MUNICIPAL
For water or wastewater treatment, CHEMCO bulk chemical storage and feed systems inject precise quantities of chemicals for your application to improve the quality of effluent water. These systems can control pH levels, odor, improve flocculation, control bacterial growth, and reduce or stabilize sludge.
WATER SOFTENING
In water softening, the purpose of lime is to remove the temporary hardness (due to bicarbonates) in the water. When both temporary and permanent hardness (due to sulfates) are a factor, the treatment should include both lime and soda ash. Chemco is able to provide these systems separately or in tandem depending on the site's specific needs.
pH Control
When pH levels are low, water treatment plants can employ lime and/or soda ash to raise the pH of their effluent water to acceptable levels.
Soda ash (sodium carbonate) and sodium hydroxide are capable of raising the pH of water to near neutral when injected into a water system and unlike neutralizing filters, they do not create hardness problems in the treated water.
Similarly to soda ash, lime reacts readily with all types of acids and is the most widely used chemical for acid neutralization. It serves to maintain the proper pH for most satisfactory coagulation conditions. In some water treatment plants, lime can also be used on alum sludge to facilitate sludge thickening on pressure filters.
POTASSIUM PERMANGANATE
Potassium permanganate can be utilized as a point-of-entry treatment method that oxidizes dissolved iron, manganese, or hydrogen sulfide into solid particles that are filtered out of the water.
Potassium permanganate may also be used to control iron bacteria growth in wells by helping to loosen and disintegrate sediment and organic material produced by bacteria. Keep in mind that increasing the level of agitation within the well does improve the effectiveness of this treatment method.
POWDERED ACTIVATED CARBON (PAC)
PAC is able to adsorb natural organic compounds, taste and odor compounds, along with synthetic/organic chemicals in drinking water treatment. PAC is also an effective adsorbent because it is a highly porous material and provides a large surface area to which contaminants may adsorb.
INDUSTRIAL
Whether it is slaked pebble lime or hydrated lime, there are numerous applications in treating industrial wastewater, especially where neutralization of acidic wastes is required. In steel plants, sulfuric acid-based wastes are neutralized with lime while iron salts are precipitated. Lime can also be used as a neutralizer and precipitant of chrome, copper, and heavy metals in wastewater discharges from plating plants.In cotton textile finishing plants (dye works), lime neutralizes and precipitates dissolved solids from wastewater.
Apart from the municipal water treatment, Chemco also has extensive experience in supplying complete systems for industrial applications. These systems are utilized to remove pollutants generated by power plants, incinerators, and industrial furnaces through various applications of chemicals such as lime, soda ash, recycle fly ash, and potassium permanganate.
PEBBLE LIME/HYDRATED LIME
SODA ASH
Just as it does in municipal application, Soda Ash plays a critical role as an industrial chemical as it is widely used for pH control in wastewater treatment. The leading use of soda ash is in the treatment of the alkalinity of lakes that have been affected by acidic rain. In this application, it provides a reserve buffering ability that prevents pH overrun that can result from the application of alkaline chemicals such as lime, caustic soda, and ammonia. Soda ash is also important in reducing the acidity of emissions by removing sulfur dioxides and hydrochloric acids that are generated by power plants.
POTASSIUM PERMANGANATE
KMnO4 is used broadly in a variety of water treatment processes. It is commonly used as a point-of-entry treatment method to oxidize dissolved irons, manganese, and hydrogen sulfides into solid particles that are filtered out of the water.
Outside of industrial work, potassium permanganate can be utilized as a regeneration chemical to mitigate organic matter, which can cause unpleasant odors (rotten egg smell) or to control iron bacteria growth in drinking water wells.
Potassium permanganate does require careful calibration, maintenance, and monitoring as it is a caustic material and concentrated solutions can burn those handling it.
RECYCLED FLY ASH
Fly ash, which is generated during combustion in power plants, can be used as a cheap, filter media like adsorbent. Fly ash particles consist mostly of silicon dioxide (SiO2), which is present in two forms, aluminum oxide (Al2O3) and iron oxide (Fe2O3). Containing these chemical components, fly ash can act an adsorbent to filter out chemical oxygen demand (COD), biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), organic, color, and heavy metals.
Flys ash is typically used in a slurry form, in conjunction with lime slurry, in dry or semi-dry FGD for SO2 and HCl removal. Recycled fly ash is particularly effective in these treatment methods due to its large contact surface area and high porosity. These characteristics of fly ash help to reduce the lime consumption for dry FGD, thus reducing operating cost for a plant.
ACID MINE DRAINAGE TREATMENT
Many productive mines around the world are located in areas with stressed or diminishing water supplies due to population expansion and severe weather patterns. The added strain of mining activity in these areas has further contributed to the decline of what little fresh water is available. In order to prevent further environmental contamination, mining companies can implement wastewater treatment solutions that allow for the recycling of the wastewater produced during the mining process.
To accomplish this mining sites can employ lime softening to decrease scaling or to purify the water for their boilers to increase operational efficiency. Other mining sites implement biological wastewater treatment that use lime to stabilize bio-solids, adjust pH, and control alkalinity.
Chemco's factory fabricated storage and treatment systems offer a unique infrastructure opportunity to mining areas because we are able to provide a de-centralized treatment system that does not depend on an expensive water-delivery system to transport the influent water to the treatment process. These systems can be shipped to remote locations, require minimal installations/start-up costs, and are simple to operate.
pH CONTROL
Acid mine drainage (AMD) is a major source of water contamination in coal and metal-mining districts worldwide. With the decline of the coal power industry, there is becoming an increasing number of abandoned mines that are polluting ground and surface waters due to the concentrations of dissolved particulate Fe and dissolved SO4-2, which is produced by the oxidation of pyrite. This oxidation creates toxic environments for the surrounding wildlife and vegetation by lowering the pH of the water.
Chemco is capable of providing lime systems to treat these AMD contaminated areas. Clarification of the discharged water is achieved by using lime to precipitate iron contained in the polluted environments. With the equipment pre-assembled in our factory, our silos are well-suited for installation in AMD locations to help reclaim and restore the environments to a level for wildlife and vegetation to get along uninterrupted.
Chemco is currently working with several state DEP agencies to combat this growing concern as abandoned mines become more common with the reduced dependency on fossil fuels and precious metals. We are proud to be working with these departments to help restore balance to several Appalachian Eco-systems.
PROCESSING
FOOD INDUSTRY
Water is habitually used in food production and processing as an ingredient, for cleaning, and for manufacturing purposes. The re-use of this water is becoming an exceptionally critical component of plant operation to help reduce costs as well as minimize environmental impacts in the local communities as companies look for ways to maintain prices in today's competitive markets. Chemco's systems can provide several options for the treatment of process water that will help plants minimize costs and reduce private sector water dependency.
One such option is the clarification of wastewater in vegetable and fruit canning operations with lime alone or with supporting coagulants as an alternate to placing the liquid waste in a holding lagoon. In citrus canning operations, lime can help clarify wastewater and aid in the processing of citrus pulp by-products.
PULP PAPER
While not a large part of our portfolio of projects, there are several applications where the installation of our equipment have helped to reduce operational costs and increase plant efficiencies by treating wastewater of pulp and paper mills.
In this instance, Lime can be used in the treatment of pulp and paper mill liquid wastes as a coagulant in color removal, a filtration conditioner, and, to a lesser extent, as a neutralizing agent. It is also especially useful in the recovery of valuable by-products from pulp and paper mill wastes.