Large Chemical Company Turns to Emerson Process Management for a Fast Reaction

This large chemical company was discharging over 200 parts per million (ppm) of ammonia into the Tennessee River when the Alabama Department of Environmental Management imposed a limit of less than 40 ppm. The existing ammonia treatment capabilities of the plant were minimal involving some limited product recovery operations. The market demand for the fiber made at this plant was high, so it was anticipated that the treatment plant as configured would run at full capacity for the foreseeable future.

Emerson Process Management's environmental engineers first needed to characterize the inflow and outflow streams of the wastewater treatment facility to determine the various sources of ammonia, as well as product recovery, pretreatment, and treatment options. Armed with this analysis the engineers developed three potential approaches. The first approach was to segregate the main sources of the ammonia for pretreatment, and was distinguished in its approach by providing an opportunity to recover the ammonia as an aqueous solution for other uses. The second approach was to separate the main sources of ammonia and the amine based monomer for selective destructive pretreatment, and was distinguished in its approach by minimizing the extent and cost of modifying the existing wastewater treatment plant. The final approach was to modify the wastewater treatment plant to biologically destroy ammonia by first oxidizing the ammonia to nitrates and then reducing the ammonia to nitrogen gas which is then passed harmlessly to the atmosphere.

A return on investment (ROI) analysis and a net present value (NPV) analysis were performed by Emerson Process Management engineers for each of the three potential solutions. The client was then able to choose the most economically feasible project, which was to modfy the treatment plant.

Emerson Process Management's environmental engineers then created a pilot plant operation to prove the concept, operating the pilot facility using actual plant inflow. All conventional wastewater treatment plant operational tests were run on a regular basis and the data were recorded and analyzed by Emerson Process Management's engineers. The concept was then proved and the client released funding for a full scale operation.

Once again they turned to Emerson Process Management's environmental engineers to do the work.

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