Treatment of a
Strong Industrial Waste Containing
Carbohydrates and Chromium
GEORGE A. RHAME
Engineer
South Carolina State Board of Health
Columbia, South Carolina
The problem involved here is an interesting example of the design
of a complicated treatment works on the basis of chemical analysis and
engineering estimates without benefit of a pilot plant or of previous
experience in treating the wastes. The designing engineers prepared
an extensive engineering report on all phases of the problem. Results
have proven their estimates to be substantially correct.
Not a great deal of reliable technical data is available on this plant.
Like a majority of industrial and municipal treatment works it may
be classified as an uncontrolled experiment due to the lack of technical
training in waste treatment of operators and supervisors. Such data as
is available is included with this report. It plainly shows the effectiveness of the treatment.
The treatment plant in question is designed to treat waste from a
plant of the Fiberglas Corporation. The manufacturing process consists essentially of producing the glass fibers, then forming them into a
thread in a manner roughly analogous to spinning. During the process
a binder is applied to help form the fibers into a thread. It is the wasted
part of the binder which is the source of pollution which needs correction.
The treatment plant was built shortly after the manufacturing plant
began partial operation. Designing engineers were Paul A. Uhlman
and Associates of Columbus, Ohio. In this work the engineers were
freely assisted by the Fiberglas Corporation, which furnished quantitative and qualitative data from their plant at Huntington, Pennsylvania,
plus estimation of differences to be expected from the more modern
plant at Anderson, South Carolina.
The wastes for which treatment was provided consisted of sanitary
and cafeteria wastes from three shifts with 200 people per shift and the
cafeteria open on each shift, a predominantly starchy waste containing
some borax and formaldehyde, and a waste containing much starch, but
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