Wastewater Applications of American Tripoli
RONALD F. LAYTON, Chairman
ROBERT R. WRIGHT, Instructor
The Water and Wastewater Technical School
Neosho, Missouri
INTRODUCTION
American Tripoli was discovered in 1869 and is a material occurring in
relatively large abundance in Southwestern Missouri, and Northeastern Oklahoma.
Estimates of the total amount of available Tripoli represents greater than one million
tons. Early uses of Tripoli have included buffing compounds and water filters.
Over a century ago a stone filter was first carved from Tripoli for use as a water
filter. Although the first application of this quarried material in the water and
wastewater fields occurred many years ago, it was only during the summer of 1970
that the American Tripoli Division of the Carborundum Company of Seneca,
Missouri, and the Water & Wastewater Technical School began investigations into
possible water and wastewater treatment applications.
Earlier work at the Niagara Water Department has shown American Tripoli to
be useful as a settling aid in a full scale operation for the past two years and results of
these studies will be presented in a subsequent paper, to be given at the American
Water Works Association Meeting of New York State in the near future.
The filtering characteristics of Tripoli have been evaluated in filter stone
applications and are superior to diatomaceous earth types with 1.7 gallons per
minute per square foot observed for Tripoli, as compared to 0.42 gpm/sq ft for
diatomaceous earth.
PROPERTIES OF AMERICAN TRIPOLI
Table I lists a complete chemical analysis of the two commonly quarried forms
of Tripoli—rose and cream. The chief component in the material being silica with
various minor constituents as listed. The specific weight of Tripoli is 55 pounds per
cubic foot for once ground Tripoli as compared to 11 pounds per cubic foot for
diatomaceous earth.
The particle size distribution of Tripoli is shown in Figure 1 with data for
diatomaceous earth included for comparison. Tripoli is abundantly available as an
easy to handle solid material at a very low cost ($30/ton).
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