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June 2021 Articles
Environmental Science & Engineering Magazine’s June 2021 issue includes a special focus on storage tanks, spills and containment. Also inside, are many articles covering other water, wastewater and environmental protection subjects. Topics include: sewer monitoring, non-invasive watermain condition assessment, repairing wastewater digesters, machine learning for water, improving and maintaining reverse osmosis systems, treatment options for PFAS contaminated groundwater and more.
Treatment options for PFAS contaminated groundwater
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a class of chemical compounds that have been used in the manufacturing of a wide variety of consumer products since the 1940s. Due to growing public awareness and an evolving political climate, widespread changes to government regulations and enforcement are imminent.
Strategies to increase existing reverse osmosis unit output
A facility may need to meet an increased reverse osmosis demand from a unit that is already at capacity, with no impact on quality.
Measurement methods for chemical storage tank inventory calculation
The technology used to measure and manage chemical inventories is diverse, with many options to measuring the amount of chemicals inside tanks.
Creating a safe chemical storage system
It is important to consider the durability and longevity of the chemical storage tank system when you’re storing corrosive chemicals.
Repairing and protecting a 1950s era wastewater digester tank
Wastewater treatment plant maintenance and upgrading programs can sometimes unearth issues that may not be apparent during regular operation. Such an occurrence happened at a WWTP consisting of eight digesters constructed at various times between 1955 and 2010.
Edmonton engineering firm piloting a novel machine learning water treatment process
This pilot project, believed to be the first of its kind, marks the beginning of exploring artificial intelligence and machine learning in everyday infrastructure applications, including water treatment.
Monitoring small watersheds is vital to community safety and water sustainability
By understanding local watersheds, communities are able to plan for a safer and more sustainable future as the effects of climate disruptions increase.
Determining when it is time to replace reverse osmosis membranes
Knowing why reverse osmosis (RO) performance has declined and which membrane elements are compromised will reduce the number of membrane elements that need to be replaced. It will also make it possible to modify RO pre-treatment, or possibly cleaning frequency.
Constructing a new child care facility directly above its stormwater system
The belowground stormwater system was installed in the early stages of construction. A solution was required to protect it from ground pressure exerted by cranes.
Advantages of using peristaltic dosing pumps for fluids with particulates or chemicals that off-gas
Peristaltic pumps are capable of pumping both fluids with particulates and those that off-gas, without loss of prime or vapour lock.
Bridge prevention is key to successful sewage sludge handling applications
Solids content of sludge cake in sewage sludge handling operations is a persistent problem. Traditional bridge-breaking technology fails to adequately address bridging in the resulting difficult-to-convey sludge applications. More recently, improved technology, such as NETZSCH Pumps & Systems’ aBP-Module®, has proven to be highly effective in ensuring bridge prevention.
Saskatchewan city completes third phase of drinking water upgrade
Saskatchewan residents in the City of Estevan can expect “noticeably improved, less hard” drinking water, municipal officials explained, as they unveiled the third and final phase of the community’s drinking water system upgrade project.
Norfolk County commissions condition assessments on its transmission network
Norfolk County in Ontario recently encountered a main break on its 300-mm ductile iron transmission watermain. Learn about the project, the ePulse technology used to assess watermain conditions, and the solutions provided that led to a 10-year capital plan to replace pipes and other sections with poor condition.
Water, wastewater tech can improve supply, reduce energy use, increase sustainability
Heat recovery enables a resource that would otherwise go to waste to be used for purposes such as pre-heating items, including process water, feedstock, digesters or evaporators to improve energy efficiency. Heat exchangers are a good way to recapture heat from thermal processes, as a well-designed system can recover and reuse 40% of the heat produced by a wastewater anaerobic digestion plant.
Feds introduce new ammonia discharge regulation for metal and diamond mines
To limit the risks of the negative effects of mines on fish and fish habitat, the latest criteria under Metal and Diamond Mining Effluent Regulations impose a limit on ammonia release for end-of-pipe discharges.
Hamilton’s ‘Sewergate’ shows there will be future wastewater spills
Hamilton is home to one of the oldest and most complex level IV sewage collection systems anywhere and is situated in the centre of a highly eco-sensitive area. It could be the model of how a highly industrialized city handles their sewage, but environmental horror stories just keep occurring in the area year after year, decade after decade.
Kelowna deploys high-tech sewer monitoring system
All of Kelowna, B.C.’s wastewater operations need to be managed as efficiently as possible with relatively limited staff resources. At the same time, operations need to accommodate a rapidly growing population and address new challenges, such as monitoring.
Scraper strainers resist clogging and fouling when faced with micron-sized particles
By Del Williams
Strainers are required to remove organic debris and waste from cooling water before it goes into heat exchangers and cooling systems, and to prevent spray nozzles from clogging. Insufficient removal of both...
Novel aeration system can improve the performance of wastewater treatment lagoons
The system uses novel aeration technology with a high-efficiency wastewater effluent pump and air aspirator-mixer to lower lagoon installation and operating costs.
Dealing with the challenges of cleaning municipal sewer and stormwater lines
Operators cleaning municipal sewer and stormwater lines face a host of challenges. These include having to clean kilometres of line in the most efficient manner, complying with annual regulatory mandates, and handling tough blockages...
A simple approach to improve the quality of rice paddy processing wastewater
Wastewater coming from rice mill operations contains high concentrations of organic and inorganic substances, causing significant pollution.
Ontario’s Collingwood halts construction as it discovers water demand outpacing capacity
As the Ontario Town of Collingwood pauses local construction for a year to assess its dwindling drinking water and wastewater treatment capacity, local officials are also revisiting the amount of water the town supplies...