Paper mills The pulp and paper industry uses 84% of the energy consumed by the forest products industry.  Some average benchmarks include: Solid Waste generation- .01-.26 tons per ton of product (TPT), Landfill cost-$10-20 million, Knots- reuse them or waste, wood yard waste - .02-.06 TPT, Sludge from a de-inking process has only 50% of the energy of bark, Typical Sludge generation- .02-.06 TPT, Lime mud is limited by kiln production -up to 200 tons per day.   Ash generation rates are approximately 0.04 TPT from Georgia pulp mills. Pulp and Paper Mills- More information

Refineries- Petroleum refining is the most energy-intensive manufacturing industry in the United States. Refineries have  numerous wastewater issues in their plants. Some plants have too much ammonia or amines in the influent and need to nitrify. Nutrient control at refineries plants can be a serious issue. Alkalinity is typically a factor often overlooked with nitrification at refineries. In the wastewater plant, not only do you need to control and nitrifiers, but also the carbonaceous bacteria need monitor and control for proper biological activity and final effluent BOD and TSS controls along side of nutrient control. Many refineries have API's or DAF's prior to the secondary treatment system with Activated Sludge or aeration basins. The more oil and scum solids that can be removed prior to the Aeration Basin, the easier the loading on the biomass in the Aeration basin.  Refineries- More information

Steel Mills- Steel is one of nine energy- and waste- intensive industries that is participating with the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Industrial Technologies in a new collaborative R&D strategy called "Industries of the Future."  http://www.oit.doe.gov/steel/ .  The steel industry (including iron production) is one of the largest energy consumers in the manufacturing sector and has invested more than $7 billion in environmental controls. Steel is the most recyclable and recycled material in North America, with an overall recycling rate of 68 percent. Steel Mills-More information

 Food and Beverage Plants

Many do not have waste treatment plants and instead discharge directly to a POTW. Publicly owned treatment works (POTW) that receive food-processing wastewater with BOD₅ values greater than 250 to 300 mg/L typically will add an additional surcharge for treatment. Small changes to the process or additions of small levels of certain chemicals or bacterial products can lower the BOD/COD and TSS created and significantly lower these surcharges.  Check out our bioengineering page for more information or request case history examples.

More information

Dairies- Dairies have numerous issues to deal with-Land and Water Considerations, Nutrient Management, Odors, Common Concerns Associated with Expansion, Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations- CAFO regulations, permits and licensing, health and safety, Manure Storage and solids handling. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is proposing regulations that will require dairy and other producers to control and contain runoff from their land, as well as regulate type and scope of livestock operations.   Production has been forced to become concentrated in fewer but larger dairies, and environmental concerns over the industry's waste products are placing increasing pressure on dairy operations. Heightened environmental concerns and need for resource conservation have caused implementation of water use permits and other possible regulatory actions in many states. These may include water intake limits, water effluent limits, permit restrictions, air quality restrictions or solids handling limitations. more on Dairies-how to treat wastewater or reduce odors

Dairies Meat Processing

Meat processing includes slaughtering, processing, and rendering operations involving primarily cattle, hogs, and poultry.  Some plants handle only one type of operation, such as meat processing, but others carry out multiple operations including rendering., smoking, canning, freezing, and sausage making.

Animal Feed lots- Odor Control and Water clarification for final effluents or recycle are the prime goals of these applications to help farmers. More on concentrate Animal Feed Organizations- CAFO and some of the solutions available

Aquaculture- Fish and Shrimp Farms Wastewater issues

" The Blue Revolution"

Aquaculture is the farming of aquatic organisms, including finfish, shellfish (mollusks and
crustaceans), and aquatic plants. Fish farming is the principal form of aquaculture. It involves raising fish commercially in tanks or enclosures, usually for food for human consumption. Fish species raised by fish farms include salmon, catfish, tilapia, cod, carp, trout and others. Fish farming, or “aquaculture,” has become a billion-dollar industry, and more than 30 percent of all the sea animals consumed each year are now raised on these “farms.
Aqua farming wastewater troubleshooting and tips

Many Chemical Plants have numerous side streams that can be isolated and used elsewhere.  Some examples are waste streams that are high in pH, ammonia or phosphate that can be used byother waste treatment plants for very low costs, usually cheaper than the cost to treat it and dispose of.  An orange juice plant used the peel oil for food additives. Low grade waste oil could be used in odor control technology or in some essential oils for fragrances that do not require the high levels of purity for human consumption.
Chemical Processing Industry- More information

Cooling Tower Cooling towers can be a critical process in many industrial production facilities. An industrial cooling tower can be the perfect media for biological growth if not properly treated. Typical pH is 7-9 and temperatures may have a wide range.  Biofouling can also destroy cooling towers if they are made of lumber. Corrosion can occur on metal parts.  Microscopic analyses- new lab service

Municipalities-With all the new growth in a village or city, many changes are happening that impact the ability of the POTW to handle the incoming wastewater.   High growth spurts in new developments have not only impacted the flow rates to the wastewater treatment plant, but the loading has increased also. Why, it should be proportional to the changes in the houses and developments. While that should be true, it is often not the case. Many of the old tried and true engineering statistics calculated flow, and loading based upon population and growth. Municipalities have numerous areas that they have to address. Not only do they have the normal wastewater treatment system and the many problems associated with it. They also have to worry about the collection systems, plugged lines, grease build-up, rainwater overflows and power outages. Solids handling is a huge cost at many plants. Grease control is a huge issue also that can contribute to foaming, filamentous bulking and dewatering issues.

The Wine Making Industry-Wineries Did you know. . .. A winery produces 11.5-to-16 gallons of wastewater for each case of wine produced. Another Australian project is investigating ways of using winery wastewater for vine irrigation. It is estimated that every ten milliliters of wastewater recycled for irrigating vines yields an extra gross income of from $20,000 to $50,000 per year.  Water reuse is a huge part of the Winery sustainable program. Many wineries use treated wastewater to irrigate vineyards or landscaping, or may use it for frost protection, fire protection, or dust abatement.

Grease and Lift Stations in Collection Systems

Operators of sewerage systems know that grease in lift stations is a major problem. The grease obstructs floats and reduces the life of pumps leading to SSO's and a need for frequent service. Obstruction by grease is the most prevalent cause of force main backups and sewage overflows, costing the industry billions of dollars annually. The majority of sewer line blockages are caused by grease build-up as opposed to debris.

Marine Boats and ships

Obviously, we cannot go into all the types of plants, side streams or situations for process improvements or beneficial reuse that possibly could occur here. There is a ton of information on the internet and through your local EPA as well as Federal government sites.  If you are short handed on your own staff and would like to consider consulting from Environmental Leverage please feel free to contact us at ELFEnvironmental@aol.com or fill out a request sheet at Feedback

Here are some good links that may be of help

http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/recycle/jtr/comm/index.htm

http://www.eia.doe.gov/

http://www.wef.org/

Commodities

Recyclable materials are bought and sold just like any other commodity. As with other commodities, the markets for recyclables are dynamic, fluctuating with changes in supply and demand. This page provides an overview of the recycling marketplace by offering commodity-specific technical and pricing information, as well as informative resources.

Many states have developed beneficial reuse programs and regulations

http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/recycle/jtr/comm/sand.htm

Foundry sand primarily consists of clean, uniformly sized, high-quality silica sand or lake sand that is bonded to form molds for ferrous and nonferrous metal castings. The iron and steel industries account for approximately 95 percent of foundry sand used for castings.

Approximately 80 percent of the sand and dust generated each year by U.S. foundries is placed in landfills. EPA estimates that the foundry industry has the potential to reuse or recycle 6 to 10 million tons of non-hazardous spent foundry sand each year. According to FIRST, a foundry recycling nonprofit organization, the foundry industry could save $100 to $250 million in disposal costs by finding recycling outlets for this material.

International and National Materials Exchanges

http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/recycle/jtr/comm/exchnat.htm

Pollution Prevention Opportunities

Troubleshooting newsletters

Links to tons of troubleshooting newsletters

Wastewater Training Classes

Wastewater Training CD's

Algae Case Histories

Case Histories