-DO effluent from the facility's pure oxygen system. Until now, it had been difficult for the plant to find a reliable online measurement instrument for this environment.

Exorcising Groundwater Contaminants

January 1, 2006By Joseph L. Devary

New remediation technologies are seeping out of the labs and into the market

Groundwater and soil contamination are among the most time-consuming and costly environmental remediation challenges facing our communities today. Solvents, metals, organic compounds, and other chemicals remain in the soil and seep into groundwater long after the facilities that used or created the contaminants have stopped operating.

Under Surveillance

January 1, 2006By Corey M. Willson

A growing Florida county utility uses high-tech markers to see underground

The Wastewater Operations Division of Charlotte County Utilities in Charlotte County, Fla., operates in a unique underground construction setting. The county is in the process of substantially expanding its utility infrastructure to serve thousands of platted residential lots and accommodate the demands of rapid population growth.

Scaling Back the Mineral Problem

November 1, 2005By Daniel J. Cho

Electronic descaling is saving millions in pipe cleaning and maintenance costs

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."

A Different Kind of Water System

September 1, 2005By David Cain, PhD

New IT developments can make water compliance management more effective

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.

Back to the Basics

September 1, 2005By Steve Harris

A new biostimulant economically treats wastewater sludge by breaking it down into gas, ash, and water

Despite the very best in design, there does come a time in every wastewater lagoon system when sludge must be removed.

Highlighting UV's Growing Legal Impact

September 1, 2005By Bertrand W. Dussert, PhD

Ultraviolet disinfection's new role in future U.S. drinking water regulations

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.

On the Lookout

September 1, 2005By Paul W. Schmitt

Proper use and maintenance of permanent and portable combustible gas detection equipment can save lives and reduce costs

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.

Improving with Age

May 1, 2005By Tony Kobilnyk

Aging or underperforming conventional water treatment plants are retrofitting with UF membranes and benefiting from improvements in performance and operational cost savings

Too much chlorine. That's what the residents of two Tennessee cities said about their drinking water following a recent upgrade to their water treatment plant (WTP). As part of the upgrade, granular filter media from the conventional plant were removed and immersed, hollow-fiber ultrafiltration (UF) membranes were added to the plants treatment processes.

Telemetry Takes Over

May 1, 2005By Scott South

New wireless communications technology is increasingly being used for water data reporting

Unlike government bodies in the recent past, which specialized in collecting and storing data, government agencies today seek to actively use water data for improved understanding and management of environmental conditions -- for example, through modeling and projection work. For this reason, it is imperative that monitoring agencies, scientists, and researchers receive water data in a reliable, timely, and easy-to-understand manner.

The Heat is On

May 1, 2005By Mike Studer

Finding the resources to secure our most precious resource -- using thermal imaging cameras to guard water treatment plants

The lack of attacks launched against water treatment plants is by no means an indication that they are invincible. While treatment plants aren't typically seen as high profile targets, they are at risk of infiltration and/or sabotage. Plants, many of which are based in or near residential areas, purify water for vast regions. Destroying or disabling a single facility could devastate an entire national region for an indefinite amount of time and create a real sense of uneasiness among those forced to suffer without water for a long time to come.