Retrofit for treatment of EDCs in the Easton wastewater treatment plant

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Retrofit for treatment of EDCs in the Easton
wastewater treatment plant
Presented by Eric Backlund, Dan Kucz, Dan Weaver
a.k.a. WeriK, Inc. for CE372
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Objectives

• Gain an understanding of EDCs in our environment
• Analyze possible methods of treatment for EDCs
• Choose an applicable retrofit for Easton
  wastewater treatment plant based on the
  multidisciplinary approach with Lehigh Carbon
  Community College (LCCC) and DeSales University
• Provide costs of implementation for the retrofit

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Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs)

• Over 87,000 kinds found in the environment
  (Scruggs, 2004)
• Proven harmful to wildlife proven harmful to
  humans in high concentrations
• Should be treated in wastewater from a societal
  standpoint, according to LCCC students
• Should be limited to 0.1 parts per trillion (ppt)
  from a biological standpoint, according to
  DeSales University students

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Methods for Treatment

• Ion exchange/Chemical Precipitation
• Chlorination
• Ultraviolet
• Ozonation
• Osmosis/Membrane (filter)
• Activated Carbon adsorption
• Why?
• Effective at removing wide range of EDCs
• Applicable to full-scale implementation

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Environmental Aspect

• Received a wastewater sample from Easton
  Wastewater Treatment Plant
• Spiked the water with Estradiol, E2 to heighten
  the estrogen concentration
• Tested different amounts of carbon
• Filtrasorb 600
• Carbsorb 40
• Data analysis was done to get values for
  calculating the cost of the carbon

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Environmental Aspect Contd

• Cost calculations were run for the four carbons
  provided to us
• GAC Costs
• Carbon 1 -- 8.46 per day
• Carbon 2 -- 9.20 per day
• Filtrasorb 600 -- 139,841.14 per day
• Carbsorb 40 -- 45,486.95 per day
• PAC Costs
• Carbon 1 -- 992.61 per day
• Carbon 2 -- 60.22 per day
• Filtrasorb 600 -- 202,427,912.29 per day
• Carbsorb 40 -- 221,294,385.80 per day

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Site Description

• Easton Wastewater Treatment Plant
• Located on Route 611 between I-78 and the
  Delaware River
• Serves 56,000 people (Water Partnership Council,
  2001)
• 4-5MGD operational flow rate

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Design Criteria

• 10MGD max flow rate
• 10 year lifespan
• Activated Carbon adsorption treatment process
• Granular activated carbon (GAC)
• Columns
• Regeneration of carbon
• Powder activated carbon (PAC)
• Mix into water
• Increased sludge removal in secondary clarifiers
• 2 part GAC/PAC system

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Recommendations for design

• Design GAC treatment for 6.5MGD based on
  population increases over the past 50 years in
  the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton area (CensusScope,
  2000)
• For remaining 3.5MGD, implement a PAC mixer
  boxPAC can be used in emergency situations and
  during regeneration periods
• 5 GAC columns at 15.5 width each, in parallel
  flow
• PAC mixer box installed at current flow division
  box

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Locations for implementation

• PAC
• Near flow division box

• GAC
• Near chlorination tanks

PAC
GAC
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Costs of retrofit to users
PAC
GAC
TOTAL COST TO USERS 4.17 per person/yr
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Any Questions???