Tuesday, November 14, 2023
Technical Sessions
T1: Further Adventures in Brine Management
IWC Rep: John Korpiel, P.E., Veolia Water Technologies, Pittsburgh, PA
Session Chair: Adam Sutherland, Stantec, Nashville, TN
Discussion Leader: Richard Stover, Ph.D., GP Water, Woburn, MA
Time: 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Whether you are planning for minimum/zero liquid discharge, water reuse, resource recovery, or tackling PFAS removal, brine management is one of the biggest challenges facing the water industry today. This session will touch on several novel applications of membrane technology as the water industry continues to drive towards increased water recovery and sustainability.
IWC 23-29: Brine Concentration Membranes: New Applications and Design Concepts for Super Concentrating Brines
Craig Bartels, Rich Franks, Xiaofei Huang, and Alan Franks, Hydranautics – A Nitto Group Company, Oceanside, CA
Brine concentration membranes (BCMs) are a new type of membrane which can achieve very high brine salinities that cannot be reached by conventional seawater membranes. Softened brines can reasonably be concentrated to the range of 100,000 – 250,000 mg/l of dissolved salts (TDS) by BCM’s. Thus, design engineers are just now exploring options to use these membranes in minimum/zero liquid waste (MLD/ZLD) processes. This paper will report on new BCM’s, their performance and some emerging applications.
Discusser: Omkar Lokare, Gradiant Corporation, Woburn, MA
IWC 23-30: Case Study: More than 93% Recovery of Power Plant’s Cooling Tower Blowdown with an Advanced Reverse Osmosis Demonstration Plant
Roi Zaken Porat and Alex Drak, IDE Technologies, Kadima, Israel; Vijay Ahire, IDE Technologies, Carlsbad, CA
The power industry is one of the most intensive water consuming industries. However, due to water shortages, increasing numbers of regulations, and related effluent discharge and makeup water costs, power plants must manage their net water consumption in the most efficient way. The major water consumers in a power plant are the cooling towers, which also produce the major amount of wastewater as cooling tower blowdown (CTBD).
The straightforward way for power plants to save water, is to efficiently treat the CTBD and reuse the treated water back in the cooling towers as makeup water. However, due to the challenging composition of the CTBD water, conventional membrane technologies are limited in their ability to achieve high water recovery. IDE developed a membrane-based technology, The MAXH2O DESALTER, that maximizes high recovery of CTBD and reuses most of the treated water as makeup. The technology contains a single stage reverse osmosis system, with an integrated salt precipitation unit. This technology operates by recirculating the CTBD through the RO system, followed by a fluidized bed reactor in which controlled precipitation of supersaturated sparingly soluble salts is performed.
Discusser: David Shin, Hydranautics – A Nitto Group Company, Oceanside, CA
IWC 23-31: Recovering 90% of RO Reject Water for Further Use
Kevin Slough, Azaroghly Yazdanbod, and Jordan Grose, Ionic, Calgary, AB, Canada; Bill Sellerberg, Gary Thorn, and Josephine Aromando, Con Edison, New York City, NY
What if you could recover over 90% of water from your RO Reject stream? This paper examines operational data from an RO Reject water recovery system using a super energy efficient capacitive electrodialysis reversal (C-EDR) system. New C-EDR technology can produce dramatic operational improvements in terms of clean water yield, reduced concentrate, lower power consumption, reduced anti-scalant chemical usage and more.
Discusser: Robert Haresdin, P.E., GHD, Roseville, MN
IWC 23-32: Removing AFFF Residue in America’s Refineries & Chemical Process Facilities
Elaine Towe, P.Eng., Veolia WTS, Oakville, ON, Canada; Christopher Scott, Veolia WTS, Trevose, PA
Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) has started to enter the lexicon of PFAS (Perfluoroalkyl Substance challenges, and the public’s consciousness, in a big way in the refining & chemical process industries. AFFF has long been strongly associated with US Military bases and associated support sites, due to its near ubiquitous use over a period of decades in training and actual firefighting events at these facilities.
Discusser: Hari Parthasarathy, Geosyntec Consultants, Chicago, IL
T2: Introduction to Industrial Boiler and Steam System Passivation, Carryover, Carry-under, and Chemical Treatment
IWC Rep: Colleen M. Scholl, P.E., HDR, Whitewater, WI
Session Chair: Robert D. Bartholomew, P.E., Sheppard T. Powell Associates, LLC, Baltimore, MD
Discussion Leader: Daniel Sampson, HDR, Walnut Creek, CA
Time: 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Sponsored by the ASME Research & Technology Committee on Water and Steam in Thermal Systems
This is a good session for both seasoned veterans and those that are new to the field of industrial boiler water treatment. Steam/water cycles are mostly fabricated of steel, which is inherently unstable in steam or water. Thus, surfaces are passivated to provide a barrier between the steel and the fluid. There is much attention to carryover of boiler water into steam to protect turbines and steam system components, but it is less commonly understood that carryunder of steam in water also can cause significant problems. There are multiple types of conventional internal treatment approaches to control corrosion and deposition in boilers and the rest of the steam/water cycle. Recent research is also indicating that film forming products may affect heat transfer performance of steam/water cycle components. This session provides the essential science needed to understand these concepts and the practical advice to apply them to your industrial steam system.
IWC 23-33: Passivation in Steam Generating Systems
Loraine Huchler, P.E., CMC, MarTech Systems, Inc., Exmore, NJ
Is passivation the conversion of a metal oxide to magnetite – a reduction reaction – or the oxide layer formed from the substrate metal – an oxidation reaction? Either way, the objective is to create conditions that minimize corrosion. This paper describes the chemistry of iron oxides in boiler systems, postulated corrosion mechanisms, thermodynamic and kinetic conditions to form iron oxide, effects of dissolved oxygen and chemical oxygen scavengers, and some passivation/corrosion measurement techniques.
Discusser: Edward Beardwood, Beardwood Consulting & Technologies Inc., London, United Kingdom
IWC 23-34: Identifying and Understanding Boiler Carry-Over and Carry-Under
Kevin Boudreaux, ChemTreat, Sioux Falls, SD
Boiler carry-over and carry-under are two phenomena that occur frequently. Many are familiar with boiler carry-over, but boiler carry-under less understood due to the lack of literature available. This paper attempts to highlight how and why carry-under and carry-over occur, ideas for correction, and a detailed discussion about the proper online instrumentation for troubleshooting.
Discusser: Ivan Morales, Nalco Water, an Ecolab Company, Calgary, AB, Canada
IWC 23-35: Film Forming Products: Application, Corrosion Reduction, Layup Benefits, and Heat Transfer Improvement
George Patrick, Veolia WTS, Trevose, PA
Film Forming Products (FFP) have been used in boiler/steam cycles for many years, but the benefits were limited because the application was difficult. In the last decade, the application of FFP has improved using volatile FFP to simplify the application. The benefits of the simplified application is carbon steel corrosion reduction in the boiler and steam system during operation and layup. Other benefits include heat transfer improvement, chemical reduction, and simplified equipment layup.
Discusser: Kevin Boudreaux, ChemTreat, Sioux Falls, SD
IWC 23-36: Chemistry Control of Industrial Steam Generators & Waste Heat Boilers
Robert Bryant, Nalco Water, an Ecolab Company, Sugar Land, TX
This paper discusses boiler internal treatment in refineries and chemical processing facilities. It includes treatments ranging from 25 psig waste heat boilers to 1800 psig TLEs (transfer line exchangers). The paper will consist of choosing the correct program based on the boiler and pretreatment scheme and how to monitor and control the different programs. We will also examine the BFW quality requirements for the various chemical programs and the advantages and limitations of each program.
Discusser: David Daniels, Acuren Inspection, Leander, TX
T3: PFAS 2/ Best Practices in PFAS Management and Treatment
IWC Rep: Bradley D. Wolf, P.E., BRG, Pittsburgh, PA
Session Chair: Bill Malyk, P.Eng, BCEE, WSP E&I, Cambridge, ON, Canada
Discussion Leader: Pierre Kwan, P.E., P.Eng., HDR, Seattle, WA
Time: 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Join us for an enlightening technical session at the Industrial Water Conference as we dive into the world of PFAS treatment. In this session, industry experts will explore the latest advancements, challenges, and strategies for effectively managing and treating per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in industrial water systems. Discover innovative technologies, operational best practices, and case studies that shed light on sustainable and efficient approaches to PFAS removal and destruction. Don’t miss this opportunity to expand your knowledge and contribute to the collective effort in safeguarding our water resources.
IWC 23-37: From Bench to Field: Foam Fractionation and Electrochemical Oxidation Performance on Source Zone and Plume PFAS Treatment
Jessica Beattie, P.G., CDM Smith, Edison, NJ; Mark Salvetti, CDM Smith, Boston, MA; Tamzen Macbeth, CDM Smith, Helena, MT; Dung Nguyen, CDM Smith, Bellevue, WA
A CDM Smith team recently completed a pilot study aimed at implementing a more cost-effective, sustainable system to treat two types of PFAS impacted groundwater: air stripper effluent and source zone groundwater. To achieve this, they performed a bench-scale and field pilot demonstration assessing foam fractionation followed by electrochemical oxidation to partition PFAS from the water stream and degrade PFAS to innocuous end products. This paper details the results and lessons-learned for future demonstrations.
Discusser: Kevin Dufresne, Geosyntec Consultants, Guelph, ON, Canada
IWC 23-38: Operational Learning and Best Practices in a Multi-Year PFAS Treatment Plant
Christopher Scott, Veolia WTS, Trevose, PA; Elaine Towe, P.Eng., Veolia WTS, Oakville, ON, Canada
In this paper, we will share our multi-year optional experience of a full-scale municipal water system using ion exchange for PFAS removal. After a year of successful operation, number of operational challenges were encountered related to the factors mentioned above. The plant was shut down for maintenance, upgrades & operational changes. We will share the steps taken restarting the facility, and the critical adjustments made in the pre-treatment. We will also identify what we believe to be operational best practices for PFAS removal.
Discusser: Cathy Swanson, Purolite, an Ecolab Company, Fullerton, CA
IWC 23-39: PFAS Mass Balance in a City
Ivan Cooper, Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc., Charlotte, NC
The City of Lebanon, New Hampshire, sought to understand how PFAS moves through their waste and wastewater infrastructure. Starting with disposal by consumers and/or industry, the City was interested in understanding all of the pathways by which PFAS moves into and out of its landfill, into and out of its sewer systems, interrelationships between the two and points of discharge to the environment. Once this data was gathered, it was analyzed in the context of the current regulatory framework, as well as, the context of reasonable/plausible future regulations. Finally, the City evaluated how it might best reduce and control the release of PFAS to the environment from the waste/wastewater infrastructure. The flux of PFAS through the infrastructure was conceptualized through construction of semi-quantitative conceptual models.
Discusser: John Van Gehuchten, P.E., McKim & Creed Inc., Sewickley, PA
IWC 23-40: PFAS Rejection with RO and NF
Wayne Bates, Hydranautics – A Nitto Group Company, Rockton, IL; Yue Wang and Megan Lee, Hydranautics – A Nitto Group Company, Oceanside, CA
PFAS rejection ranges have been reported from 71-99% for NF, 82-99% for low pressure brackish water RO, and 82-99% for high pressure brackish water RO. This paper will report on PFAS rejection studies. The rejection of specific PFAS compounds can vary by carbon chain length, molecular weight, hydrophilic end functional group, etc. PFAS rejection may vary from site-to-site dependent on NOM and TOC variations in the feed water. 4 different studies will be reviewed.
Discusser: Kishor Nayar, Ph.D., P.E., Evoqua Water Technologies, Houston, TX
T4: Good to the Last Drop: Water Reuse in Action
IWC Rep: Jay Harwood, Newterra, Oakville, ON, Canada
Session Chair: Mike Preston, Kiewit, Lenexa, KS
Discussion Leader: Shira Colsky, Geosyntec Consultants, Atlanta, GA
Time: 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Water reuse continues to be a topic that garners a high level of interest across most all industries and all levels of government. As the US experiences a resurgence in industrial activity and development, water reuse will be critical to the feasibility and success of these new facilities. While we all embrace the concept, the implementation can be challenging. In this Session we will hear from several industrial applications considering the opportunities and challenges of implementing an effective reuse program in their particular setting. We’ll also have an opportunity to learn more about an emerging membrane solution designed to address some of the challenges encountered in the reuse applications.
IWC 23-41: Identify Water Reuse Opportunities in the Beverage Industry – EPA Water Reuse Action Plan Report-Out
Holly Churman, P.E., GHD, Allison Park, PA; Peter J. Capponi, GHD, Atlanta, GA; Tyler Abercrombie, GHD, Irvine, CA; Nort Fogel, P.E., GHD, Farmington Hills, MI; Paul T. Bowen, Ph.D., GHD, Clemson, SC
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) is spearheading the National Water Reuse Action Plan (WRAP), intended to advance water reuse in the public and private sectors. As part of WRAP Action 5.7, a team of public sector, beverage companies, and non-profit representatives has convened to assess technical, regulatory, and stakeholder engagement challenges and opportunities in beverage manufacturing. The team is writing a white paper that will explore these issues and identify next steps to help advance water reuse in this sector. This paper will summarize the activities undertaken to date. We will discuss our next steps and seek feedback from the attendees for consideration in a subsequent phase of the project.
Discusser: James Scholl P.E., BCEE, DWRE, ASCE Fellow, Kiewit, Okemos, MI
IWC 23-42: Challenges Associated with the Adoption of Industrial Water Reuse
Anthony Zamarro, P.E., CDM Smith, Boston, MA
In recent years, there has been a paradigm shift in the goals of industrial wastewater treatment driven by ESG, tightening environmental standards, water scarcity, and economics. This is part of a continuum of treatment starting with mid-20th century regulations that moved dischargers from surface waters to publicly owned treatment works (POTWs). Current onsite treatment infrastructure was developed to comply with these treatment standards. As dischargers move to advanced technologies old ways of doing things are creating difficulties for onsite reuse treatment. This paper presents several case studies where the transition to reuse went well, and some examples where the transition did not go so well.
Discusser: Edward Greenwood, P.Eng. BCEE, WSP, Barrie, ON, Canada
IWC 23-43: Reclaimed Water for Data Center Direct Evaporative Cooling Systems
Carla De Las Casas, P.E., Brown and Caldwell, Walnut Creek, CA; Rebecca Maco and Shannon Cavanaugh, Brown and Caldwell, Seattle, WA; Austa Parker, Brown and Caldwell, Lakewood, CO
Reclaimed water has been used for industrial cooling in the US since the 1960s; however, this use has generally been in indirect evaporative cooling (IDEC) systems. Unlike IDEC systems, in direct evaporative cooling (DEC) systems, cooled air is in direct contact with personnel and equipment within the building, posing potential risks to people and equipment. This paper explores strategies for permitting and implementation of reclaimed water use in data center DEC systems that mitigate these potential risks.
Discusser: Michael Hicks, Ramboll Water, Brentwood, TN
IWC 23-44: Full-Scale Implementation of Novel, Zwitterionic Membranes for Water Reuse in High-Strength Wastewaters
Chris Roy, ZwitterCo, Woburn, MA
A breakthrough zwitterionic membrane chemistry immune to irreversible organic fouling has demonstrated its ability to reach ultra-high recoveries in the most difficult-to-treat wastewater and process streams. This paper is a commercial update to in-field pilot data presented at IWC 2022 and reviews its use in dairy wastewater, landfill leachate, produced water, bioprocessing, and agricultural digestate applications. In this paper, the commercial progress of these novel membranes is reviewed, including full-scale performance of its commercial installations.
Discusser: Victoria Oveson, DuPont Water Solutions, Edina, MN