pH Neutralization, pH adjustment » industrial water and wastewater

PAI Designs and Builds Greywater System for Worcester Polytechnic Insitute

Brian — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 13:10:38 +0000

Practical Applications, Inc. (PAI), a leading environmental engineering company, announces delivery of a water reclamation system to be installed at the future Sports and Recreation Center at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Worcester, MA. The system’s innovative design to reuse rainwater from the roof of the new LEED-certified center supports “WPI’s commitment to environmental sustainability.”

Worcester Polytechnic Institute Greywater System

The PAI Model 1860 Greywater System operates either manually or automatically from a straightforward main control panel with up-to-date system information and current alarm status. Rainwater is collected in a main reservoir and then pumped via one of two feed pumps through a Spears inlet suction strainer to remove large particulate matter such as roofing material and leaves. The strained water is then pumped through the Micro-Z inline multimedia filter which removes most of the suspended solids. The filtered greywater will be used in WPI’s cooling towers.

Space for new construction is often a premium and successful greywater projects such as this one will include appropriately-sized tanks to recover the maximum water amount yet minimize the tank’s footprint. The tanks for PAI’s greywater system “will collect 50,000 gallons of rainwater from the roof for the cooling system, reducing the building’s water consumption by more than 800,000 gallons per year.” WPI will be getting a system that fits their space as well as their budget.

Keeping costs low by choosing the right greywater system is also a concern for businesses. The Model 1860 Greywater System has a return on investment that has a payback of less than two years. For organizations like WPI who need to keep costs low that means they can be economically as well as environmentally smart. Janice Markey, executive vice-president of PAI explains, “The cost of water has gotten to the point where it makes sense to build these things now. Fifteen years ago it didn’t, but the cost is catching up to the environmental needs. It’s great because now businesses like WPI can be environmentally sensible and save their companies money.”

Practical Applications, Inc. has been designing, building, and operating wastewater treatment systems since 1994. Operating engineers and technicians design and build effective systems that provide optimal performance while remaining economical and competitive.

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Press Contact:
Wiwa Deepreecha
Practical Applications, Inc.
Boston, MA 617-423-5639
wiwa@pai-online.com

Bridgewater State University Greywater System

admin — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 15:27:21 +0000

For Immediate Release: December 6, 2010

Boston, MA – Practical Applications, Inc. (PAI), a leading environmental company, has designed and built the greywater reclamation system at Bridgewater State University’s Marshall Conant Science Building in Bridgewater, MA.

Designed to treat rainwater collected from roof leaders, the greywater is required to be filtered and disinfected with chlorine prior to being used for non-potable use in the building. The system is composed of the following equipment: (1)-Bag strainer, (2) feed pumps, (2) bag filters, (1) chlorine feeder, (1) chlorine analyzers, (1) flow meter, (1) expansion tank , (1) Dye Addition metering pump, (1) Operator Interface terminal, (1) Allen Bradley PLC, and (1) main control panel.

The greywater system operates by drawing rainwater from an external cistern into the system by one of the two feed pumps. Large particulate matter is removed by the inlet suction strainer then the water is pressurized and pumped through two bag filters in series which removes most of the suspended solids.

Bridgewater State University's Marshall Conant Science Building Greywater System

A slip stream is passed through a chlorine feeder. The slip stream flow is controlled based on the residual chlorine measured by an HF Scientific Residual Chlorine Analyzer. Chlorine is fed into the slip stream by the chlorine feeder and returned to the feed pump suction piping.
The flow rate and chlorine concentration is controlled by the chlorine analyzer. A control valve is proportionally operated to increase or decrease the chlorine dose to the system (user selectable).

The greywater system is designed to operate automatically with only minimal operator interaction beyond reagent refill and inspections/maintenance.

PAI has been designing, building, and operating waste water treatment systems since 1994. Our systems are designed and built by operating engineers and technicians who understand that an effective system must ensure performance while remaining economical to operate and maintain.

Press Contact:
Gary Broberg
Practical Applications, Inc.
Boston, MA 617-423-5639
gbroberg [at] pai-online.com

MA Wastewater Operator Exam Prep Course September 2010

Brian — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 19:26:18 +0000

The next round of our successful Wastewater Operator Exam Prep Course begins on WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22nd.

REGISTER HERE

You may choose from any of the course days, or attend all of them, it’s up to you.

Practical Applications will cover the following topics in order to prepare you for the exam:

Wastewater Chemistry
Wastewater Math
Pollutants and Industrial Sources
Flow Measurement
Dosage Math
Wastewater Treatment Basics
pH Adjustment
Wastewater Equipment
Wastewater Sampling and Testing
Metals Treatment
Special Waste Treatment Methods
Health and Safety

REGISTER HERE

Association of Boards of Certification

admin — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 17:26:35 +0000

Practical Applications is pleased to announce our membership with the Association of Boards of Certification (ABC).

Association of Boards of Certification
Practical Applications is pleased to announce our Associate membership with the Association of Boards of Certification (ABC).

ABC offers a voluntary certification program to water treatment, distribution, collection, wastewater treatment, and industrial waste operators, water and wastewater laboratory analysts, plant maintenance technologists, and biosolids land appliers.

ABC certification is not only a way to protect public health and the environment, but provides numerous career benefits to both employees and employers. In addition, ABC’s Testing Service provides examinations for its Testing Clients. An active technical network of volunteer subject matter experts contribute to ABC’s Testing Service. Each exam discipline has established a Validation & Examination (V&E) committee. Over 70 industry professionals currently serve on ABC’s volunteer committees.

As an Associate member, Practical Applications, Inc. has the opportunity to serve on committees, network with other members and join over 100 certification programs, trainers, educational institutions and professional associations in providing a voice for the environmental certification industry.

Learn more on the ABC website by clicking the link below:

http://www.abccert.org/

Wastewater Operator Exam Prep Course

admin — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 13:05:45 +0000

Starting TUESDAY, JULY 21 Practical Applications will be offering the next session of our rolling Wastewater Exam Prep Course. Wastewater Operators are welcome to attend any or all of the 8 course days we’re offering. If you already have your MA Wastewater Operator License you may audit any of the course days for Training Contact Hours.
The course day is 3 hours long, from 8-11am at our training center in South Boston. The course dates are:

Wednesday, July 21
Wednesday, July 28
Wednesday, August 4
Wednesday, August 11
Wednesday, August 18
Wednesday, August 25
Wednesday, September 1
Wednesday, September 8

See the graphic below for the curriculum for each day. You may attend all of the days or just the days that you feel you’ll need to in order to pass the exam. You will receive 3 TCHs for each course day you attend.

Tribe Mediterranean Foods pH Neutralization Wastewater Treatment System

admin — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 18:57:52 +0000

For Immediate Release: January 14, 2010

Boston, MA – Leading environmental firm Practical Applications, Inc. (PAI) has been awarded the contract to build the central wastewater treatment system for the plant expansion project at Tribe Foods, Inc., a subsidiary of Nestle, SA.

Tribe Foods Wastewater Treatment System - DAF Unit supplied by Krofta

Wastewater generated during food manufacturing operations is controlled using Dissolved Air Flotation. Designed to meet strict Massachusetts sewer discharge limits, wastewater in the system is continuously treated at 50,000 gallons per day with peak flows of 200 gallons per minute.

Composed of a 12,000 gallon equalization tank, pH Neutralization controls, coagulant and polymer dosing, rotary drum screening, and sludge dewatering, the system incorporates PAI’s automatic control package and integrated expert knowledge software to predict and prevent system upset. The system is housed in a custom-built 400 square foot packaged steel building.

PAI has been designing, building, and operating wastewater treatment systems since 1994. Our systems are designed and built by operating engineers and technicians who understand that an effective system must ensure performance while remaining economical to operate and maintain.

Wastewater Systems Operation & Maintenance Supervisor

admin — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 18:04:33 +0000

Practical Applications would like to introduce the newest member of our team, Sam Bertrand.
Sam is the supervisor of our Operations and Maintenance division and comes to us with over 34 years of experience in the controls industry as a technical, manufacturing and service manager. He is a highly organized, personable and hands-on individual. If you have any O&M needs or questions about your existing service from Practical Applications, please contact Sam at 617-721-5083 or email him at sbertrand@pai-online.com

Wastewater Operator Exam Training and TCH Courses

admin — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 14:31:01 +0000

Practical Applications announces the second session of our rolling Massachusetts Wastewater Operator Training Exam Prep and TCH Courses.

The next session begins on June 16th and continues for 8 weeks. You may attend any or all of the classes for this session, or combine them with the classes remaining in session one. Register today at our Wastewater Operator Training registration page.

Course details are as follows:

DAY ONE

Wastewater Chemistry
Wastewater Math

DAY TWO

Chemistry & Math
Pollutants & Industrial Wastewater Sources
Wastewater Flow Measurement

DAY THREE

Wastewater Dosage Math
Wastewater Treatment Basics
pH Adjustment

DAY FOUR

Wastewater Math
Wastewater Treatment Equipment

DAY FIVE

Wastewater Math
Wastewater Sampling & Testing
Wastewater Treatment Methods

DAY SIX

Wastewater Chemistry
Wastewater Metals Treatment

DAY SEVEN

Special Wastewater Treatment Methods

DAY EIGHT

Wastewater Operator Safety
Health Information

Is There Mercury In Your Industrial Wastewater Discharge?

admin — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:32:54 +0000

Is There Mercury In Your Industrial Wastewater Discharge?

This article was written by Practical Applications’ biologist Kimberly Baxter and originally appeared in the December 2005 issue of Plumbing Engineer magazine. A PDF of the article is available HERE.

Abstract

An assessment of sampling locations for three industrial wastewater effluent piping systems is presented. The assessments provided demonstrate that by installing sampling ports at the appropriate location along an effluent stream’s piping system, truly representative samples can be collected. These real and accurate results scientifically prove that a specific industrial wastewater discharge does not contain mercury levels that will trigger regulatory enforcement action.

MA DEP Mercury Regulations

admin — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 21:52:49 +0000

Name & Citation of Regulation(s)

Collection, Recycling, Labeling and Sales Ban of Mercury-added Products; and Disposal Prohibition of Mercury-added Products in Solid Waste–310 CMR 19.00 (amended), 74.00 (amended), 75.00 (amended), 76.00 (added).

Brief Explanation and Rationale for Changes

Signed into law in July 2006, the “Massachusetts Mercury Management Act” is designed to keep mercury out of our trash and wastewater, where it is released into the environment. MassDEP is implementing this law in two phases. The Phase 1 regulations (promulgated on December 28, 2007) banned the sale of mercury-added products in Massachusetts unless the manufacturer registers the product with an interstate clearinghouse and establishes a collection program for the end-of-life products, banned schools from buying mercury-containing products, required auto manufacturers to collect and recycle mercury switches from “end of life” vehicles, required manufacturers of mercury containing lamps to educate consumers about mercury hazards and the requirement to recycle discarded lamps and to report on lamp recycling to MassDEP.

The Phase 2 regulations (promulgated on August 21, 2009) ban the sale in Massachusetts of specific mercury-added products, establish a procedure for manufacturers to apply for an exemption from the sales ban, and establish labeling requirements for mercury-added products that are sold in Massachusetts. The regulations also prohibit disposal of any mercury-added product in solid waste.

View the final regulations here: http://www.mass.gov/dep/public/reglist.htm or contact Practical Applications with any questions.