&EPA
                                  United States
                                  Environmental Protection
                                  Agency
                                    EPA/540/MR-94/501
                                    January 1994
                                  SUPERFUND  INNOVATIVE
                                  TECHNOLOGY EVALUATION
                                  Demonstration  Bulletin

                                 Colloid Polishing Filter Method

                                      Filter Flow Technology, Inc.
Technology Description: The Filter Flow Technology, Inc. (FFT)
Colloid Polishing Filter Method (CPFM) was tested as a trans-
portable, trailer mounted, system that uses sorption and chemical
complexing phenomena to remove heavy metals and nontritium
radionuclides from water. Contaminated waters can be processed
by the CPFM system either  as batch (using several thousand
gallons/cycle) or continuous (5 to 100-gallon per minute (gpm))
modes.

Contaminated water to be treated by the system is either pre-
treated to adjust chemical oxidation  state  and acidity (pH) in
mixing tanks or processed directly. After chemical pretreatment,
total suspended solids (TSS) are removed in a small, parallel
plate separator or mini-clarifier, and bag filters to prolong colloid
filter pack life. Effluent from the bag filter is  routed to the colloid
filter units. Sludge from the  mini-clarifier is pumped through a
small filter press and the filtered water is returned to the mini-
clarifier.

The sorption unit consisted of four horizontal polypropylene filter
plates  that house three colloid filter packs.  Each filter pack
                                      Mini Clarifier
                        Mixing
                        Section
               Contaminated
               Groundwater
IJ^Srcrfrp
—I—N   /  i ift           T
                       -cn
                    contains a  proprietary,  inorganic,  insoluble, oxide-based,  filter
                    bed material in particle  and bead form. Operationally, the filter
                    packs are pneumatically pressure  sealed between each set of
                    plates. The  influent contaminated water is  evenly dispersed
                    throughout the filter packs where contaminants are removed by
                    sorption, chemical  mechanisms, chemical complexing, adsorp-
                    tion, and physical filtration.

                    Water traversing through the filter packs is collected and directed
                    to a final pH adjustment tank.  If  necessary, effluent from the
                    colloid filter unit is treated with  acid  in this tank to reduce the
                    effluent pH to 8.0 to 8.3 before discharge.  Once treatment is
                    complete, air blow-down is used to dewater the filter bed, then
                    the hydraulic pressure  on the support plates is released, the
                    plates are separated, and the filter packs are removed. Alterna-
                    tively, the filter media can be regenerated and reused. Spent filter
                    media is then mixed with solids from the mini-clarifier and bag
                    filters and stabilized to meet EPA land disposal restrictions.

                    Waste Applicability: FFT reports that the CPFM system has
                    effectively removed trace concentrations of colloidal, complexed,
                                                         Bag
                                                         Filters
                                                Colloid
                                               Filter Units
                                      Filter Press
                                   Solids To Disposal
                           pH Adjustment or
                          ' Chemical Pretreatment
                                                                                       Hydrochloric
                                                                                          Acid
                     Solids
                      To
                    Disposal
                                                                     Effluent
                                                                     pH Adjustment
                                                                     Tank

                                                                     To
                                                                     Discharge
Legend

^ Pump


    Mixer
                                               Flow Direction
                                               Sample
                                               Port
                              Note: Colloid Filter Units can be Oper-
                                   ated in Series or Parallel Modes.
                                   (Only Series Shown Here)
    Figure 1. CPFM Treatment System
                                                                                         Printed on Recycled Paper

-------
chelated, and  ionic heavy metals and  nontritium radionuclides
from water that has been pretreated to reduce TSS.  The CPFM
system removes a broad spectrum of heavy metal and radionu-
clide pollutants (excluding tritium) in surface or groundwater, waste-
water, or in secondary wastewater generated from soil washing.

Demonstration Approach: The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
and the EPA formed a cooperative effort to test and demonstrate
the CPFM system at Rocky Flats Plant (RFP), Golden, Colorado.
The demonstration evaluated the effectiveness of the technology
to remove low levels of radionuclides from contaminated ground-
water at  RFP.

The FFT CPFM  technology demonstration at  RFP,  began on
September 13, 1993, and lasted for 3 wk. During the demonstra-
tion, approximately 10,000 gal of contaminated groundwater con-
taining about 100 picoCuries per liter (pCi/L) was processed. The
groundwater used for the tests had been held  in a 500,000 gal
storage  tank  for at  least 2  mon and contained heavy  algae
growth.

Operationally,  the demonstration consisted of three tests.  The
first test consisted of three runs of 4 hr each, treating about 5
gpm. For the  second test, also run for 4 hr at 5 gpm, the influent
water was treated with sodium sulfide in the pretreatment tanks to
change the oxidation state of the radioactive metals in the water.
The third test  was a 15-hr run, treating water at 5 gpm. The third
test was designed to estimate  the amount of contamination each
filter pack is capable of  treating.

 During  the demonstration, samples  of untreated influent, pre-
 treated  water after passing through the mini-clarifier and  bag
 filters, and treated water that had passed through the filter packs,
 were collected, and analyzed for a variety of parameters to evalu-
 ate the technology's effectiveness. Adjustment of the influent pH
 was not required at RFP because the influent water was within
 the optimum pH range (7.5 to 9) for the technology.  Because the
 pH of the water increased during treatment, the pH of the effluent
 water was monitored in the final pH adjustment tank and was
 treated to reduce the pH to influent levels, as required by RFP.

 Preliminary  Results: Analytical results are expected to demon-
 strate a significant reduction in heavy metals and radionuclides in
 the CPFM effluent water.  Bench-scale studies using RFP feed
water spiked with uranium, radium, plutonium,  and americium
showed the following results:
Radiochemistry
Total Uranium
Gross Alpha
Gross Beta
Radium-226
Uranium-234
Uranium-238
Plutonium-239
Americium-241
Influent
(pCi/L)
98+12
166+.15
124±8
13±7
56±10
35±6
7±1
22±4
Effluent
(pCi/L)
0.15+0.12
23±6
57±7
7.4±7
<0.03
<0.03
<0.02
<0.01
% Removal
>99
86
54
46
>99
>99
>99
>99
The SITE evaluation will focus on the ability of the CPFM system
to remove uranium and gross alpha contamination from ground-
water, due to the low activity of  plutonium and americium in the
influent.  Key findings  from  the demonstration, including com-
plete analytical results and economic analysis, will be published
in a Capsule Report and an  Innovative Technology Evaluation
Report.  These reports may be  used to evaluate the CPFM
technology as an alternative for  cleaning up similar groundwater
contamination across the country.  Results will also be presented
in a videotape.

For Further Information:

 EPA Project Manager:
Annette  Gatchett
 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
 Office of Research and Development
 Risk Reduction Engineering Laboratory
 26 West Martin Luther  King Drive
 Cincinnati, OH 45268
 (513)569-7697 Fax (513) 569-7620

 Technology Developer Contact:
 Tod Johnson
 Filter Flow Technology, Inc.
 3027 Marina Bay Drive, Suite 110
 League  City, TX 77573
 (713)334-6080  Fax (713) 334-5993

                        *U.S.Gk»«mm«m Printing OHk»: 1984- 5604)87/80198
     United States
     Environmental Protection Agency
     Center for Environmental Research Information
     Cincinnati, OH 45268

     Official Business
     Penalty for Private Use
     $300
                                    BULK RATE
                              POSTAGE & FEES PAID
                                       EPA
                                 PERMIT No. G-35
      EPA/540/MR-94/501

-------