80    WASTEWATER PRETREATMENT CONCEPTUAL DESIGN
FOR A POLYMER MANUFACTURER
James E. Robin, Engineer
Montgomery Watson
Wayzata, Minnesota 55391
Robert J. Januska, Supervising Engineer
Montgomery Watson
Metairie, Louisiana 70002
Alison M. Martin, Supervising Engineer
Montgomery Watson
Boston, Massachusetts 02109
INTRODUCTION
A wastewater pretreatment system has been conceptually designed for a polymer manufacturer in
the South. CYTEC Industries (CYTEC), a business unit of American Cyanamid, Inc., operates a
facility in Mobile, Alabama, which manufactures cationic, anionic, and nonionic polymers and alum
for water treatment and paper processing, and performs bulk resale of sulfuric acid. CYTEC currently pumps its wastewater to an adjacent paper mill's aerated lagoon system for final treatment.
Solids formation and deposition has been problematic in the aerated lagoon, and this condition has
worsened over the last few years. A project was initiated to develop an effective solution to this
problem. This paper summarizes the findings of the investigations undertaken to develop a wastewater pretreatment system for the Mobile, Alabama CYTEC facility.
BACKGROUND
Manufacturing Processes
The Mobile, Alabama CYTEC plant manufactures three groups of products: water and wastewater
treatment polymers, paper processing polymers, and alum. The facility also performs bulk resale of
sulfuric acid, which simply involves temporary storage and transfer of concentrated sulfuric acid
between tank trucks and rail cars. All alum and polymer manufacturing is performed on a batch basis.
When reactors are cleaned out between batches, a caustic solution is heated and stirred in the reactor,
and then neutralized and drained through a series of pipes and process ditches to the existing wastewater treatment system. These processes are commonly referred to as "caustic boilouts." Residual
alum slurry is also similarly drained to earthen impoundments between batches.
Existing Wastewater Treatment System
The wastewater collection system transports wastewater from the manufacturing processes, diked
tank farm areas, and laboratory to the existing wastewater treatment system. Some of the wastewater
from caustic boilouts bypasses the normal collection system and is piped directly to the treatment
system. A large fraction of plant stormwater runoff flows through the wastewater collection and
treatment systems. Wastewater from the alum manufacturing area is usually routed to earthen
impoundments adjacent to the facility. When the impoundments have reached capacity (filled with
residual alum slurry and rainwater), they are pumped into the wastewater treatment system. Onsite
wastewater process units presently consist only of two hydraulically linked equalization basins.
CYTEC currently pumps equalized wastewater (under an Alabama Department of Environmental
Management indirect discharger permit) to an adjacent paper manufacturer's 76-acre aerated lagoon
system for treatment prior to final NPDES discharge. The lagoon system is configured as a raceway,
with floating mechanical aerators positioned along the entire flow path. The CYTEC discharge into
49th Purdue Industrial Waste Conference Proceedings, 1994 Lewis Publishers, Chelsea, Michigan 48118. Printed in
U.S.A.
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