11.07.2015 Views

Technologies and Costs for Removal of Arsenic From Drinking Water

Technologies and Costs for Removal of Arsenic From Drinking Water

Technologies and Costs for Removal of Arsenic From Drinking Water

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

Storage lagoons are best suited <strong>for</strong> dewatering lime s<strong>of</strong>tening (LS) process sludges, thoughthey have been applied with some success to coagulation/filtration (C/F) process sludges. Storagelagoons can operate under a variety <strong>of</strong> sludge flows <strong>and</strong> solids concentrations, <strong>and</strong> chemicalconditioning <strong>of</strong> alum sludges is not required (DPRA, 1993a). Typically, lime sludges are dischargedto a lagoon with 3 percent solids, <strong>and</strong> are dewatered to 50 to 60 percent solids, whereas alum sludgesare typically characterized by 1 percent solids when first discharged to a storage lagoon <strong>and</strong> can bedewatered to 7 to 15 percent solids (DPRA, 1993a). As evident from this data, alum sludges do nottypically dewater well in storage lagoons. When the top layer <strong>of</strong> an alum sludge is allowed to dry,it hardens, sealing moisture in the layers below. Even after several years, alum sludges may requireadditional dewatering to achieve the 20 percent solids content required <strong>for</strong> acceptance at mostl<strong>and</strong>fills (DPRA, 1993a). Further, thickened alum sludges can be difficult to remove from lagoons,<strong>of</strong>ten requiring dredging or vacuum pumping by knowledgeable operators.As previously stated, lagooning is a l<strong>and</strong> intensive process with limited applicability indensely populated areas, or areas with limited l<strong>and</strong> availability. Such areas need to compare the cost<strong>of</strong> regular lagoon cleaning <strong>and</strong> disposal with l<strong>and</strong> acquisition costs. Lagoons are best suited <strong>for</strong> areaswith favorable climatic conditions, i.e., high temperatures, low humidity, <strong>and</strong> low precipitation. Innorthern climates, winter freezing can assist in the dehydration <strong>of</strong> alum sludges.4.3 DISPOSAL ALTERNATIVES4.3.1 Direct DischargeDirect discharge to a surface water is a method <strong>of</strong> disposal <strong>for</strong> some water treatmentbyproducts. No pretreatment or concentration <strong>of</strong> the byproduct stream is necessary prior to discharge,<strong>and</strong> the receiving water will naturally dilute the waste concentration <strong>and</strong> gradually incorporate thesludge or brine (DPRA, 1993a).However, the discharge <strong>of</strong> liquid residuals to surface waters is subject to compliance with <strong>and</strong>permitting under the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). NPDES establisheslimits <strong>for</strong> specific contaminants (including total solids <strong>and</strong> arsenic) based on a variety <strong>of</strong> factors,including ambient contaminant levels, low flow condition <strong>of</strong> the receiving water, <strong>and</strong> anticipatedvolume <strong>of</strong> the proposed discharge. Most NPDES limits <strong>for</strong> solids discharge are around 30 mg/L(AWWARF, 1998).4-5

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!