bmSOLUTION MP 26 launched for new boiler boil out program

i-Chem Solution Sdn Bhd has launched a new product, bmSOLUTION MP 26 as boil out program for new boilers.

bmSOLUTION^® MP 26 is a blend of dispersants, wetting agents, phosphate and alkalinity agent, used to clean and passivate new boilers. It's also aids to remove oil and organic-bound deposit on the metal surface of the new boiler.

 

bmSOLUTION^® MP 26 dosage is depending on the application.

Boil-out Cleaning                               : 1.5% product by volume

Microbes to provide fuel for car

Something along bio-tech lines. Audi and US-based fuels specialist Joule have developed a remarkable process to produce e-ethanol and e-diesel, whereby microorganisms suspended in brackish or waste water can use sunlight and waste CO2 to create fuels without need for biomass.
The ‘refineries’ responsible for them are photosynthetic microorganisms, which are injected into brackish water standing in lengths of pipe. Measuring around three thousandths of a millimetre in diameter, these organisms have been genetically modified to prevent them from multiplying using the sunlight-aided photosynthesis process as they normally would.
Instead, they are stimulated to use this process to convert the waste CO2 and the waste water into liquid fuels, which they then secrete, and which can then be easily separated from the water and concentrated without the need for any further manufacturing steps.
It’s an exceptionally simple and relatively inexpensive process, without needing crop-based biomass that has traditionally been a key constituent of synthetic fuels. In essence, the resource-sparing process means that facilities can be located in remote areas, even a desert.
Already, Audi and Joule have commissioned such a demonstration facility in New Mexico, and it’s already producing sustainable e-ethanol, which has the same chemical properties as bio-ethanol. At a blend of 85%, mixed with 15% fossil-fuel petrol, the Audi e-ethanol can power petrol vehicles capable of running on E85 fuel, with only minor modification needed. As for the e-diesel, it will work highly effectively with existing Audi TDI clean diesel systems without the need for modification. In contrast to petroleum-based diesel, which is a mixture of a wide variety of organic compounds, this one is not only free of sulphur and aromatics, but is also easy to ignite thanks to its high cetane value. Large scale commercial application may still be some time away, but the concept sounds promising – waste not, indeed.

Training Video - Raw Water Treatment

 

 

Nanoparticle carbon molecules prevent bio-fouling

DURHAM, NC — Engineers at Duke University have found that spherical carbon molecules known as “buckyballs” hinder the ability of bacteria and other microorganisms to accumulate on membranes used to filter water in treatment plants, according to a March 5 Duke University news release.
According to the engineers, coating pipes and membranes with these nanoparticles may prove to be an effective strategy for addressing biofouling.
So-Ryong Chae, post-doctoral fellow in Duke’s environmental and civil engineering department, explains in the release: “Just as plaque can build up inside arteries and reduce the flow of blood, bacteria and other microorganisms can over time attach and accumulate on water treatment membranes and along water pipes. As the bacteria build up on these surfaces, they attract other organic matter, creating a biofilm that slowly builds up over time.
“The results of our experiments in the laboratory indicate that buckyballs may be able to prevent this clogging, known as biofouling. The only other options to address biofouling are digging up the pipes and replacing the membranes, which can be expensive and inconvenient.”
Results of Chae’s experiments were published March 5 in the Journal of Membrane Sciences.
The researchers concluded that because buckyballs are one of the most widely used nanoparticles, additional research is needed to determine if they have any detrimental effects on humans or the environment. Buckyballs are named after the spherical geodesic domes designed by architect R. Buckminster Fuller.

To read the full article, click here.

Shrimp protein removes heavy metals in water

LONG BEACH, CA — A Cal State Long Beach biochemistry and chemistry professor has turned his attention toward brine shrimp, also known as sea monkeys, in an effort to develop a more efficient, more economical water treatment technology for removing heavy metals, according to a March 2 daily49er.com article.
Roger Acey said a protein found in brine shrimp (Artemia salina), when placed on a membrane, instantaneously binds to heavy metals such as lead, arsenic and mercury as a solution containing the toxic metals is passed through the membrane.
Acey said one advantage of the process is that biologically essential metals pass through the membrane.
The gene for the protein, a metallothinein-like protein (MT), was cloned from brine shrimp, and then placed into bacteria to produce the protein, the article said.
Acey said he hopes to adapt the technology into a point-of-use water filter.

Algae by-products to blame for bad-taste water

ALLIANCE, OH — An off-taste and off-odor to this city’s municipal water has continued to linger since an algae outbreak late last year, but now officials from the Alliance Water Department are moving toward a solution, saying the situation is improving, according to a March 2 CantonRep.com article.
CantonRep.com reported that while city administration officials declined an interview offer on February 27, they supplied details from a recent community forum on the issue. A PowerPoint presentation by Water Treatment Superintendent Dean Reynolds pinpoints the culprits as algae byproducts or metabolites called methylisoborneol (MIB) and geosmin.
The city has addressed the increased algae growth with additional powdered activated carbon. The system serves 10,000 people.
Ohio regulatory officials said the water is safe to drink.

To read the full article, click here.

Chromium hexavalent is carcinogenic in water

Charlottesville, VA — National Toxicology Program scientists have concluded at the end of a two-year animal study that the compound hexavalent chromium is carcinogenic in drinking water, Environmental Health News reported on February 20.
Hexavalent chromium, also known as chromium 6 or chromium VI, was brought to the general public’s attention by the movie “Erin Brockovich,” which chronicles a lawyer’s crusade on behalf of citizens of a small California town battling a cover-up involving chromium 6-contaminated water. It has been known for about 20 years that hexavalent chromium is carcinogenic when inhaled.
In the National Toxicology Program study, scientists found that mice and rats contracted malignant tumors in their small intestines and mouths when they drank water containing several different doses of hexavalent chromium, Environmental Health News reported.
California and US Environmental Protection Agency officials now are reevaluating what concentration is safe in water supplies, the article said. California is expected to announce within a few weeks a proposal to set a new health guideline for hexavalent chromium in drinking water.
Roberto Gwiazda, an assistant researcher at University of California at Santa Cruz’s Department of Environmental Toxicology, called the new study a “milestone,” saying it “settles the issue.” However, Gwiazda said in the article that using the new research “to support a drinking water standard is a different matter” because extrapolating it to humans remains controversial.

To read the full report, click here.

Legionella Bacteria Found At Maryland General Hospital

Bacteria Found In Water System; No Patients Affected

BALTIMORE — Routine testing has revealed low levels of Legionella bacteria in the water system of Maryland General Hospital, located here, according to a January 7 WBAL TV 11 News report on msnbc.com.
The bacteria were found in a shower area during a routine test. No cases of infection have been reported.
Maryland General Hospital has begun disinfecting its water system, according to hospital officials. Bottled water has been made available to patients and access to showers has been reduced.
11 News reported that this is at least the second time in the last 22 months that Legionella bacteria have been found at the hospital.

To read the full report, click here.

Solving problem for very high iron content water

When experienced water treatment professional Mark St. Hilaire first received the lab results for a point–of–entry (POE) system at an indoor athletic facility in New Hampshire, he thought there was a mistake: The iron was at 270 parts per million (ppm).

“We said, ‘It can’t be,’” says St. Hilaire, director of the residential systems group for Waltham, MA–headquartered Atlas Watersystems, Inc. So he sent out another sample, and the results were pretty much the same. That lab report on the facility’s private well water revealed:
Iron at 209 ppm
pH of 5.5
Hardness of 354 ppm, about 21 grains per gallon (gpg)
Sediment — positive
Conductivity of 1,570 microsiemens.

In addition, the naturally occurring iron had caused the water to have “tremendous color” in an orangey tint, and an awful taste.

“It was exciting and frightening at the same time,” recounts St. Hilaire. “To take on the job was somewhat frightening in the beginning, looking at the initial test result. It became exciting when you realized that the chemistry that was coming back was going to support being able to fix it.”

A system ‘making mud’
Earlier this year, Atlas was called in to correct problems the facility was having with its existing POE system, which was about five to six years old. That system was designed to oxidize the water via chlorine injection, and then filter it.

That’s a common and often acceptable method for iron treatment: soluble ferrous iron (Fe+2) is oxidized into ferric iron (Fe+3), a particulate in suspension which can be removed with a filter.
However, according to St. Hilaire’s account, in this case there was simply too much iron in the athletic facility’s water: “It just couldn’t work with what it was trying to deal with. … Not gonna happen. They were just making mud.”

St. Hilaire says his first reaction upon seeing the results of the lab water analysis was to suggest the customer drill another well. The customer told him they had done that already, but the water in the new well was of about the same quality.

“Under normal circumstances, we would not attempt to treat this water,” St. Hilaire says. But he adds, “They were desperate.”

Iron like never before
The water was essentially unusable. St. Hilaire was faced with an athletic facility housing workout rooms, an indoor soccer field, showers, a concession stand and more, and the water was so bad, no one could shower there. The owner supplied bottled water for drinking.

What tipped Atlas off and made it decide to attempt to treat the water was that it had samples of the high–iron water sitting on desks for two or three weeks that weren’t oxidizing “the way normal samples oxidize when there is that much iron,” says St. Hilaire.

“Typically when you pull a sample that has iron in it, in a day or two the iron will start to convert all by itself and drop out. We had a bottle that was sitting in the refrigerator, and it just didn’t turn. Over the period of two weeks, it never turned,” according to St. Hilaire.
“This was the most iron anybody here had ever seen dissolved in water; you fully expect the sample to turn color in a matter of hours, but it didn’t,” he adds.

A unique solution for tough iron
After reviewing the samples of water in the refrigerator, the Atlas people decided they might have a chance of using ion exchange to remove the iron without oxidizing it.

The company began by getting to know its water user. Atlas installed a water meter to determine how much water the facility was using on a daily basis. That figure was compared with engineering specifications for water use.

With that data in hand, Atlas personnel installed a small POE pilot softening system to see what it would do. “It caught the iron down to about 0.6 [ppm],” St. Hilaire says.

The pilot system afforded enough information for St. Hilaire and his team to design a permanent solution. Working in a confined space that essentially is a boxed–in stairway, the company designed and installed a quad–flow system using AvantaPure countercurrent regenerating water softeners. The softeners rely on a standard cation exchange resin, St. Hilaire says.

Of the unique system design, St. Hilaire explains: “We put four AvantaPure systems in parallel, and essentially they clean each other out because you would not be able to backwash them with water that has 270 parts per million iron. … So every tank is pulling from the other when it is in its cleaning cycle, so they are always cleaning with clean water. We modified the valves to make that happen.”

The system, installed by six technicians, includes sediment filters before the water softeners. The softeners are followed by a chemical feed system injecting chlorine and soda ash into a large retention and settling tank. “We had to deal with the color, the pH still, a little bit of iron bacteria still,” St. Hilaire says.

The water then goes through a series of two multimedia filters. After all the equipment, a booster pump was installed to maintain pressure throughout the facility at an even 70 pounds per square inch (psi).

The result: “The water is clear at the tap. Iron is consistently below 0.3 [ppm], pH neutral. The state came in and did their compliance testing and was shocked,” St. Hilaire says.

A little POU for good measure
While the facility owners removed the bottled water, they wanted to provide the highest quality drinking water possible for their members. Not only is the water used for drinking, but it is used to make coffee, protein drinks and more. To address this, Atlas installed two point–of–use (POU) undersink reverse osmosis (RO) units with faucets.

After four months of service, the system was delivering water with an iron level of 0.2 ppm, hardness of 0–1 gpg, and a pH of 7.4.

St. Hilaire says the facility does the daily/weekly maintenance required for the salt, chlorine and soda ash. Once a month, Atlas technicians perform on–site system maintenance, which includes testing each piece individually to make sure it is doing what it is supposed to.“There has been not even a hiccup yet,” St. Hilaire says.

EPA seeking comments on proposed guidelines to control construction site pollution

WASHINGTON, DC, Nov. 19, 2008 -- EPA is seeking comments on its proposed guidelines to control the discharge of pollutants from construction sites. The proposal would require all construction sites to implement erosion and sediment control best management practices to reduce pollutants in stormwater discharges.
"This proposal builds a foundation for cleaner streams and greener neighborhoods through improved treatment technologies and prevention practices," said Benjamin H. Grumbles, EPA's assistant administrator for water.

Click here for more information about the proposal.

Siemens Establishes Mobile Water Treatment Services In Middle East

Siemens Water Technologies has established its mobile water treatment solutions in the Middle East with its first installation outside North America, where the company services thousands of municipal and industrial customers. Siemens will supply the system to Saudi Aramco in Saudi Arabia. The 50m3/hr system uses media filtration, followed by reverse osmosis, to treat and purify groundwater for use as drinking water. The mobile water treatment units began operation on June 15, 2008, and will be on site for about three years. Unlike other treatment systems, which require the investment of capital expense, manufacturing time, and installation, the containerized mobile water systems provide numerous advantages, such as rapid response for emergency or unplanned maintenance, minimal field construction costs and the flexibility to upgrade or change a treatment process if source water chemistry changes.
The Siemens mobile water system at Saudi Aramco will supply 50 m3/hr of treated water to supplement an existing drinking water supply during construction of a new permanent system. The company selected a mobile unit instead of a permanent treatment system, because the fully integrated, containerized system can be installed quickly with minimal construction time. By using the Siemens water treatment system, Aramco has improved the quality and quantity of available drinking water from the existing wells. "The protection of this vital resource is an important responsibility and one of Saudi Aramco's highest priorities," said Mr. Mazen Snobar, Community Services Executive Director at Saudi Aramco. "We are greatly honored to work with Siemens Water Technologies, a leader in mobile water systems."
Unlike the systems in North America which, are built inside trailers (on wheels), expansion of the mobile treatment concept into Saudi Arabia involved designing treatment systems to be built in international-standard ISO containers. All of the necessary interconnecting piping, power distribution, and instrumentation are complete within the container, including PLC controls for fully-automatic operations. Chemical feed systems are also integrated in the container, when required. This configuration allows Siemens to adapt fully-integrated treatment systems into transportable containers built to withstand rigorous use and transportation. Once on site, a single-point connection for water inlet and outlet and a single-point connection for the power supply are all that is required.
As part of the company's new Middle East mobile services offering headquartered in Saudi Arabia, the mobile fleet is available in various treatment configurations, such as Pretreatment, Membrane Separation/Reverse Osmosis (RO) and Combination Pretreatment and RO. Mobile water treatment services provide temporary treatment solutions for short-term, emergency and supplemental water needs across a wide range of industrial and drinking water applications.
The Siemens Industry Sector (Erlangen, Germany) is the world's leading supplier of production, transportation and building systems. Integrated hardware and software technologies combined with comprehensive industry-specific solutions enable Siemens to enhance the productivity and efficiency of its customers in industry and infrastructure. The Sector comprises six Divisions: Building Technologies, Industry Automation, Industry Solutions, Mobility, Drive Technologies and Osram. In fiscal 2007 (ended September 30), Siemens Industry generated sales of approximately EUR40 billion (pro forma, unconsolidated) with around 209,000 employees worldwide.
With the business activities of Siemens VAI Metal Technologies, (Linz, Austria), Siemens Water Technologies (Warrendale, Pa., U.S.A.), and Industry Technologies, (Erlangen, Germany), the Siemens Industry Solutions Division (Erlangen, Germany) is one of the world's leading solution and service providers for industrial and infrastructure facilities. Using its own products, systems and process technologies, Industry Solutions develops and builds plants for end customers, commissions them and provides support during their entire life cycle.
SOURCE: Siemens Water Technologies

PepsiCo India told by Delhi High Court to redesign Aquafina label

NEW DELHI — PepsiCo India has been ordered by the Delhi High Court to remove the picture of a snow-capped mountain from the label of its Aquafina-brand bottled water.

High Court justices said the image conveys a misleading impression to buyers that the bottle contains mineral water from mountainous regions, which it does not. Publicly supplied water further treated by PepsiCo is the source of Aquafina bottled water.

To read the full report, click here.

Utility to mine wastewater for Nitrogen and Phosphorus source as fertilizer

TIGARD, OR — Clean Water Services, Washington County’s sewage utility, is planning to mine wastewater for phosphorus and ammonia (nitrogen source), and then resell it as fertilizer, according to a November 16 Associated Press article.

The company says it will install $2.5 million worth of equipment in its wastewater treatment plant by the spring of 2009 with the goal to produce 40 tons of fertilizer per month, which will be sold to farms and nurseries.

The company currently pays to have these nutrients removed from its machines, according to the article.

Officials said in the article that they hope the system will pay for itself within five years.

To read the full article, click here.

Water Issues seen as likely priorities under Obama

WASHINGTON — Water issues will be a top priority for President-elect Barack Obama’s new administration, according to a November 12 article in Earth News, the online news source for environmental advocacy group Environmental Information Coalition.

According to the article, Obama promised during his campaign to increase federal funding for water infrastructure, which has declined 70 percent over the last two decades. As recent as last week, Obama said that a $60 billion to $100 billion economic stimulus package aimed at promoting economic recovery through the funding of infrastructure projects would be a top priority following his inauguration, the article said.

To read the full article, click here.

Scientists develop new tools in E. coli battle

Researchers at the University of Alberta say they have developed "inhibitors" that should be able to grab onto and neutralize the potent toxins released by E. coli that contaminated the drinking water supply in Walkerton, Ont., in 2000 and has been making headlines again this month after an outbreak in the Ontario city of North Bay.

To read the full article, click here.

Calgon equipment sales increase 26 percent

PITTSBURGH — This year’s third-quarter equipment sales at Calgon Carbon Corp. increased by 26 percent compared with the third quarter of 2007 due to increased demand for carbon adsorption, odor control equipment and ultraviolet (UV) drinking water disinfection systems, according to an October 31 company press release.

Sales by the company's Activated Carbon and Service segment increased 17.8 percent over the third quarter of 2007, due to higher pricing and volume for activated carbon products and services in the environmental water treatment, potable water treatment and food services industries.

The company also reports a net income of $6.3 million for the third quarter of 2008, up $1.4 million from net income in the third quarter of 2007. Net income per share for the third quarter of 2008 was $0.12, two cents above the the third-quarter 2007 figure.

Siemens And Chevron Energy Solutions Help California City Turn Wastewater To Energy

Dystor Gas Holder Systems Store Methane from Wastewater Sludge
Chicago, IL — The city of Rialto (Calif.) is working with Siemens Water Technologies to install two Dystor gas holder systems at the city's wastewater treatment plant. The Dystor systems, which are part of a comprehensive upgrade being designed and installed by Chevron Energy Solutions, will be used to store methane gas produced from treating municipal wastewater sludge and local restaurant kitchen grease. Rialto uses three 300-kW fuel cells to convert the biogas into hydrogen and to generate power electrochemically, without combustion, for the plant.
Increasing its biogas storage will help Rialto further reduce its energy costs, grow city revenues, and improve air quality. In addition, if the plant is able to operate its 900-kW fuel cell plant on 75% biogas by the end of the year, it will receive a significant rebate from California's Self-Generation Incentive Program.
Fast delivery and installation were key factors with the Siemens order. The first Dystor was installed last month and the second is due to be installed after the first of the year.
At 75-feet in diameter and 14-inches water column, both gas holder systems are the high gas take-off style. The high location of the gas take-off in this system configuration prevents any digester foam from reaching the gas piping. Additionally, the inner gas holder membrane is permanently fixed at the top so that it cannot extend very far into the tank when the system is out of service and deflated.
The city's public works department retained Hunt Environmental of Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif., as the project consultant for this waste-to-energy initiative. Over the years, Siemens and Rialto have teamed up on other water projects, including pure water production at the city's wastewater treatment plant and perchlorate removal from the city's groundwater.
SOURCE: Siemens Water Technologies

ADB Targets Coordinated Water Management In Central Asian Nations

Manila, Philippines — The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is aiming to enhance regional cooperation on vital Central Asian waterways whose management and protection are crucial to the region's economic growth and social well-being.
The Syr Darya and Amu Darya rivers, which criss-cross a large part of Central Asia, support most of the agricultural output in the Aral Sea basin and have significant hydropower capacity and potential. A lack of cooperation among the Central Asian countries — Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan — in managing their shared water systems has been a key constraint that threatens to undermine the region's development.
"The lack of regional cooperation on water resources poses a major threat to economic integration and growth in Central Asia," said Thomas Panella, Senior Water Resources Management Specialist with ADB's Central and West Asia Department.
ADB has approved a $998,000 regional technical assistance grant which will be used to support knowledge-sharing on water resources in the region and strengthen the capacity of institutions tasked with managing them.
The grant came from a multi-donor trust fund under an ADB-administered Water Financing Partnership Facility. The Trust Fund contributors are the governments of Australia, Austria, and Norway.
The assistance will involve regional initiatives covering the Amu Darya and Syr Darya river basins and the Chu and Talas river basins, as well as help establish a forum for exchanging ideas and developing future action plans.
The project builds on previous ADB technical assistance from 2004 to 2007 that helped initiate regional water policy dialogues and the development of water management capacity.
SOURCE: Asian Development Bank

Special pump to save drinking water from algae

Sydney: New South Wales government will use special pump to circulate water and prevent the formation of algae in Sydney's Warragamba Dam.

To read the full article, Click here.

GE says its water business will prosper

FAIRFIELD, CT — General Electric Co. (GE) says it expects healthy revenue growth in 2008 for its products that provide environmental benefits despite the downturn in the economy, a recent Associated Press article carried by Forbes.com said.

Those products, many falling under the company’s “Ecomagination” program, include water/wastewater treatment equipment and systems. Revenue from “Ecomagination” products is expected to increase by 21 percent in 2008 over 2007, to $17 billion, the article said.

At the same time, the company recently announced that it was reorganizing its GE Energy Infrastructure business, which includes GE Water & Process Technologies (GE Water), the company’s water treatment technology arm. Jeff Garwood, who has been president of GE Water, will move out of that role to work on projects that are GE Energy Infrastructure-wide, alongside Energy Infrastructure President and CEO (and GE Vice Chairman) John Krenicki Jr.

Replacing Garwood as president of GE Water will be Heiner Markhoff, a former executive in GE’s plastics business.

In a recent message to GE employees, Krenicki announced that GE will be combining its water and power businesses into a new unit called Power and Water, which will have Steve Bolze as president and CEO. Markhoff will report to Bolze.

For GE, Krenicki wrote, the new structure “combines the deal structuring, risk management and project experience of Power Generation with the wealth of domain knowledge and industry expertise that exists today within the Water business.” He added that “water and energy are inextricably linked” and that the company’s commitment to water process technology “has never been greater.”

“Water represents a vital part of the overall portfolio and a tremendous growth opportunity for the business,” Krenicki told employees.