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

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

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

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

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

Environmental Aspect Cont’d… 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 $139, per day –Carbsorb $45, per day PAC Costs –Carbon 1 -- $ per day –Carbon 2 -- $60.22 per day –Filtrasorb $202,427, per day –Carbsorb $221,294, per day

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

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

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 box…PAC 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

Locations for implementation PAC Near flow division box GAC Near chlorination tanks PAC GAC

Costs of retrofit to users PAC GAC TOTAL COST TO USERS: $4.17 per person/yr

Any Questions???