McKinnon Engineering

Water and Wastewater Treatment Consulting

  • Home
  • About
    • John McKinnon, PE
  • Services
    • Process and Equipment Design
    • Client Advocacy and Consultant Oversight
    • Process Optimization
    • Troubleshooting
    • Operator Training
    • Regulatory Support
  • Case Studies
  • Testimonials
  • Contact

Removing Surfactants to Decrease Discharge Costs

February 25, 2014 By John McKinnon Leave a Comment

The Situation:

The wastewater generated by an industrial client was causing problems at the publicly owned treatment works (POTW) where it was being discharged.

Removing Surfactants to Decrease Discharge Costs

Pump Station Foam

This water’s high concentration of surfactants and other organic chemicals was causing intensive foaming in the pump stations and plugging the air relief valves in the force main.

The client was going to be prohibited from discharging to the POTW unless it could pretreat the water to remove the surfactants, chemical oxygen demand (COD), and suspended solids.

The Costly Initial Client Response

The client determined that dissolved air flotation clarification could remove suspended solids and some COD and surfactants from the water.  The pilot study they performed to define the feasibility of the idea revealed that the process might work, but it would be plagued with housekeeping, reliability, and maintenance issues.  A cost estimate indicated that the process would require a capital expenditure of $3.8 million.

The More Affordable Solution

Recognizing the impracticality of the conventional process, Mr. McKinnon researched and identified an alternative process for removing surfactants to decrease discharge costs.  His proposal modified the nature of the wastewater so that it was acceptable to discharge the pretreated effluent to the client’s own wastewater treatment plant and no longer rely on the POTW.  This alternative process used a proprietary adsorbent/polymer product to adsorb the surfactants and remove their foaming tendency.  The client could then remove the solids in their primary clarifier and dewater them with its other wastewater sludge.  They would no longer need to discharge into the POTW at all.

The Result

Following a trial that verified the effectiveness of Mr. McKinnon’s proposal, the client constructed the new system and disconnected from the POTW.

The alternative process cost $1.5 million – a capital savings of $2.3 million as compared to the initial plan.

Recommend:
LinkedIn0
Twitter0
Google+0
Facebook0

Filed Under: Case Studies

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Read More On:

  • Case Studies
  • Testimonials

Testimonials

Without John in our team, we would not have been successful. Without him, and just relying on our turnkey contractor, we would have failed complying with our environmental permit consent, and we would have been forced to restart another project just to correct vendor errors.

By having John on this project, I did save a huge amount of capital reinvestment and waste of time and efforts.
Nicolas ODENProject LeaderKimberly-Clark Europe
I worked with John McKinnon for over a year on a particularly challenging capital project and throughout that time John demonstrated an exceptionally positive and focused skill set and attitude.

John’s water and waste water expertise was paramount to identifying and addressing engineering and process issues, working with a problematic joint venture supplier and the ‘hands on’ provision of communication and training for the client’s employees.

There is no doubt that the project benefi… Read more
Ken BakerManaging Director4A Consulting Ltd
John worked exceptionally well with the operations teams and has transferred much of his knowledge to build their capability and confidence.

His dedication and commitment to this project has been outstanding, and he demonstrates incredible personal flexibility to ensure a successful outcome.

To recognize John’s achievements, he was granted a “Distinguished Performance Award” in July 2013.
Tony DarnellConsumer Europe Engineering ManagerKimberly-Clark

Services

  • Water and Wastewater Regulatory Support
  • Water Treatment System Operator Training
  • Water and Wastewater Troubleshooting
  • Process Optimization
  • Client Advocacy and Consultant Oversight
  • Process and Equipment Design

About McKinnon Engineering

McKinnon Engineering helps clients install and operate reliable, efficient, and effective water and wastewater treatment systems.
Read more →

Contact

John T. McKinnon, P.E. President
5456 Peachtree Blvd. #229
Atlanta, Georgia 30341
Office: 678-585-1656
Cell: 678-294-8093
Email: John@McKinnonEngineering.com

Copyright © 2023 McKinnon Engineering. Website by New Tricks Web Design Website Content by Digital Image Matters