vvEPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency.
EPA/540/SR-93/506
February 1994
SUPERFUND INNOVATIVE
TECHNOLOGY EVALUATION
Technology Demonstration
Summary
CWM PO*WW*ER™
Evaporation-Catalytic
Oxidation Technology
As part of the Super-fund Innovative
Technology Evaluation (SITE) program,
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agen-
cy (EPA) demonstrated the Chemical
Waste Management, Inc. (CWM),
PO*WW*ER™ technology. The SITE
demonstration was conducted in Sep-
tember 1992 at CWM's Lake Charles
Treatment Center (LCTC) site in Lake
Charles, LA. During the demonstration,
the PO*WW*ER™ system treated landfill
leachate contaminated with volatile or-
ganic compounds (VOC), semivolatile
organiccompounds(SVOC), metals, am-
monia, cyanide, and other inorganic
contaminants.
SITE demonstration results show that
during treatment in the PO*WW*ER™
system, the volume of the landfill
leachate was significantly reduced. A
total solids (TS) concentration ratio of
32 to 1 was achieved. The SITE demon-
stration results also show that the
PO*WW*ER™ system effectively re-
moved sources of toxicity such as
VOCs, SVOCs, metals, ammonia, and
cyanide. Concentrations of VOCs and
SVOCs in product condensate exiting
the PO*WW*ER™ system were below
their respective detection limits of 5 to
10 micrograms per liter (ug/L) and 10 to
130 ug/L. Product condensate contained
trace levels of metals. Ammonia and
cyanide concentrations in the product
condensate samples were below their
respective detection limits of 0.1 and
0.01milligramsperliter(mg/L).Theprod-
uct condensate was nontoxic but only
after it was cooled and its pH, dissolved
oxygen level, and hardness or salinity
were increased to meet demonstration
objectives and as allowed in EPA acute
toxicity testing procedures. Nonconden-
sible vent gas emissions met proposed
permit requirements for the LCTC site.
Data provided by CWM show that the
PO*WW*ER™ technology can effective-
ly treat the following wastes: (1) landfill
leachate, (2) contaminated well water,
(3) contaminated lagoon water, (4) fuels
decant water, (5) oil emulsion wastewa-
ter, and (6) nitrogen-containing organic
compounds wastewater. The PO*W-
W*ER™ technology also effectively
treats the following contaminants:
VOCs, SVOCs, pesticides, herbicides,
solvents, heavy metals, ammonia, cya-
nide, nitrate, chloride, and sulfide.
This Summary was developed by
EPA's Risk Reduction Engineering Lab-
oratory (RREL) in Cincinnati, OH, to an-
nounce key findings of the SITE pro-
gram demonstration that is fully
documented in two separate reports (see
ordering information at back).
Introduction
The SITE program was established in
1986 to accelerate the development, dem-
onstration, and use of new and innovative
T$S) Printed on Recycled Paper
-------
technologies that offer permanent cleanup
solutions for hazardous waste sites. The
SITE program is administered by the EPA
Office of Research and DevelopmentRREL
One component of the SITE program is the
demonstration program, which develops
reliable performance and cost data on in-
novative technologies so that potential us-
ers can assessatechnology'ssuitabilityfor
specific site cleanups.
ThePO*WW*ER™technologySITEdem-
onstration was conducted atthe CWM LCTC
In Lake Charles, LA, in September 1992.
ThePO*WW'ER™pilot-scaleplantatLCTC
has been operative since 1988. The pilot
plant is used primarily as a demonstration
unit for parties interested in testing the
system's applicability for treating specific
aqueous wastes.
The technology demonstration had the
following objectives:
Evaluate the technology's ability to
concentrate and reduce the volume
of an aqueous waste to brine for
further treatment or disposal
Evaluate the technology's ability to
remove organic and inorganic con-
taminants from landfill leachate
Evaluate the technology's ability to
produce a noncondensible gas
stream that meets proposed permit
requirements for the LCTC site
* Evaluate the technology's ability to
produce a oondensate stream non-
toxic to aquatic organisms
Document the PO*WW*ER™ sys-
tem's operating conditions and iden-
tify potential operational problems
Developthetechnology'scapitaland
operating costs for use in the Super-
fund decision-making process
Technology Description
The PO*WW*ER™ system reduces the
volume of an aqueous waste and catalyti-
cally oxidizes volatile contaminants. Figure
1 showsaflowdiagramofthePO*WW*ER™
pilot scale plant, which was used during the
SITE demonstration. The PO*WW*ER™
system consists primarily of an evaporator
to reduce the influent wastewater volume,
a catalytic oxidizer to oxidize the volatile
contaminants in the vapor stream from the
evaporator, a scrubber to remove acid gas-
es produced during oxidation, and a con-
denser to condense the vapor stream leav-
ing the scrubber.
The evaporator consists of three main
pieces of equipment: the heat exchanger,
the vapor body, and the entrainment sepa-
rator. As feed waste is pumped to the
evaporator, it combines with heated pro-
cess liquor. The feed waste is then further
heated in a vertical shell-and-tube heat
exchanger, before entering the vapor body,
where boiling occurs and vapor is released.
A portion of the concentrated brine is re-
moved from the vapor body when the brine
temperature reaches a value correspond-
ing to a specific brine boiling point. The
remaining brine is recirculated. Vapor exits
the vapor body to an entrainment separa-
tor, which removes water droplets.
Vapor from the evaporator is heated to
oxidation temperature by a direct-fired pro-
pane burner. In the PO*WW*ER™ pilot
plant, air is fed to the system by a compres-
sor. The heated vapor then enters the cat-
alytic oxidizer and passes through the cat-
alyst bed where oxidation takes place.
Afteroxidation, the vapor stream exits the
catalytic oxidizer and passes through awet
scrubber to neutralize the acid gases pro-
duced in the oxidizer. The scrubber con-
sists of a packed bed in which the vapor
passes countercurrently through caustic
solution.
Vapor exiting the scrubber is cooled and
condensed in a shell-and-tube condenser.
The product condensate is collected in a
condensate holding tank where it remains
until it is transferred to a stainless steel
product tank. This product condensate can
either be reused as boiler or cooling tower
makeup water, or discharged to surface
water, if appropriate.
Technology Testing
The demonstration was conducted under
one set of operating parameters, which
were established by CWM based on previ-
ous operating experience with the
Caustic
i
3d ^
ste
r
Feed
Tank
Acid
• Rir
Antifoam Wa
Agent
\
ise
ter H
r \
Propane >•
eat
Air
• 1
x\ ^ Evaporator
j
Burner
i
Oxidizer
•*
-Air
Noncondensible
Gas
KEY
Sampling Locations
Figure 1. Schematic diagram showing sampling locations for the PO*WW*ER™ pilot plant.
-------
PO*WW*ER™ system. These operating
parameters were applied in two sets of test
runs: one set of three replicate test runs
using unspiked LCTC landfill leachate and
one set of three replicate test runs using
spiked LCTC landfill leachate. The landfill
leachate, an F039 hazardous waste, was
spiked with the following compounds: 100
mg/L each of methylene chloride, tetra-
chloroethene (PCE), and toluene; 10 mg/L
of phenol; 2 mg/L of cadmium; 0.2 mg/L of
mercury; and 50 mg/L each of copper,
nickel, and iron. The purpose of spiking the
feed waste was to test the effect of contam-
inant loading on the PO*WW*ER™ sys-
tem's performance.
Each demonstration test required about 9
hr of PO*WW*ER™ system operation to
conduct sampling and monitoring activi-
ties. During the tests, landfill leachate was
processed at an average rate of 0.18 gal-
lons per minute (gpm).
Sampling began when the PO*WW*ER™
system operated under steady-state condi-
tions. During each test run, samples were
collected from the feed waste, product con-
densate, brine, and noncondensible gas
stream. Feed waste, product condensate,
and brine samples were analyzed for total
suspended solids (TSS), total dissolved
solids (TDS), VOCs, SVOCs, ammonia,
cyanide, metals, chloride, sulfate, nitrate,
pH, oil and grease, total organic halides
(TOX), and total organic carbon (TOG).
Samples of feed waste and product con-
densate were also analyzed for acute tox-
icity. Brine samples were also analyzed for
toxicity characteristic leaching procedure
(TCLP) metals, VOCs, and SVOCs. Con-
tinuous emissions monitoring (GEM) of the
noncondensible gas stream included mon-
itoring for carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur
dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOX), and
total nonmethane hydrocarbons (TNMHC).
Noncondensible gas samples were also
collected and analyzed for VOCs, SVOCs,
and hydrochloric acid (HCI).
Critical analytes for the feed waste and
product condensate included TSS, TDS,
VOCs, SVOCs, ammonia, cyanide, and
acute toxicity, which was a critical analyte
only for the product condensate. Critical
analytes for the brine were TSS and TDS.
Critical analytes for the noncondensible
gas stream were CO, SO2, and NOX.
Demonstration Results
Demonstration results are based on ex-
tensive laboratory analyses. The following
sections discuss critical parameters, non-
critical parameters, PO*WW*ER™ system
reliability, and an economic analysis.
During the SITE demonstration, CWM
imposed testing and monitoring limitations
that restricted data collection for the evalu-
ation of the PO*WW*ER™ system's perfor-
mance. These limitations were imposed to
protect CWM's proprietary know-how of
the PO*WW*ER™ system.
Critical Parameters
Critical parameters forthe demonstration
were volume reduction, VOC removal,
SVOC removal, ammonia and cyanide re-
moval, acute toxicity, and noncondensible
gas emissions. These parameters are dis-
cussed below. ,
Volume Reduction
During each 9-hr test run, the
PO*WW*ER™ system processed about
98 gal of feed waste. Brine was wasted and
sampled only once during each 9-hr test
period. The total amount of brine wasted
during each 9-hrtest run was about 4.8 gal,
or about 5% of the total feed waste volume.
The PO*WW*ER™ system's effective-
ness for volume reduction was evaluated
based on the concentration ratio, which is
defined as the ratio of the TS concentration
in the brine overtheTS concentration in the
feed waste. The TS concentration is the
sum of the TSS and TDS concentrations.
The TS concentration ratio was estimated
to be about 31 to 1 during the unspiked
tests and 32 to 1 during the spiked tests.
Similar results were obtained for metal and
chloride concentration ratios. The average
TS, metal, and chloride concentration ra-
tios were statistically the same. Therefore,
these concentration ratios are considered
to represent a reliable measure of feed
waste volume reduction achieved by the
PO*WW*ER™systemduringtheSITEdem-
onstration.
VOC Removal
The PO*WW*ER™ system removes
VOCs from the feed waste by evaporation.
VOCs are subsequently oxidized in the
catalytic oxidizer. Acetone, 2-butanone,
methylene chloride, PCE, toluene, and vi-
nyl chloride were identified as critical VOCs
for the SITE demonstration. Vinyl chloride
is not discussed further because it was not
detected during unspiked and spiked test
runs in feed waste, product condensate, or
brine.
The results in Table 1 show that during
the unspiked and spiked test runs, the
concentrations of all critical VOCs, except
for methylene chloride, in the product con-
densate were belowtheir respective detec-
tion limits (5 to 10 ng/L). Methylene chloride
was detected in the product condensate
only during the second unspiked test run at
a concentration of 6 p.g/L. In addition, the
results show that total contaminant load-
ing, which increased during the spiked test
runs, had no measurable effect on the
quality of product condensate under the
conditions tested. However, total contami-
nant loading appeared to have some effect
on VOC evaporation efficiency. For exam-
ple, during the unspiked test runs, the ace-
tone and methylene chloride concentra-
tions in brine samples were less than their
respective detection limits of 100 and 50
(ig/L for most samples analyzed. However,
during the spiked test runs, these contam-
inants were not completely removed from
the brine. Acetone and methylene chloride
concentrations in brine samples ranged
from 180 to 220 ng/L and 110 to 200 (ig/L,
respectively.
SVOC Removal
Benzoic acid and phenol were identified
as critical SVOCs for the SITE demonstra-
tion/The results in Table2showthat during
the unspiked and spiked test runs, benzoic
acid and phenol concentrations in product
condensate were less than their detection
limits, which ranged from 25 to 130 ng/L
and from 10 to 50 p.g/L, respectively. The
results also indicate that benzoic acid re-
mained primarily in the brine, while phenol
was removed from the brine, at least par-
tially, and was presumably oxidized.
Although benzoic acid and phenol are
both acidic compounds, they have very
different physical-chemical properties. Giv-
en these properties, phenol is more likely
than benzoic acid to be removed from the
brine. Phenol has a vapor pressure over 30
times greater than that of benzoic acid.
Also, under the test conditions, phenol was
likely present in the brine primarily in union-
ized form while benzoic acid was likely
present in ionized form.
Other factors that may have affected the
removal of phenol from the brine include
the brine's boiling point rise (BPR), strip-
ping action of steam, and ionic strength.
While phenol has a boiling point of 358 °F,
significantly higher than the steam temper-
ature used for heating in the evaporator
heat exchanger, the evaporation of phenol
can take place in the evaporator because
of the increase in the brine's boiling point,
which is known as the BPR, and the strip-
ping action of steam released during boil-
ing. Another condition that could have
-------
Tab/9 1. Average Critical VOC Concentrations Dudng Unspiked and Spiked Test Runs
Unspiked Test Runs
Run No. Feed Waste
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
•1
2
3
1
2
3
11,000 M"
8,700 M
9,100 M
2, 100
1,500
1,800
1,100
1,100
690
<390
<500
-------
Table 3. Average Ammonia and Cyanide Concentrations During Unspiked and Spiked Test Runs
Unspiked Test Runs
Spiked Test Runs
Run No.
1
2
3
1
2
3
Product
Feed Waste Condensate Brine3 Feed Waste
150
150
160
29
33
30
<0.10
<0.10
<0.01
<0.01
<0.01
Ammonia (mg/L)
5.4
23 H
11
Cyanide (mg/L)
77
150
140
160 H=
150 H
140
33
32
24
Product
Condensate
<0. 10 H
<0.10H
<0.10
<0.01
<0.01
<0.01
Brine3
7.8 H
7.5 H
7.4
36
17
77
Brine was wasted and sampled once per test run. Therefore, the reported results represent
analysis of one sample. However, the results for feed waste and product condensate represent the
average of three composite samples collected during each run.
<=Analyte not detected at the quantitation limit shown.
H indicates that analyte concentration is estimated because sample holdng time was exceeded.
Two test conditions were evaluated. Un-
der test condition 1, feed waste and prod-
uct condensate samples were adjusted to
pH, temperature, and hardness or salinity
levels optimum for survival of the test or-
ganisms. Under test condition 2, all above-
mentioned conditions were adjusted ex-
cept hardness. Only product condensate
samples were tested under test condition
2, with Ceriodaphnia dubiaand Pimephales
promelas as test organisms. Tests under
test condition 2 were conducted to examine
the effect of hardness on the toxicity of
product condensate.
The results indicate thatthe PO*WW*ER™
system removed sources of toxicity in feed
waste. Feed waste was highly toxic to all
test organisms, with LC50 values consis-
tently less than 10%. Product condensate,
however, was found to be nontoxic with all
LC50 values statistically greater than 100%,
but only after the product condensate was
cooled and its pH, hardness, and salinity
were adjusted to meet demonstration ob-
jectives and as allowed in EPA acute toxic-
ity testing procedures.
Noncondensible Gas
Emissions
CEM of the noncondensible gas was con-
ducted for CO, SO2, NOX, and TNMHC.
Average and maximum concentrations and
emission rates are summarized in Table 4.
Noncondensible vent gas samples were
collected and analyzed for VOCs, SVOCs,
and HCI. The following VOCs were detect-
ed: chloromethane, bromomethane, meth-
ylene chloride, acetone, 1,1,1-tri-
chloroethane, carbon disulfide,
2-butanone, benzene, PCE, toluene, chlo-
robenzene, and ethylbenzene. The critical
VOC present in the noncondensible gas at
the highest concentration was PCE. All
other VOCs were present at trace levels.
The highest PCE concentration occurred
during the first spiked test run, which also
had the highest CO, SO2, NOX, and TNM-
HC concentrations. HCI and some SVOCs
were also detected in the noncondensible
gas. The following SVOCs were present at
trace levels in the noncondensible gas:
phenol, benzoic acid, bis-(2-ethylhexyl)
phthalate, and di-n-octylphthalate.
Noncondensible gas emissions results
indicate that increases in total contaminant
loading may result in small increases in
contaminant concentrations in thevent gas.
Table 4. Noncondensible Gas Average and Maximum Contaminant Concentrations and Mass Emissions Rates
Contaminant
Average3 CO (ppmvf
Average CO (Ib/hrf
60-min RAd Maximum CO (ppmv)
60-min RA Maximum CO (Ib/hr)
Average SO2 (ppmv)
Average SO2 (Ib/hr)
60-rnin RA Maximum SO2 (ppmv)
60-min RA Maximum SOZ (Ib/hr)
Average NOX (ppmv)
Average NO (Ib/hr)
60-min RA Maximum NOX (ppmv)
60-min RA Maximum NOX (Ib/hr)
Average TNMHC (ppmv)
Average TNMHC (Ib/hr)
60-min RA Maximum TNMHC (ppmv)
60-min RA Maximum TNMHC (Ib/hr)
Un,
1
21.4
0.00217
22.5
0.00228
<2e
<0.00049
2.40
0.00056
242
0. 0404
253
0.0421
<2
<0.00033
<2
<0.00033
spiked Test Runs
2
9.58
0.00110
11.1
0.00127
<2
<0.00055
<2
<0.00055
260
0. 0491
275
0.0519
<2
<0.00037
<2
<0.00037
Spiked Test Runs
3
13.9
0.00151
15.4
0.00166
<2
<0.00052
<2
<0.00052
243
0. 0432
254
0.0452
<2
<0.00035
<2
<0.00035
1
37.3
0.00392
40.8
0.00428
<2
<0.00051
3. 49
0.00084
292
0.0503
309
0.0534
<2
<0.00037
3.95
0.00067
2
24.6
0.00244
26.5
0.00263
<2
<0.00048
2.87
0.00065
255
0.0417
280
0.0458
<2
<0.00032
3.54
0.00057
3
18.7
0.00169
1Q ft
i y.o
0.00179
^2
<0.00043
-------
Noncritical Parameters
Noncritical parameters include metals;
chloride; sulfate; nitrate; pH; oil and grease,
TOX, and TOG; and TCLP metals, VOCs,
and SVOCs. These noncritical parameters
are discussed below.
Metals
During unspiked and spiked test runs,
metals concentrated primarily in the brine.
Concentration ratios ranged from 31 to 1 to
35 to 1 during unspiked test runs and from
29 to 1 to 31 to 1 during spiked test runs.
However, during the test runs, trace levels
of the following metals were also present in
the product condensate: chromium, cop-
per, iron, manganese, nickel, and zinc.
Chloride
During unspiked and spiked test runs,
chloride concentrated primarily in the brine.
Concentration ratios ranged from 32 to 1 to
35 to 1 during unspiked test runs and from
28 to 1 to 33 to 1 during spiked test runs.
Chloride was not detected in product con-
densate samples. Because HCI was de-
tected in noncondensible gas emissions
but not in product condensate samples, the
results suggest that HCI was formed in the
oxidizerduringtheSITEdemonstrationand
was only partially removed by the scrubber.
Sulfate
The results show that sulfate concentrat-
ed in the brine with an average concentra-
tion ratio of 15.5 to 1, almost one half of the
TS, chloride, and metals concentration ra-
tios. The reason for the difference could be
due to sulfate in the brine precipitating as
metal sulfate salts. These salts could have
deposited on the evaporator surfaces and
in the brine transfer piping instead of being
collected in the brine samples.
Nitrate
During unspiked and spiked test runs,
nitrate concentrations in feed waste and
brine were less than their respective detec-
tion limits of 0.05 and 5 mg/L for most
samples analyzed. However, nitrate was
detected in product condensate. During
unspiked test runs, nitrate concentrations
in product condensate ranged from 0.23 to
0.37 mg/L. During spiked test runs, nitrate
concentrations in product condensate
ranged from 0.44 to 0.68 mg/L Nitrate in
product condensate could have resulted
from the hydrolysis of NO2. Three sources
of nitrogen that may have contributed to the
formation of NO2 during oxidation in the
catalytic oxidizer are ammonia, air, and
cyanide.
pH
During unspiked and spiked test runs, the
pH of feed waste was about 9 and the pH of
brine was about 10. The pH of feed waste
was not adjusted during the SITE demon-
stration. The pH of product condensate
ranged from 3.8 to 4.3 during unspiked test
runs and from 4.0 to 4.2 during spiked test
runs. The acidic pH of product condensate
may have been because of the presence of
nitric acid formed by the hydrolysis of NO2.
Oil and Grease, TOX, ahd TOG
The results indicate that some of the
material contributing to oil and grease in
thefeed waste is removed during treatment
in the PO*WW*ER™ system. During un-
spiked and spiked test runs, oil and grease
removal efficiencies were greaterthan 76%.
During unspiked and spiked test runs,
TOX primarily concentrated in the brine,
with average concentration ratios of 32 to 1
and 28 to 1, respectively. These ratios
suggest that TOX is comprised of haloge-
nated nonvolatile organic compounds.
During unspiked and spiked test runs,
TOC evaporation efficiencies were greater
than 93%.
TCLP Metals
TCLP test results for metals indicate that
brine, which is an F039-derived hazardous
waste, exhibits the D004 hazardous waste
characteristic because it contains TCLP
arsenic at concentrations ranging from
34,400 to 103,000 ng/L. These concentra-
tions are greater than the regulatory level of
5,000 ng/L. All other TCLP metals met the
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act
(RCRA) regulatory requirements.
TCLP VOCs and SVOCs
Both TCLP VOCs and SVOCs met the
RCRA TCLP standards. The results show
that total contaminant loading, which in-
creased during the spiked test runs, result-
ed in increased TCLP VOC concentrations.
However, contaminant loading did not have
a significant effect on TCLP SVOCs.
PO*WW*ER™ System
Reliability
Generally, the PO*WW*ER™ system
operated reliably during the SITE demon-
stration. During startup, the PO*WW*ER™
system required about 9 days to reach
steady-state conditions because of the low
solids content in the feed waste. The
following operational observations were
made:
A 1-hr area-wide electrical power
outage caused the temperature in
the evaporator to drop, resulting in a
5-hr delay until the system returned
to steady-state operation.
During the power outage, the evap-
orator circulation pump shaft was
manually rotated to prevent solids
from settling in the piping.
The brine sampling line became
clogged with solids, limiting brine
sampling until a new sampling loca-
tion was made available.
These are minor operational problems
that do not affect the system's reliability but
should be considered in the design of a
full-scale PO*WW*ER™ system.
Economic Analysis
Economic data indicate that the capital
cost for a 50-gpm PO*WW*ER™ system is
approximately $4 million on a turnkey ba-
sis, including treatability study costs; de-
sign costs; all necessary components of a
PO*WW*ER™ system; all interconnecting
piping, controls, and monitoring equipment;
and assembly and installation costs. Annu-
al operating and maintenance, including
labor, consumables, utilities, analytical ser-
vices, and waste disposal, at a Superfund
site are estimated to be about $3.3 million.
Waste (brine) disposal costs account for
about 70% of the annual costs. At an annu-
al inflation rate of 5%, the total cost of a
project lasting 15 yr was estimated to be
about $100 per 1,000 gal of aqueous waste
treated, and the total cost of a project
lasting 30 yr was estimated to be about $73
per 1,000 gal of aqueous waste treated.
Conclusions
The following conclusions about the
PO*WW*ER™ technology are based on
the results of the SITE demonstration:
The volume of brine wasted and sam-
pled during each 9-hr test period
consisted of about 5% of the feed
waste volume processed. The con-
centration ratio, defined as the ratio
of TS concentration in the brine over
the TS concentration in the feed
waste, was about 32 to 1.
Feed waste average concentrations
of critical VOCs ranged from 350 to
110,000 ng/L; critical SVOCs ranged
from 6,000 to 23,000 ng/L; ammo-
nia ranged from 140 to 160 mg/L;
-------
and cyanide ranged from 24 to
33 mg/L. Generally, no VOCs,
SVOCs, ammonia, or cyanide were
detected in the product condensate.
Noncondensible gas emissions had
the following characteristics: (1) av-
erage CO concentrations ranged
from 9.58 to 37.3 ppmv, resulting in
emission rates ranging from 1.1 x1 Cr3
to 3.92X10-3 Ib/hr; (2) average SO2
concentrations were less than
2 ppmv, resulting in emission rates
of less than 5.5x1 O^lb/hr; and (3) the
average NOX concentrations ranged
from 233 to 292 ppmv, resulting in
emission rates ranging from
3.46x10-2 to 5.03x10-2 Ib/hr. Non-
condensiblegas emissions forthese
parameters met the proposed regu-
latory requirements for the LCTC
site.
Contaminant loading, which in-
creased during the spiked test runs,
had a measurable effect on VOC
evaporation efficiency. Also, in-
creased contaminant loadings result-
ed in small increases in contaminant
concentrations in the noncondensi-
ble vent gas.
The PO*WW*ER™ system removes
sources of feed waste toxicity. The
feed waste was acutely toxic with
LC50s consistently below 10%. The
product condensate was nontoxic
with LC50s consistently greater than
100%, but only after the product con-
densate was cooled and its pH, dis-
solved oxygen level, and hardness
or salinity were increased to meet
demonstration objectives and as al-
lowed in EPA acute toxicity testing
procedures.
Metals, sulfate, chloride, and TOX
concentrated in the brine. The aver-
age metals, chloride, and TOX con-
centration ratios are almost identical
to the TS concentration ratios. The
sulfate concentration ratio was sig-
nificantly lower, probably due to sul-
fate in the brine precipitating as met-
al sulfate salts. These salts could
have deposited on the evaporator
surfaces and in the brine transfer
piping instead of being collected in
the brine samples.
Nitrate, which was not present in the
feed waste and brine, was present in
product condensate. Nitrate proba-
bly formed in the product conden-
sate as a result of the hydrolysis of
NO2, which was formed during oxi-
dation in the catalytic oxidizer. The
acidic pH of the product condensate
supports this hypothesis.
TOC evaporation efficiency was
greater than 93% during the un-
spiked and spiked test runs. Com-
pounds that contribute to oil and
grease were removed from the feed
waste and brine with removal effi-
ciencies of greater than 76%.
The F039-derived hazardous waste
brine exhibits the D004 hazardous
waste characteristic because it con-
tains TCLP arsenic at concentra-
tions greater than the regulatory lev-
el of 5,000 ng/L. All other TCLP
metals, VOCs, and SVOCs met the
RCRA regulatory requirements.
The PO*WW*ER™ system operat-
ed reliably during the demonstration.
However, some minor operational
problems were observed during
shakedown and startup operations,
and during the SITE demonstration.
Operational problems included an
area-wide electrical power outage
and brine sampling line clogging.
Economic data indicate that the capi-
tal cost for a 50-gpm PO*WW*ER™
system is approximately $4 million
on aturnkey basis. Annual operating
and maintenance costs at a Super-
fund site are estimated to be about
$3.3 million. At an annual inflation
rate of 5%, the total cost of a project
lasting 15 yr was estimated to be
about $100 per 1,000 gal of aqueous
waste treated, and the total cost of a
project lasting 30 yr was estimated to
be about $73 per 1,000 gal of aque-
ous waste treated.
Tfru.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFHCE: 1994 - 550467/80242
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The EPA Project Manager, Randy Parker, is with the Risk Reduction Engineering
Laboratory, Cincinnati, OH 45268 (see below).
The complete report, entitled "Technology Evaluation Report: CWM; PO*WW*ER™
Evaporation-Catalytic Oxidation Technology" consists of two volumes:
"Volume I" (Order No. PB94-156239AS; Cost $27.00, subject to change)
"Volume II" (Order No. PB94-156247'AS; Cost $61.00, subject to change)
both will be available only from:
National Technical Information Service
5285 Port Royal Road
Springfield, VA 22161
Telephone: 703-487-4650
A related report, entitled: "CWM; PO*WW*ER™ Evaporation-Catalytic Oxidation
Technology; Applications Analysis Report" EPA/540/AR-93/506, is available.
The EPA Project Manager can be contacted at:
Risk Reduction Engineering Laboratory
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Cincinnati, OH 45268
Inquiries about the PO*WW*ER™ technology should be directed to:
Annamarie Connolly
ARI Technologies Inc.
1501 E. Woodfield Road
Suite 200 West
Schaumburg, IL 60173
Telephone: 708-706-6900
Fax: 708-706-6996
United States
Environmental Protection Agency
Center for Environmental Research Information
Cincinnati, OH 45268
BULK RATE
POSTAGE & FEES PAID
EPA
PERMIT No. G-35
Official Business
Penalty for Private Use $300
EPA/540/SR-93/506
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