WaterBriefs: National lab research offers 'green' technology for perchlorate removal

In other news below:
-- Pepperl+Fuchs acquires Intrinsic Safety Instrumentation business from Cooper
-- Two Severn Trent Services managers honored by MWEA
-- Monterey Aquarium gets handle spot DO, pH measurements courtesy of Hach
-- Supreme Court wetlands decision buys time, not certainty, for federal law
-- U.S. Senate leaders offer 'compromise' on offshore drilling
-- Wilo EMU breaks ground on new North American facility
-- Parsons to design Tulare wastewater treatment plant
-- Foster Wheeler to supply two boiler islands for Brazilian alumina refinery
-- Siemens helps U.S. war veteran community build new water treatment plant
-- Dow completes acquisition of China's Zhejiang Omex Environmental
-- IDEXX Laboratories receives ISO 9001:2000 certification
-- Cummins generator set certified to meet EPA emissions regulations
-- PCSF Governing Board welcomes new members
-- TWDB oversight projects exceed 150 and $750 million
-- International Code Council teams up to enhance building safety
-- Parker Hannifin expands distributor role of Applied Industrial Technologies

• New research offers 'green' technology for perchlorate removal
• Carbon nanotubes enlisted to reduce waste in cleanup of toxic chemicals -- RICHLAND, WA, July 21, 2006 -- Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) have demonstrated a new, environmentally friendly process for treating water contaminated by perchlorate, a toxic chemical that has been found in drinking water in 35 states.

Perchlorate is used in rocket fuel, fireworks and defense manufacturing, and groundwater contaminated by the chemical is difficult to treat. High levels of perchlorate have been associated with thyroid disease, plus the possibility of cancer and other health problems. Contamination is especially widespread in California, where there are many U.S. military bases.

The conventional method for treating perchlorate-contaminated water employs an ion exchange resin. Regenerating the resin requires flushing with an acidic solution, which results in large quantities of secondary waste.

The PNNL method is an electrically controlled anion exchange process. "The technology is unique in that it uses an electric current to regenerate the resin and release the perchlorate without producing a lot of secondary waste." said PNNL's Yuehe Lin, lead scientist for the research, adding that the process is "green" because it produces so little waste.

The technology is available for licensing and joint research opportunities through Battelle, which operates PNNL for the Department of Energy and facilitates the transfer of lab-created technologies to the marketplace.

To create the new process, Lin and his colleagues induced a positive charge to an electrically conducting polymer, such as a polypyrrole, that selectively attracts the negatively charged perchlorate ions. Application of an electric current releases the trapped perchlorate ions for disposal. Now neutral, the polymer can be reverted to a positively charged surface and re-used.

The scientists increased the amount of perchlorate that can be captured by depositing the polymer as a polypyrrole thin film on a matrix of carbon nanotubes, creating a porous conductive nanocomposite.

"The high surface area of the carbon nanotubes provides an ideal matrix for the polymer," Lin said, noting that the polymer is electrodeposited on the carbon nanotubes through in situ polymerization.

The porous surface created by the carbon nanotubes also gives the technology a longer life cycle because the polymer is more stable on the nanotube matrix than it would be on a flat, conducting substrate.

The electrically controlled anion exchange technology can be used to remove other contaminants, such as cesium and chromium. A radioactive material common to nuclear waste sites, cesium could be used by terrorists to build dirty bombs or contaminate drinking water. Chromate is a toxic form of chromium that is readily absorbed by the body.

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (www.pnl.gov) is a DOE Office of Science laboratory that solves complex problems in energy, national security, the environment and life sciences by advancing the understanding of physics, chemistry, biology and computation. PNNL employs 4,200 staff, has an annual budget of more than $725 million, and has been managed by Ohio-based Battelle since the lab's inception in 1965.

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Among other recent headlines:

• Pepperl+Fuchs acquires Intrinsic Safety Instrumentation business from Cooper -- TWINSBURG, OH, July 21, 2006 -- On July 7, Pepperl+Fuchs acquired the Intrinsic Safety Instrumentation (ISB) business from Cooper Crouse-Hinds, a division of Cooper Industries. ISB is located in Buehl, Germany. Both parties agreed not to disclose the purchase price. Cooper Industries is a US$5 billion company with headquarters in Houston, TX, dealing with electrical products and tools, among others. The ISB activity was originally a business unit of CEAG, a company Cooper acquired in 1995. CEAG had set up the ISB business by migrating the companies Digitable and Apparatebau Hundsbach, and their own activities at the facility in Buehl, Germany...

• Two Severn Trent Services managers honored by MWEA -- FORT WASHINGTON, PA, July 21, 2006 -- Two Severn Trent Services project managers recently received awards from the Michigan Water Environment Association (MWEA). Dale Hill received the Loren F. Oeming Award for outstanding operation of an industrial facility and Jerry Seay received the Donald M. Pierce Award for outstanding municipal plant operation...

• Aquarium gets handle on handhelds for spot DO, pH measurements courtesy of Hach -- LOVELAND, CO, July 21, 2006 -- Although continuous, online monitoring and control of water quality parameters is essential at Monterey Bay Aquarium, scheduled spot measurements with handheld instruments also play a vital role in protecting the multitude of marine life exhibited there. New portable instrumentation from Hach is providing accurate, repeatable measurements, preprogrammed methods for multiple analysis as well as expanded data storage capabilities...

• Supreme Court decision a warning on wetlands: Rapanos case buys time, not certainty, for federal law -- Michigan Land Use Institute e-newsletter revisits last month's U.S. Supreme Court decision about wetlands protection -- ANN ARBOR, MI, July 21, 2006 -- Last month Midland developer John A. Rapanos waited on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court for a decision he hoped would prove the shopping center he tried to build two decades ago near Midland was legal. Standing nearby were several environmental attorneys just as intent on knowing whether the Clean Water Act's protections for wetlands would survive its latest challenge by the American property rights movement and two newly seated conservative justices. But, despite contrary claims by both sides, the court's ruling on June 19 ended up pleasing no one, including Rapanos. In a case that tested the federal government's authority to regulate wetlands, the nine justices essentially said they weren't ready to decide. Instead, the unusual 4-1-4 decision directed the case back to the lower courts for what's likely to mean more years of legal motions and hearings....

• U.S. Senate leaders offer 'compromise' on offshore drilling -- NORWALK, CT, July 21, 2006 (E-Magazine/Our Planet e-newsletter) -- Last week the Senate majority proposed legislation continuing an offshore drilling moratorium for the Gulf of Mexico that has been in effect for 25 years, but allowing some oil and gas drilling to take place across an 8 million acre swath of open ocean 100 miles off the coast of Florida. Meanwhile, a House bill passed last month calls for overturning the moratorium entirely, potentially opening up tens of millions of additional coastal acres off the Gulf of Mexico to resource extraction. If the Senate majority can push its bill through despite some Democratic opposition, and then reach a compromise agreement with House leadership, new offshore oil and natural gas rigs could be up and running within a matter of months...

• Wilo EMU breaks ground on new North American facility -- THOMASVILLE, GA, July 20, 2006 -- Groundbreaking ceremonies for a new Wilo EMU North American facility were held recently in Thomasville, GA. This facility, along with other offices and service centers across North America, will increase the availability of highly-durable and increasingly popular pumps and mixers. The new facility is notable for its "water-oriented" design -- from its entrance, featuring a "wall of water," to the specialized test pit that stands two stories tall...
Also see:
-- "Wilo acquires British pump manufacturer: Wilo AG set to buy Circulating Pumps Ltd. (CPL), based in Kings Lynn, UK"
-- "2006 Pump Industry Awards finalists announced"

• Parsons to design Tulare wastewater treatment plant -- PASADENA, CA, July 20, 2006 -- Parsons was selected by the city of Tulare, CA, to provide design and engineering services for a new $40 million industrial wastewater treatment plant. The new plant will treat wastewater from the production of dairy products such as cheese, butter, and ice cream and will have a capacity of 12 million gallons per day. Treatment of the unique, high-strength wastewater requires specialized features such as fat, oil, and grease (FOG) removal and/or high-rate anaerobic pretreatment, a sequencing batch reactor (SBR), sludge dewatering, and mesophilic digesters. Stringent nitrogen and electrical conductivity (EC) requirements for final effluent impose major challenges on the treatment process selection. Final effluent will be used for agricultural irrigation. An additional benefit is that biogases resulting from high-rate anaerobic pretreatment and digesters can be used for heat and power generation...
Also see: "Parsons acquires 3D/International"

• Foster Wheeler to design, supply two circulating fluidized-bed boiler islands for Brazilian alumina refinery -- HAMILTON, Bermuda--July 20, 2006--Foster Wheeler Ltd. announced today that its Polish subsidiary, Foster Wheeler Energia Polska Sp. z o.o., part of its Global Power Group, has been awarded a contract for the design and supply of two coal-fired circulating fluidized-bed (CFB) boiler islands by Abalco S.A. for the Alumar alumina refinery situated in Sao Luis in northern Brazil. Foster Wheeler's contract is valued at about $46 million, the majority of which was included in Foster Wheeler's first-quarter 2006 bookings. A small amount, covering pre-engineering work, was included in the Company's fourth-quarter 2005 bookings. The scope of the contract covers the design and supply of two 280 tonnes per hour CFB boiler islands, including the fuel silos, boiler auxiliaries, ash handling systems, instrumentation, steel structures, and supervision of erection and commissioning. The boiler islands are scheduled for commercial operation in the first quarter of 2008...

• U.S. war veteran community builds new water treatment plant to keep pace with community, economic development -- PARK FOREST, IL, July 20, 2006 -- The first post-World War II planned community in the United States, is building a new 5 MGD municipal drinking water treatment plant (WTP) to keep up with the village's continued community and economic development. Once it comes online in mid-2007, the new WTP will ensure the Chicago suburb's residences and businesses of high-quality drinking water with a plant designed for future growth. The new lime softening plant will include an aerator, two solids contact clarifiers and two granular media cluster filters from the Water Technologies division of Siemens Industrial Solutions and Service (I&S) Group. In addition to incorporating equipment manufactured from corrosion-resistant materials, the plant will be designed to handle future capacity demands without the need to install additional equipment...
Also see:
-- "Siemens Water Technologies U.S. manufacturing facility certified to ISO 9001:2000"
-- "Siemens unveils new drinking water UV disinfection system for mid- to large-sized community drinking water systems"

• Dow completes acquisition of Zhejiang Omex Environmental Engineering Co. Ltd. -- MIDLAND, MI, July 20, 2006 -- The Dow Chemical Company completed the acquisition of Zhejiang Omex Environmental Engineering Co. Ltd. (OEE) on July 11, in Beijing, China, along with a signing ceremony held in Huzhou, Zhejiang, where OEE is located. Dow announced its intention to acquire OEE in a press release dated June 29. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed. The acquisition of OEE establishes Dow as a leader in advanced component offerings for water purification. Dow is now able to expand into three new critical, enabling component technologies for water treatment: UF, MBR membranes, and EDI. With these technologies, Dow can provide an enhanced component offering for its global customer base and provide a higher level of integration with Dow's existing membrane technologies...
Also see:
-- "Saudi Aramco selects Dow for negotiations on new petrochemical complex at Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia"
-- "Dow forms independent advisory panel on chemical security"

• IDEXX Laboratories receives ISO 9001:2000 certification -- WESTBROOK, ME, July 20, 2006 -- IDEXX Laboratories Inc. announced today that its Westbrook, ME, facilities -- including the corporate headquarters and IDEXX's major R&D, manufacturing and customer service locations -- have received ISO 9001:2000 certification. This brings the number of IDEXX ISO-certified locations worldwide to over a dozen and provides independent validation IDEXX's quality management system meets the high standard demanded by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The Westbrook facilities certified develop and manufacture water microbiology tests including the Colilert®-18 line, production animal services diagnostics kits including the HerdChek^® BSE-Scrapie Test Kit, Dairy SNAP^® antibiotic residue tests, and companion animal products including diagnostics instruments, SNAP rapid assay products and digital radiography systems...

• Cummins Power Generation 250 kW Tier 3 generator set is certified to meet EPA emissions regulations -- MINNEAPOLIS, July 20, 2006 -- A new 250 kW diesel generator set from Cummins Power Generation is certified to meet EPA Nonroad Tier 3 emissions regulations , making it suitable for all nonroad and many stationary applications in the U.S. Nonroad applications include rental generator sets or temporary installations of less than one year. This includes all requirements for reduced emissions of NOx, CO, HC and particulate matter that go into effect as of Jan. 1, 2007. The 250 kW DQDAA meets EPA's Tier 3 emissions regulations by reducing emissions of oxides of nitrogen by 37.5% compared to previous Tier 2 levels...

• PCSF Governing Board welcomes new members -- FALLS CHURCH, VA, July 20, 2006 -- On July 11, the Process Control Systems Forum (PCSF), funded by the U.S. Homeland Security Department, held a meeting to elect nominees for open seats on the Interim Governing Board as it transitions to an elected board. The meeting resulted in successfully filling three open seats: Academia, National Labs, and Oil and Gas; however, the PCSF continues to seek nominations for the open seat representing Electric Industry. Following this meeting, PCSF Technical Manager Michael Torppey, welcomed the newly elected representatives: Jeff Dagle, chief electrical engineer, energy science and technology directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNL), for the National Labs seat; Dr. Asok Ray, distinguished professor of mechanical engineering from Pennsylvania State University, representing Academia; and Craig Schiro, control systems and secure networks advisor for ExxonMobil Development Co., representing Oil & Gas. The new members, who will each serve a two-year term, have demonstrated knowledge and experience in the cyber security of control systems...
Also see:
-- "Five new interest groups result from spring PCSF meeting"
-- "U.S. House subcommittee moves chemical security bill"

• TWDB oversight projects exceed 150 and $750 million -- AUSTIN, TX, July 20, 2006 -- The Texas Water Development Board released its quarterly newsletter online with the following key headlines:
-- TWDB Inspection & Field Support Services
-- TWDB Approves 2006 Regional Water Plans
-- Candace Windel is New Deputy Executive Administrator
-- TWDB funds three brackish groundwater desalination projects
-- Coming Soon: State Revolving Fund Solicitations
-- Texas Rainwater Harvesting Evaluation Committee Update
-- Sixth Texas Water Monitoring Congress Set for September 2006
-- Water Audit Deadline Extended to July 7...

• ICC teams up with several organizations to enhance building safety -- FALLS CHURCH, VA, July 20, 2006 -- The International Code Council -- which oversees plumbing and building code maintenance and development -- is working with like-minded organizations to publish books, conduct seminars and better advocate for public safety. By building relationships with organizations from across the building and construction industry, the ICC advances its mission of providing the highest quality codes, standards, products and services for all concerned with the safety and performance of the built environment. ASTM International consolidates into one book many of the standards that architects, engineers, builders and code officials use regularly...

• Parker Hannifin expands distributor role of Applied Industrial Technologies -- CLEVELAND, OH, July 19, 2006 -- Cleveland-based Parker Hannifin Corp.'s Automation and Climate & Industrial Controls Groups has expanded its strategic relationship with Applied Industrial Technologies, also based in Cleveland, according to the Process Cooling & Equipment e-newsletter. Applied now can nationally distribute Parker-branded pneumatic air valves, accessories and vacuum products, as well as Schrader Bellows-branded actuators to its MRO and OEM customers. It's the only distributor to receive national authorization from Parker's Automation Group, which allows Applied's full supply chain network to access those Parker products for quick distribution to customers...
Also see:
-- "Applied Industrial Technologies receives excellent supplier award from PPG Industries Inc."
-- "Applied Industrial Technologies reaches national authorized distribution agreement with Parker Hannifin Automation and Climate & Industrial Controls Groups"

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