2    MODELING OF A LARGE MULTI-PRODUCT INDUSTRIAL
SITE TO DEFINE WASTEWATER PRODUCTION AND
TREATMENT ALTERNATIVES
Thomas V. Robertson, Senior Research Chemist
E. I. DuPont deNemours and Company, Inc.
Richmond, Virginia 23261
James W. Morris, Senior Consultant
Woodard & Curran Inc., Portland, Maine 04102
BACKGROUND
Management at the DuPont Fibers Facility in Richmond, Virginia, known as the Spruance site, has
a strong desire to proactively maintain long-term compliance with environmental regulations. This
site began production in 1929. Today it includes a film coating operation and five industrial fibers
manufacturing operations. When service and/or utility functions are considered, a total of 12 interdependent operational areas exist. These systems, on average, withdraw from 21 to 34 MGD from the
James River, of which approximately 9 MGD undergoes some degree of treatment. Present site water
movement is summarized by Table I. The process wastewater treatment consists of neutralization,
followed by aerated lagoons and a polishing pond. Though potable water is supplied to the site and
sanitary wastewater is discharged and treated by the local public system, both flows are less than
100,000 gallons per day and are not significant to understanding site water movement.
This case study will illustrate how the methodical application of the mass balance approach was
used to define wastewater issues at this complex multiproduct facility. The ultimate goal is to minimize wastewater hydraulic, and BOD and pollutant production such that an environmentally sound
treatment project may be completed for significantly less than the estimated cost of $24 to $30 million
per year. This study formed the basis for the strategy that was developed and is currently being used to
address site-wide water regulation compliance issues within the framework of long-range goals and
strategies of the manufacturing operations.
To formulate a site strategy and understand the wastewater treatment issues, a great deal of
information is needed. Data collection in general at the Spruance facility is very extensive. The
amount of on-line monitoring and process control enables each production area to efficiently oversee
its operations. In addition, many wastestream discharges are carefully monitored to prevent discharge
of harmful substances to the process sewer. The success to date of the Spruance site's environmental
program owes much to this diligence.
Table
Present Site Water Movement
Annual Average, MGD
Inflow
Outflow
Discharge
Components
Treatment
23
1
21
3
12
9
James River Withdrawal
Precipitation/Runoff/Misc.
James River Permitted Outfall
Evaporated/Vented to Atmosphere
NCCW/Condensate
Process Sewer/Treatment
Neutralization
Aerated Lagoons
Polishing Pond
Municipal supply and sanitary out but not significant (<0.1)
47th Purdue Industrial Waste Conference Proceedings, 1992 Lewis Publishers. Inc., Chelsea. Michigan 48118.
Printed in U.S.A.
13