Companies Partner to Market New Arsenic Removal Systems
Responding to requests from municipalities and consumers, USFilter and Culligan have entered into an exclusive marketing agreement with GEH Wasserchemie GmbH of Germany to market Granular Ferric Hydroxide (GFH™) media. The GFH media removes arsenic (III), arsenic (V), chromium, lead and uranium. The media has been used in Europe for many years to help municipalities meet the World Health Organization standard of 10 micrograms per liter.
The media will be used in community water treatment plants and within CulliganRegistered brand point-of-use and point-of-entry systems. Through point-of-use systems, consumers in affected areas also can take control of their drinking water quality. These under-the-sink systems use membrane technology to reduce arsenic levels, plus other contaminants such as nitrate/nitrite, lead and Cryptosporidium and Giardia cysts.
USFilter will also provide wellhead arsenic removal systems by installing the GFH media in pressure vessels. To ensure system integrity, USFilter will use its nationwide service network to provide cost-effective maintenance contracts that include water analysis, media removal, disposal and replacement.
Technologists from USFilter's North American Technology Center are collaborating on various arsenic research projects sponsored by the American Water Works Association, the EPA and the Association of California Water Agencies.
Dr. Paul Gallagher, director of process development at USFilter, explains, "The selection of technology to apply is influenced by many factors including the nature of the arsenic species, arsenic concentration, presence and concentration of additional contaminants, site flow rate and water source."
USFilter offers a variety of technologies and process routes to help municipalities reduce arsenic levels in their drinking water supplies. Some of these technologies include MemcorRegistered coagulation-assisted Microfiltration and MicroflocRegistered pre-engineered adsorption clarifiers, along with reverse osmosis, ion exchange and lime softening.
City of Saint-Laurent, Quebec, Installs Snow Disposal System
In the snowy St. Lawrence River Valley of Quebec, cities like Saint-Laurent used to pile snow in dumps or discharge it directly to the St. Lawrence River. The dumps require large amounts of valuable land, and river dumping is now illegal.
With the help of USFilter's John Meunier Products, the city has successfully developed a new Snow Management Program, purchasing and installing the first two Dögens© snow disposal machines for commercial use in 1998. In 2001, the city added another machine to its snow removal arsenal.
According to Robert Fortin, engineering manager from the city of Saint-Laurent, the first two Dögens snow disposal machines purchased by the city have already paid for themselves.
"We sold the former snow dumping site to commercial developers and are now receiving important tax income from the newly developed area. In addition, the citizens of Saint-Laurent will not have to look at unsightly mounds of gray snow this coming winter and spring!"
The snow disposal machine progressively discharges snow to the underground collection system, without blocking or freezing the city's pipes. Anywhere from or 1-truck/5 minutes to 3-trucks/5 minutes of snow can be unloaded directly into the loading chamber of the machine. After pulverizing snow with an average density of 500 kg/m3 to prevent plugging or bridging in the hopper or sewer shaft, the machine then uses the melting capacity of the sewer's water. Snow sent to the sewer is in either solid or liquid form, depending on specifications and local conditions.
Easily installed on top of main sewer collectors, the snow disposal machine quickly reduces unsightly mounds of "dirty" snow, operates with a minimum of noise, and complies with environmental regulations. The Dögens machine will not contaminate processed snow that ultimately ends up in groundwater or surface waters.
