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Treatment of Laundromat Wastes II. Operation of a Diatomaceous Earth Filtration System for Purification of Coin-op Laundromat Waste DONALD B. AULENBACH, Associate Professor PATRICK C. TOWN, Graduate Assistant Division of Environmental Engineering Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, New York MARTHA CHILSON, Assistant Professor Siena College Loudonville, New York INTRODUCTION As early as 1944 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers developed a diatomite filtration unit for use in supplying safe and potable water for field troops (1). These units, in addition to meeting the above mentioned specifications, had to be portable and operate at a high rate of output. Since the nation was then involved in a global war, the economic factor was not of great import in evaluating the overall success of the system. In addition to the conventional health and aesthetic requirements, the system had to remove the cysts of Endamoeba histolytica and the cercaria of schistosomes. This was particularly crucial in both the South Pacific and the Mediterranean Theatres of war. At flow rates of 6 to 12 gpm/sq ft, many cysts passed through conventional sand type filtration units. On the other hand, the diatomite filters affected virtually complete removal of cysts under the most severe tests. With the end of World War II, the need for such units for military use was virtually eliminated. However, the post-war era gave rise to three developments which assured the continuing value of the Corps of Engineers findings. First was the mass production of automatic home laundry equipment. Second, the building boom in suburban areas placed much of this equipment in unsewered areas. Finally, the appearance of coin-operated laundromats in these new suburban centers meant that rnillions of gallons of detergent, germ, and soil-laden waste water was being discharged into streams, estuaries, ponds and groundwater supplies. Since most of the early laundry detergents were not biodegradable, conventional septic tank systems were ineffective in treating these wastes. With the advent of biodegradable laundry detergents, some of the problems were ameliorated, but only if the coin-operated laundromats were located in areas where there was a sufficient quantity of suitable land for the construction of leaching fields. This was seldom the case since most of these installations were in densely populated new suburbs where land was at a premium. Therefore, waste treatment faculties for coin-operated laundromats in unsewered areas had to fulfill the following require- 22
Object Description
Purdue Identification Number | ETRIWC197103 |
Title | Treatment of laundromat wastes. II. Operation of a diatomaceous earth filtration system for purification of coin-op laundromat waste |
Author |
Aulenbach, Donald B. Town, Patrick C. Chilson, Martha |
Date of Original | 1971 |
Conference Title | Proceedings of the 26th Industrial Waste Conference |
Conference Front Matter (copy and paste) | http://earchives.lib.purdue.edu/u?/engext,19214 |
Extent of Original | p. 22-40 |
Series | Engineering extension series no. 140 |
Collection Title | Engineering Technical Reports Collection, Purdue University |
Repository | Purdue University Libraries |
Rights Statement | Digital object copyright Purdue University. All rights reserved. |
Language | eng |
Type (DCMI) | text |
Format | JP2 |
Date Digitized | 2009-06-25 |
Capture Device | Fujitsu fi-5650C |
Capture Details | ScandAll 21 |
Resolution | 300 ppi |
Color Depth | 8 bit |
Description
Title | page 022 |
Collection Title | Engineering Technical Reports Collection, Purdue University |
Repository | Purdue University Libraries |
Rights Statement | Digital object copyright Purdue University. All rights reserved. |
Language | eng |
Type (DCMI) | text |
Format | JP2 |
Capture Device | Fujitsu fi-5650C |
Capture Details | ScandAll 21 |
Transcript | Treatment of Laundromat Wastes II. Operation of a Diatomaceous Earth Filtration System for Purification of Coin-op Laundromat Waste DONALD B. AULENBACH, Associate Professor PATRICK C. TOWN, Graduate Assistant Division of Environmental Engineering Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, New York MARTHA CHILSON, Assistant Professor Siena College Loudonville, New York INTRODUCTION As early as 1944 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers developed a diatomite filtration unit for use in supplying safe and potable water for field troops (1). These units, in addition to meeting the above mentioned specifications, had to be portable and operate at a high rate of output. Since the nation was then involved in a global war, the economic factor was not of great import in evaluating the overall success of the system. In addition to the conventional health and aesthetic requirements, the system had to remove the cysts of Endamoeba histolytica and the cercaria of schistosomes. This was particularly crucial in both the South Pacific and the Mediterranean Theatres of war. At flow rates of 6 to 12 gpm/sq ft, many cysts passed through conventional sand type filtration units. On the other hand, the diatomite filters affected virtually complete removal of cysts under the most severe tests. With the end of World War II, the need for such units for military use was virtually eliminated. However, the post-war era gave rise to three developments which assured the continuing value of the Corps of Engineers findings. First was the mass production of automatic home laundry equipment. Second, the building boom in suburban areas placed much of this equipment in unsewered areas. Finally, the appearance of coin-operated laundromats in these new suburban centers meant that rnillions of gallons of detergent, germ, and soil-laden waste water was being discharged into streams, estuaries, ponds and groundwater supplies. Since most of the early laundry detergents were not biodegradable, conventional septic tank systems were ineffective in treating these wastes. With the advent of biodegradable laundry detergents, some of the problems were ameliorated, but only if the coin-operated laundromats were located in areas where there was a sufficient quantity of suitable land for the construction of leaching fields. This was seldom the case since most of these installations were in densely populated new suburbs where land was at a premium. Therefore, waste treatment faculties for coin-operated laundromats in unsewered areas had to fulfill the following require- 22 |
Resolution | 300 ppi |
Color Depth | 8 bit |
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