With so much attention paid to the fate of frack water — how it’s handled and cleaned — it’s time to consider the effectiveness of prevailing treatment methods.
For the second straight year, the Water Environment Federation Exhibition and Conference (WEFTEC) came to McCormick Place in Chicago, returning also to the city which launched WEFTEC 90 years ago. As always, it was a showcase of the latest technologies and ideas available in the water/wastewater industry, but each show also has its own "feel" that reflects the times.
Electricity is a major cost for industry operations, and the cost of meeting environmental regulations is right up there as well. At the same time, industries are compelled to improve sustainability and lower their carbon footprints.
There’s no question that they have found their way into our water supply and there’s evidence to suggest they are neutering fish, making birds fat, and exposing drinkers to gender-morphing side effects.
Resources being a scarce commodity, it’s incumbent upon us to optimize the use of water and energy as best we can. While conservation is the prime course of action for the public, the best solution for utilities may be to work smarter — by having the water-energy nexus work for us instead of against us.
After 40 years, the 1976 Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) has finally been updated, much to the delight of most — but certainly not all.
Stricter environmental policies and regulations worldwide are changing how industry approaches all aspects of business. Likewise, EU (European Union) environmental policies governing air, soil, and water quality have become progressively stringent.
These policy changes affect the power industry’s balance of meeting growing European energy demands with compliance to environmental standards. In order to conform with EU standards specific for flue gas, a coalfired generation plant (at the time owned by Endesa, Italia, S.p.A.) in Monfalcone, Italy, undertook the measure of installing a state-of-the-art FGD (flue gas desulfurization) system at their facility. This system would remove SO2 (sulfur dioxide) from the emissions for the 336 MW coal-fired power station.
Water’s high heat capacity, high thermal conductivity, and historically low cost make it popular for process heat exchange. Power plants, especially those for liquid cooling applications, withdraw a large fraction of the total demand for water necessary for agriculture, industry, recreation, hygiene, drinking, and wildlife. By Kevin J. Farrell and Vijay Sathyamurthi, Heat Transfer Research, Inc., College Station, Texas USA
Is this innovative desalination technique ready to topple incumbent technologies? An industry expert explains the benefits and potential of forward osmosis.
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