Water Cleaning & Decontamination Equipment 15 GPM (Electrocoagulation)

Description

ELECTROCOAGULATION
INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW
Introduction:
The following information should provide a good basic understanding of electrocoagulation, how it works, what makes our system superior and what some of the many potential uses are for this amazing technology.
Contaminated Water
Contamination comes in many shapes, forms and sizes. The larger ones are easy to get out with various types of filters. It’s the smaller ones, the microscopic particles, that end up in suspension or in solution, that cause most of the problems.
This means that molecules of a contaminant (for example lead) float along with the water particles and don’t separate from the water. They are extremely difficult to filter out and/or are not heavy enough for gravity to make them settle to the bottom. These microscopic particles are made of things such as oil, clay, carbon black, viruses and assorted bacteria as well as minuscule particles of metals and heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, iron, silver, uranium and chromium. These and many other contaminants are found in suspension or in solution with industrial and municipal wastewaters.
One well-known industrial example is “chromium six”, a hazardous metal that contaminated groundwater in Hinkley, California and harmed a large number of people, publicized in the movie “Erin Brockovich”. The lawsuit against Pacific Gas & Electric resulted in a 3 million settlement being awarded. This could have easily been avoided with the use of our system.
These microscopic particles represent one of the most difficult aspects of water reclamation.
Electrocoagulation: How it works
Coagulation is one of the most important physiochemical operations used in water treatment. This process is used to cause the destabilization and aggregation of smaller particles into larger particles. Water contaminants such as ions, heavy metals and colloids, both organic and inorganic, are primarily held in solution by electrical charges. Colloidal systems can be destabilized by the addition of ions that have a charge opposite to that of the colloid. The destabilized colloids can be aggregated and subsequently removed by sedimentation and or filtration. Coagulation can be achieved by chemical or electrical means. In the electrocoagulation process direct electrical current is introduced into the water via parallel metal plates. The two most common plate materials are iron and aluminum. Metal ions are split off from the plates and are sacrificed into the liquid medium. These metal ions tend to form metal oxides that electromechanically attract contaminants that have been destabilized. As this occurs, the contaminants form hydrophobic entities that precipitate and can easily be removed by secondary separation techniques.
Non-Toxic Sludge
The mud-like sludge that results from electrocoagulation often does not contain any additional chemicals, and if they are used, they are usually non-toxic in nature.  This sludge is far more stable and resistant to acids as well – therefore much safer for the environment.
(Renk, EPA 1989)
.
Tests show that with electrocoagulation, if sufficient activation energy is applied, this sludge becomes capable of passing the EPA Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) tests.
This is important to industry because it allows the sludge to be re-classified as non-hazardous, resulting in significant cost-savings having to do with the disposal of the sludge as well as a release from the ongoing future liabilities associated with the disposal of toxic wastes.
Background
Electrocoagulation systems have been introduced to remove contaminants from wastewater for over one hundred years starting in 1906. Unfortunately, the high cost of electricity and other problems normally involved with electrocoagulation have limited its commercial use. (See “Disadvantages of Electrocoagulation” below.)
In the last few years attempts at inducing an increase in ionic reaction and in lowering the amount of current necessary have resulted in a number of new electrocoagulation treatment systems.
However, although attractive, none of these had proven to address the various disadvantages of the procedure well enough to gain the general agreement of the industry.
Usual Disadvantages of Electrocoagulation
The primary disadvantages of electrocoagulation systems prior to Powell Electrocoagulation were identified and included:
• Low Flow Rates
• High Operating Costs due to Power Consumption
• High Maintenance Costs
• Operating Problems due to Plugging
(Renk, 1989, Woytowich et al 1993: EPA540R96502, 1998)
The Powell Electrocoagulation System
The system’s chamber consists of multiple metal plates, which are vertically housed in an open atmospheric reaction chamber that does not have the problems found in other systems that are associated with pressure build-up and plugging. This results in a system that has much higher flow rates than any other system on the market.
Transformer Free
The patented design of the system does not require the costly and bulky transformers required by other systems. This greatly reduces the amount of space that is required for the equipment.
The electrocoagulation technology creates an environment within the system that causes the contaminated water to react with the ions in the electrical current in a much more efficient manner – consuming much less energy while at the same time creating more of an ionic reaction.
The energy requirement for an EC system is about 3% of other electrocoagulation systems on the market.
The EC system also brings the contaminated particles into greater contact with each other and so increases the amount of coagulation that actually occurs per each unit of time.
Multi-tasking Nature
Another important attribute of the EC chambers is that they are capable of processing and removing a wide range of contaminants at one time. The benefit of this difference alone can mean the elimination many other time-consuming and expensive procedures – especially those involving expensive chemicals.
Cost Comparison
Compared with chemical coagulation the operational cost is up to 88% less.  On 30 million gallons per year this could mean a savings of 0,000 per year in operational costs compared chemical coagulation.  EC systems often pay for themselves within one year.
Flow Rates
Skid-mounted system sizes range from 1.5 gpm to 2,500 gpm, but the system’s modular design also allows chambers to be used in tandem so that the system’s size and the resultant gallons per minute that can be processed, is completely scalable. The benefit is that an EC
system can be manufactured to handle virtually any industrial or environmental application and can be easily expanded upon as the need arises.
The system’s modular design also allows chambers to be used in series.  Thus, as mentioned it can treat large amounts of
and/or
very complex waters.
EC
systems can also be used profitably in conjunction with other water treatment systems, where its presence will dramatically lower costs and increase efficiency.
Problems Solved by the Powell Electrocoagulation System
The electrocoagulation system has addressed and handled all of the problems that exist withelectrocoagulation such as:
• Low Flow Rates
• Overly High Electrical Consumption
• Maintenance Problems
• Plugging
Industrial Applications
Electrocoagulation systems can be used in many different industries.
Here are a few:
Human Sewage
Fish Processing
Canning Industry
Metal Plating
Metal Mining
Coal Mining
Ballast Water Treatment
Bilge Water Treatment
Food Processing
Weaving Industry
Sugar Cane Industry
Steel Mills
Ink and Die market
Aero Space
Industrial Laundry
Railroad fuel cleanup
Antifreeze Cleanup
Lumber Industry
Paper Manufacturing
Well-Water Cleanup
Nitrate Water Cleanup
Galvanizing Plants
Pharmaceutical Plants
Sludge Cleanup
Auto Electronics
Battery
Recycle Market
Oil & Gas Industry
Potato Processing
Cooling Tower recycling
Canal Cleanups
Groundwater
River cleanups
Transmission Rebuilding.
Engine rebuilding
Leaching Operations
Pre-treatment for Salt
Acid Mine Drainage
Geothermal Remediation
Emergency Treatment Systems
The
Portable Electrocoagulation
systems ability to handle silty, muddy, soot-filled, contaminated water. As result portable drinking water units can be used to supply potable water following emergencies such as hurricanes, earthquakes, forest fires, floods and toxic waste catastrophes – and can do so dealing with waters that would quickly overwhelm other systems.
These are some of the common contaminants that can be handled by the Powell EC
system:
The following results are specific examples as conducted by a qualified independent laboratory.
CONTAMINANT
BEFORE
(mg/L)
AFTER
(mg/L)
REMOVAL RATE (%)
Aldrin (pesticide)
0.0630
0.0010
98.40
Aluminum
224.0000
0.6900
99.69
Ammonia
49.0000
19.4000
60.41
Arsenic
0.0760
<0.0022
97.12
Barium
0.0145
<0.0010
93.10
Benzene
90.1000
0.3590
99.60
BOD
1050.0000
14.0000
98.67
Boron
4.8600
1.4100
70.98
Cadmium
0.1252
<0.0040
96.81
Calcium
1,321.0000
21.4000
98.40
Chlorieviphos (pesticide)
5.8700
0.0300
99.50
Chromium
139.0000
<0.1000
99.92
Cobalt
0.1238
0.0214
82.71
Copper
0.7984
<0.0020
99.75
Cyanide (Free)
723.0000
<0.0200
99.99
Cypermethrin (pesticide)
1.3000
0.0700
94.60
DDT (pesticide)
0.2610
0.0020
99.20
Diazinon (pesticide)
34.0000
0.2100
99.40
Ethyl Benzene
428.0000
0.3720
99.91
Fluoride
1.1000
0.4150
62.27
Gold
5.7200
1.3800
75.87
Iron
68.3400
0.1939
99.72
Lead
0.5900
0.0032
99.46
Lindane (pesticide)
0.1430
0.0010
99.30
Magnesium
13.1500
0.0444
99.66
Manganese
1.0610
0.0184
98.27
Mercury
0.7200
<0.0031
98.45
Molybdenum
0.3500
0.0290
91.71
MP-Xylene
41.6000
0.0570
99.86
MTBE
21.5800
0.0462
99.79
Nickel
183.0000
0.0700
99.96
Nitrate
11.7000
2.6000
77.78
Nitrite
21.0000
12.0000
42.86
Nitrogen TKN
1,118.8800
59.0800
94.72
NTU
35.3800
0.3200
99.10
O-Xylene
191.0000
0.4160
99.78
PCB (Arochlor 1248)
0.0007
<0.0001
85.71
Petroleum Hydrocarbons
72.5000
<0.2000
99.72
Phosphate
28.0000
0.2000
99.28
Platinum
4.4000
0.6800
84.55
Potassium
200.0000
110.0000
45.00
Proptamphos (pesticide)
80.8700
0.3600
99.60
Selenium
68.0000
38.0000
44.00
Silicon
21.0700
0.1000
99.50
Sulfate
104.0000
68.0000
34.61
CONTAMINANT
BEFORE
(mg/L)
AFTER
(mg/L)
REMOVAL RATE (%)
Silver
0.0081
0.0006
92.59
Tin
0.2130
<0.0200
90.61
Tolulene
28,480.0000
0.2270
99.99
TSS
1,560.0000
8.0000
99.49
Vanadium
0.2621
<0.0020
99.24
The following are the results of radioactivity that were conducted at a government facility.
CONTAMINANT
BEFORE
AFTER
REMOVAL RATE (%)
Americium-241
71.9900 pCi/L
0.5700 pCi/L
99.20
Plutonium-239
29.8500 pCi/L
0.2900 pCi/L
99.00
Radium
1093.0000 pCi/L
0.1000 pCi/L
99.99
Uranium
0.1300 mg/L
0.0002 mg/L
99.83
The following chart shown demonstrates the effectiveness of the VIA™ EC system in handling bacteria.
CONTAMINANT
BEFORE
AFTER
REMOVAL RATE (%)
Bacteria
110,000,000.00 cfu
2,700.00 cfu
99.99
Coliform
318,000.0000 cfu
<1.00 cfu
99.99
E coli Bacteria
>2,419.20 mpn
0.00 mpn
99.99
Enterococcus Bacteria
83.00 mpn
<10.00 mpn
82.87
Total Coliform Bacteria
>2,419.20 mpn
0.00 mpn
99.99