Since the discovery of perchlorate contamination in a number of California groundwaters in
1997, it has been detected in many other locations across the country. The United States
Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) estimates that groundwater in 40 states has the
potential to be contaminated with perchlorate, and has confirmed perchlorate releases in at least
18 of them. Few technologies have consistently removed perchlorate down to low
microgram per liter concentrations. While various ion-exchange resins have been shown to
remove perchlorate, disposal of the regenerant brine is economically taxing and without
destruction of the perchlorate, can lead to possible future litigation.
Through a collaborative effort between MWH and the University of Houston, the research team
has focused on evaluating methods of biologically treating spent ion-exchange brine. This is the
culmination of the research efforts from two projects funded in part by the American Water
Works Association Research Foundation (AwwaRF) and the Baldwin Park Operable Unit
(BPOU). Recently completed, field-testing has demonstrated that the biological brine treatment
and reuse is a viable process and is a suitable alternative to the conventional disposal of
perchlorate-laden brines. Building upon the results of field-testing, additional testing is being
conducted to enhance the performance and robustness of the biological process and develop
design criteria required for potential full-scale operation of a biological brine treatment system. Includes figures.
| Edition : | Vol. - No. |
| File Size : | 1
file
, 300 KB |
| Note : | This product is unavailable in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus |
| Number of Pages : | 6 |
| Published : | 06/17/2004 |
