23    HAZARDOUS WASTE DISPOSAL FIRM INCREASES
TREATMENT CAPACITY BY INSTALLING NEW
BIOLOGICAL TREATMENT PROCESS
Karl P. Kriger, Production Manager
Waste Conversion, Division of Stout Environmental
Hatfield, Pennsylvania 19440
James E. Carroll, Marketing Manager
Envirex Ltd.
Waukesha, Wisconsin 53186
INTRODUCTION
Stout Environmental, Inc. (S.E.I.) is a full service environmental corporation operating in the
Eastern half of the United States. The corporation is comprised of field service and remedial action
groups, water and well drilling operations, and hazardous waste treatment plants. The business
activities of S.E.I, are centered around two regional hubs, one in the Midwest, Dayton, Ohio, and one
in the Mid-Atlantic region, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
S.E.I.'s treatment plants consist of four entities specializing in fuel blending, oil recovery, and
wastewater treatment. The parent plant under the S.E.I, umbrella is Waste Conversion, Inc. (W.C.I.)
of Hatfield, Pennsylvania. W.C.I, is a fully permitted treatment, storage, and disposal facility specializing in the wastewater treatment of hazardous and toxic wastes.
Waste Conversion, Inc. accepts and treats a large variety of hazardous and non-hazardous wastes
ranging from landfill leachates, washwaters, oil and water emulsions, acids, caustics, heavy metal
wastes, cyanide bearing wastes and electro-plating wastes. W.C.I.'s treatment procedures are designed
to minimize the quantity and toxicity of residues placed in landfills.
W.C.I.'s process creates two by-products for disposal; a solid residue from dewatering for landfill-
ing and a liquid effluent which is discharged to the local P.O.T.W. W.C.I, is regulated by permit on its
discharge, and is limited on several parameters, most importantly BOD5, COD, and nitrogen (nitrate
and ammonia). Since W.C.I, accepts many waste streams high in nitrogen, BOD5, and organic
compounds, bio-treatment technologies have been researched for viability within W.C.I.'s process.
W.C.I, is the first member of S.E.I, to employ bio-treatment technology.
W.C.I, has chosen to operate two fluidized bed bio-reactors to remove organic carbon and nitrogen
from its process effluent. W.C.I, plans to use biological treatment to denitrify its effluent, looking
primarily to remove nitrate ions, and organic compounds such as alcohols, acetate and petroleum
hydrocarbons.
The utilization of fluidized bed reactors has created several advantages for W.C.I. First, the
treatment plant is centered in an industrial park complex and does not have expansion capabilities.
The bio-treatment system at W.C.I, occupies only approximately 1400 ft.2 of production space, while
providing 50,000 gpd treatment capacity. Second, the limits set in W.C.I.'s discharge permit have
controlled the acceptance of high BOD5 wastes. Prior to the installation of bio-treatment, W.C.I,
shipped excessive BOD5 and nitrogen bearing effluent off site to an alternate treatment facility,
raising W.C.I.'s treatment costs and reducing competitiveness on high strength BOD5 and nitrogen
wastes.
Since the advent of bio-treatment at W.C.I., treatment costs have been reduced and savings of
$2,000 to $3,000 per week have been realized. Also, the capacity for the treatment of high strength
BOD5 and nitrogen wastes has been substantially increased, and at the same time, effluent discharge
limits have been maintained.
45th Purdue Industrial Waste Conference Proceedings, © 1991 Lewis Publishers, Inc., Chelsea, Michigan 48118.
Printed in U.S.A.
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