Any manufacturer that discharges wastewater into municipal sewers systems is facing stricter FOG regulations now and in the future. Facilities whose discharge include drawing, stamping and machining oils — as well as buffing and polishing compounds, corrosion prevention compounds and dye penetrate testing solutions — need to have preventive measures in place to break down the FOGs and treat their discharge in a way that is environmentally safe and protects their discharge lines from clogging.
Traditionally, breaking oil emulsions out via pH adjustment has been the most utilized way to remove oil from wastewater. This is still a viable treatment method for heavily laden wastewater, and we will discuss the pros and cons of utilizing this method. We will then discuss new methods of emulsion breaking, how to utilize them in industrial wastewater applications, and if they are right for the needs of the facility. New methods to be covered will include physical/chemical means of emulsion breaking, new equipment on the market and bacteria who consume oil.

Why are FOGs a Problem in Wastewater?
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says that fats, oils and grease (FOG) includes “materials of vegetable, animal and mineral origin. Mineral oils include petroleum, hydrocarbon, and/or non-polar fats, oils and grease.” (EPA local Limits Development Guidance, 5-23) EPA’s Report to Congress on combined sewer overflows (CSOs) and sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) identified that “grease from restaurants, homes, and industrial sources are the most common cause (47%) of reported blockages. Grease is problematic because it solidifies, reduces conveyance capacity, and blocks flow.” (See Impacts and Controls of CSOs and SSOs, EPA-833-R-04 001, August 2004)
From an industrial user standpoint, FOG coats probes, blinds filter presses and can clog discharge pipes. FOG can also create downstream issues by contributing to the clogs formed when larger particles such as personal care wipes snag in sewage pipes. FOG will coat these pieces and allow grit to attach to them, forming larger clogs that are referred to as a “fatburg” that can weigh in over 150 tons in some cases. They require intensive work to remove; when they have totally clogged a sewage main, overflows can occur that disrupt everything in a city from traffic flow to drinking water supplies.

Manufacturing Contributions to FOG
Manufacturing processes that contribute to FOG include drawing oils, stamping oils, machining oils, buffing compounds, polishing compounds, corrosion prevention compounds, dye penetrate testing solutions and transportation equipment such as forklifts. Each manufacturing process that utilizes one of the above poses a unique challenge in wastewater streams. The EPA has set the standards for industrial users to discharge FOG under 40 CFR 403.5(b)(6). It prohibits the discharge of “petroleum oil, non-biodegradable cutting oil, or products of mineral oil origin in amounts that will cause interference or pass through.”. The limits set by publicly owned treatment works (POTW) are based on their need to protect the treatment plant, and the receiving stream of water from these harmful pollutants. With that in mind, the pretreat limit set by most POTWs is 100 mg/L for FOG. This can and does differ depending on the POTW. The limit is based on an article written in 1975 titled Treatability of Oil and Grease Discharged to Publicly Owned Treatment Works. It has been determined that best management practices along with current treatment methods can achieve the 100 mg/L limit easily.
There are several current methods of oil recovery/removal for industrial wastewater systems to combat these FOG issues. Manufacturing facilities can bring in consultants to help them understand how their current wastewater treatment system is functioning, and make recommendations on how to address their situation. The current methods include:

• pH Adjustment with Oil Skimming: the most common form of oil recovery/removal is pH adjustment with oil skimming. By lowering the pH with sulfuric acid, emulsified oils become destabilized while slightly acidic oils become protonated. This allows for easier separation of the oils from wastewater in a process known as “acid cracking.” Once the oils are free from the wastewater, they will float on top of the water, and an oil skimmer can then be used to remove this oil layer from the tank for recycling or disposal as needed. Oil skimmers removal rates can be determined by manufacturers; most use SAE 30 weight motor oil at 65°F to rate their skimmers. Designs are based on the oil removal needs of the system over a 24-hour day. The downside to this process is that strong acids are used to lower pH for the cracking of the oils. Proper personal protection equipment (PPE) and training are needed for operators to ensure their safety. With a lower pH, the wastewater will require the addition of hydroxides to raise the pH back to acceptable discharge ranges. If the skimmer is not sized properly, oil will remain in the wastewater. If the tank does not have adequate still space for the skimmer to work, it may not capture all of the oil. Water can be captured with the oil which may require additional treatment before the oil can be sent for recycling.

• Coalescing Oil Water Separators: the design of coalescing oil water separators is based off of Stokes’ Law, a mathematical equation that expresses the settling velocities of small particles in a fluid medium. Oily water is pushed through the media pack, where oil droplets are forced together to make bigger droplets. Once they are big enough, the droplets separate from the water and drain out of the units. Some common issues with oil water separators include odors, cracks and loose fittings. Emulsified oils of less than 0.5 microns will exhibit Brownian Movement and may never separate using coalescing technology.

• Chemical Treatment: chemicals have been created over the years that can break emulsified water/oil blends. These demulsifiers neutralize the stabilizing effect of the emulsifying agents. They work best at a pH range between 7-9. Motion is required, but it must be controlled; rapid movement in the water/oil solution will re-emulsify the two components. Over-doing of the products will also cause the wastewater to re-emulsify. To understand which demulsifier product will work best with the wastewater being treated, first an understanding of the emulsion is needed. Sufficient amounts of the demulsifier must be added to achieve neutralization of the emulsifier. Tanks must have adequate detention times to allow for the products to work. In some cases, heat, electric grids and coalescers may be needed to support the demulsifiers.

• Biological treatment: bacteria has been used for over a decade to remove oil from oil spills. Studies have shown that bacteria that produce lipase enzymes can be very successful in degrading high levels of oil in wastewater. These bacteria use oxygen for respiration and the hydrocarbons in oil as a food source. This process can take large amounts of time to occur, often over 44 hours. If enough time is given to the bacteria, around 90% of the oil can be removed. Equipment need for the bacteria to live on can be varied. Rotating biological contactos (RBC) units, trickling filters, moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) units and aeration basins are all types of systems that can work for the process. Each system requires oxygen to be readily available to the bacteria to keep them alive, which is known as aerobic digestion. While anaerobic bacteria can work for oil degradation, it is an even longer process that is not as efficient as aerobic bacteria.

The issue with FOGs is one that can be treated successfully with the help of trained professionals.

5-Step Plan for Reducing FOG Issues in Manufacturing Operations

To stay within a discharge limits, manufacturers have to know what’s in their wastewater and how it got there. ������������ technicians determine this because they sell chemistry into upstream processes for over 170 years, so they understand how to optimize the downstream effluent. Here is a typical review and implementation process:

• Step 1: On-Site Process review — ������������’s tech staff starts upstream to understand a manufacturing processes, chemical usage and sludge generation.
• Step 2: Equipment check — is the equipment matched to the wastewater needs? Not always. It’s a common issue that causes endless challenges, and one that ������������ can determine if a facility has the proper equipment in place.
• Step 3: Jar testing — ������������ will sample, benchmark, sample again and conduct thorough treatability studies to identify the optional chemistry dosage.
• Step 4: Best Process Recommendation — ������������’s technical staff will provide a customized report, including process recommendations, anticipated costs, and chemical and sludge reduction efficiencies.
• Step 5: Implementation and Best -in-Class Support — ������������ will be at the manufacturer’s side during implementation and provide staff training, comprehensive documentation and performance tracking.

������������ has worked extensively with remanufactures, metal finishers and metal fabricating companies who are having a difficult time dealing with FOGs. Luckily, many of ������������’s products are being used to reduce these contaminants:

• Aquapure OB Plus: highly concentrated cationic coagulant used for clarification as well as dewatering of wastewater. Aquapure OB Plus can also be used as a demulsifer for oily waste water as well as liquid/solid separation during secondary treatment with DAF equipment.
• Aquapure Quick Drop: one step treatment. Powdered blend of clays, polymers and conditioning agents used for massing solids together for easy removal.
• Aquapure Oil Split: a liquid catitonic polymer used as an oil-in-water emulsion breaker in waste streams containing cutting oils, lubricating oils, coolants, grinding fluids, and tramp oils from industrial machining plants
• Aquapure AP 99: versatile concentrated coagulant formulated for enhanced liquid/solid separation on chelated & non-chelated wastewater.

Will a manufacturer need to change their waste treatment? Possibly not, but ������������ can help manufacturers identify process changes that can be made upstream, so they minimize the downstream issues. And it often means helping a manufacturer you use less chemistry.

Written by Robin Deal, Wastewater Specialist, ������������

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������������ has developed an emulsifying cleaner that is optimized for filtration. In conjunction with its membrane filter, the solution enables users to regenerate cleaning solution.

Parts cleaning systems work by transferring soil into the cleaning solution. Those solutions have a finite capacity so they must be replaced periodically. That process can be costly and disruptive but, until now, the alternative of regenerating the cleaning solution through filtration was difficult to achieve on a reliable, cost-effective basis.

An emulsifying cleaner developed by ������������ (Waterbury, Conn.) addresses this problem with a formulation paired with proprietary membrane filtration technology. This match of cleaner characteristics to filter design offers parts cleaners a way to reduce downtime, improve efficiency and lower costs.

Aqueous cleaning fundamentals

Finishing processes, such as plating, galvanizing, painting and coating, demand clean surfaces, as do customers and end users. To achieve this, industrial parts cleaning systems are incorporated into manufacturing processes. These systems are engineered to remove soil present on incoming materials or added at previous manufacturing operations. That soil includes drawing compounds, buffing compounds, machining oils, corrosion-preventatives and even fingerprints.

Two types of cleaning are used in manufacturing: immersion (rack or barrel) and impingement (spray). Both combine a cleaning solution with agitation, and usually heat, to remove soil from the part surface.
Cleaning solutions use a combination of solubilization, wetting, emulsification and saponification to draw soil away from where it’s attached.

In solubilization, a cleaning agent dissolves the soil. An example is using an acid to dissolve rust on steel

Wetting uses differences in surface tension to pull soil into solution from the surface.
Used when soil won’t dissolve, emulsification is where a surfactant or emulsifying agent with hydrophobic and hydrophilic elements pulls soil from the surface. Surfactants are characterized by their hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB), which defines their relative attraction to oil and water. A high HLB value signifies a greater tendency towards solubilization while a low value indicates more emulsification.

Saponification is a chemical process where fatty acids, such as lard oil on stamped steel, are reacted with an alkali to form soap. Being water-soluble, this makes the soil easier to remove.
With both emulsification and saponification, the soil stays in the bath. Over days or weeks, the solution becomes saturated and less effective, increasing the risk of re-soiling parts as they move through. When this happens, the only option is to dump the bath.

Non-emulsifying cleaners avoid this problem by using oil splitters — coalescers or skimmers — to remove the oil. However, these cleaners don’t remove all soil types. Furthermore, some soils show a tendency to emulsify without help from the solution.

Filtering soil from emulsifying cleaners

A good filter must be able to withstand high temperatures, pH values ranging from highly acidic to strongly alkali and thermal shock. It should be durable so as to minimize replacement frequency, and must have pores sized to remove oil but not surfactant.
Three types of filter are used with emulsifying cleaners. These are:
• Ultrafiltration membrane-style filters
• Polymeric filters
• Ceramic filters
Each type has its own advantages and drawbacks. Ultrafiltration, as used in reverse osmosis, works via molecular weight rejection. This has the downside of stripping out surfactants from the cleaner, which renders it ineffective.
Polymeric filters have limited capabilities in the necessary pH and temperature ranges. They are also easily damaged, can’t be back-pulsed and need frequent replacement. Ceramic filters handle a wider range of pH and temperature and can be back-pulsed but are fragile and susceptible to thermal stress cracking.

Innovative filtration technology

������������’s addition to filtration technology is a combination stainless steel and metal oxide membrane (MOM) filter. Coating 316 stainless with MOM results in a filter with controlled pore size. It withstands temperatures over 200° F and pH values from 0 to 14. It’s durable, can be back-pulsed and is cleaned rather than replaced.

As dirty cleaner is pumped over the membrane, two things happen. First, the cleaning solution is cleaned by passing through the pores while the larger, emulsified oil molecules are rejected. Second, the membrane breaks the emulsion between cleaner and oil, allowing more of the cleaner to be recovered.

Improved filtration is only part of the answer to improved bath remediation. The other component is a cleaner formulated to work with the stainless MOM filter.

Breaking the emulsion requires precise control over HLB value, cloud point (the water solubility of the surfactant at temperature), electrical charge and micelle formation. Aquaease-Infinity from Hubbard Hall has all these properties.

Aquaease is designed to allow cleaned to flow continuously from the parts-washing tank to a separate process tank without the need to stop the cleaning line. From here, it is pumped into the membrane filter. Reject (the soil) is returned to the process tank while regenerated cleaner goes back into the wash tank.

Benefits of this system include extending cleaning solution life by three to four times. By reducing the frequency of bath remediation, it also reduces downtime, halves consumption of cleaning solution and saves on energy and water. Re-soil rejects and problems at downstream operations (or the customer) are eliminated and there’s less waste to dispose of or treat.

A typical large cleaning line might consume $100,000 worth of cleaner per year. Dragout typically accounts for 35% of the loss. Of the other 65%, with Aquaease allows 95% to be recovered. This could cut annual expenditure on cleaner by up to $62,000. Reduced downtime and lower hazardous waste disposal costs may also contribute to savings.

Less downtime, more run time

Emulsification and saponification cleaning processes are essential in many industries and businesses, but they create cost and complexity for management. Switching to an aqueous cleaner that’s optimized to work with new filtration technology extends the time between cleaner replacement. That results in higher operational efficiency and lower costs.

August 11, 2020

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Of course, regulation occurs at all levels of government, and often, municipal regulations are among the most fluid. As a manufacturer, dedicating resources – not just to today’s regulatory schemes, but to understanding which way the future regulatory winds are blowing – is not just critical – it’s mandatory.

Here at ������������, we work closely with manufacturing operations of all sizes to reduce harmful constituents in wastewater. We feel that it’s always best to have an active plan in place to reduce – and potentially eliminate – chemicals in wastewater. But sometimes, even the best of planning can’t foresee enterprise-threatening changes.

We recently were called in to assist a metal processing company that was dealing with a unique situation. In their locality, new wastewater permits are issued every five years – and sure enough, at renewal time, the local government tightened their chemical oxygen demand (COD) standard. Though the government had sent a “notice of intent to change” to the company well in advance, this notice was overlooked. As a further challenge, when the new permit arrived, the individual assigned to ensure compliance at this company had resigned – and her replacement was unaware of the change.

A citation was issued, and the company was given 90 days to comply – or shut down operations. The company called in the Aquapure team, and we were able to quickly reduce the COD numbers to a level well within limits – thus keeping the company’s operations online.

Of course, COD emissions are just the tip of the iceberg. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce reports that among the constituents facing the most scrutiny – and in turn, increased regulations, by environmental watchdog agencies, include greenhouse gases, carbon-based oxides, pollutants from industrial boilers, chemicals in manmade waterways, and byproducts of coal production.

To ensure your company is positioned for the next permitting cycle, be sure to take all communications from regulatory agencies seriously; maintain a strong dialogue with inspectors and regulators; and have a solid wastewater treatment plan in place. If we at Aquapure can be of any assistance, please contact us today.

February 27, 2019

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But what are biologics? Instead of conventionally removing pollutants, a biological system uses bacteria substances upon their contact with the waste stream. By harnessing this power for nature, metal finishing manufacturers can remove key compounds such as: BOD/COD, macronutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus compounds, and micronutrients like trace metals and minerals.

And there’s several variations that manufacturers can use and tailor to their needs—these masses of bacteria either in a fixed film or a conventional activated sludge system. While this method only acts as a final polish, working at the part per billion level, it’s a great way to keep pace with increasingly stringent regulations on pre-treat systems.

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In surface treatment, it’s very common to use filtration on the paint line when you are doing an e-coat.  You use membranes to filter the paint pigment. ������������ has AquaEase Infinity  – a membrane filtration system to remove oil from the cleaner.

When you’re talking about membranes, there are four different processes:

1. Reverse osmosis (RO). This is the most used in the plating industry and wastewater operation.  It’s very common to separate ions, aqueous salt, and fruit juice concentration. With this process, normal pores sizes: are 0.001icrons.
2. Nanofiltration (NF). This process can be used for softening and demineralization of water, taking dyes from some processes, or filtering sugar from processed food.  This is a really low number of pore sizes – 0.001-0.01 micros.
3. Microfiltration(MF). This is the process that is normally used to remove solids suspended in water, wastewater, clarification process, and also used to filter paint and resins. Also to remove bacteria The measurement for pores is usually 0.1-1 micron.
4. Ultrafiltration(UF). This is the size of the membrane pores used on the Aquaease Infinity. 0.01 to 1.0 microns. With ultrafiltration, you can select what you would like to remove, for example, some proteins from food, and emulsified oils captured from industrial cleaners without stripping off the surfactants or builders from the process.

Ultrafiltration is exactly where ������������ can help you. With AquaEase Infinity– a membrane filtration system that traps all of the emulsified oils allowing the good cleaner to pass through.

To listen to our Separation Anxiety: A Deep Dive on AquaEase Infinity, please click here.

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A wastewater operator should receive training for more than just wastewater treatment. This person should receive first responder and spill response training. They should know how to handle if the plating line hexavalent chrome spills and hits wastewater. They know what to do and how to correct that problem, so you don’t have a pass-through event. They receive maintenance training, so they know how to rebuild pumps, and they receive plumbing training so they know how to pipe properly and how pipes should flow and how to repair leaky pipes. Lastly, IT training is important so they know how to handle the PLC or SCADA unit that your system may be operating under.

If 90% of the time they look like they’re not really doing anything, you can trust and believe they are. They’re going through a checklist in their head. They’re listening to the pumps to make sure that they’re pumping properly, because you can tell a difference in the sound pumps make when a pump doesn’t work correctly. They’re smelling the air to make sure that the air smells the way it normally does, because if there’s a spill on a line the air quality in wastewater changes.

A best practice is to give an operator a checklist to run through every hour – make sure the floc is forming, check the pH, make sure the chemicals are feeding right and that there are chemicals to last. This ensures the system has eyes on it a regular interval and helps prevent pass through events.

This person can also help your organization understand why wastewater works with your manufacturing processes.  For example, we had one customer who was able to calculate that for every gallon of wastewater that left the plant, 10 finished parts were produced.  For those 10 finished parts they were able to calculate cost of manufacturing them, what waste treatment cost was and what the profit was.

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So, what do you do?  Do you make the investment, or can you work with what you have and even find cost savings and reduce chemical consumption?

In this case, our experts were able to help the manufacturer identify the proper PLC (Programmable Logic Control) unit that will control pH probes, pumps, water transfer pumps and chemical feed pumps.  This change is going to take a less hands-on human compatibility to run it because with the flip of a switch the computer’s going to run it.

Through a combination of virtual visits and being tank side, we took this manufacture from a very basic wastewater system with barely any control at all to a flow through system that’s now robust enough to double wastewater flow capacity and still meet the metal removal goals.

The next step is to add that programmable logic, so someone doesn’t have to be standing there turning pumps on and off. Or if they forget to turn off the chemical dose pump and they come in the next morning, they’re out of chemistry, now they can’t run. A computer will do that for them.

Want to hear directly from the customer?  Listen to our .

To get an unbiased assessment as to whether or not you need a new wastewater system or you can just adjust your current system, click here.

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Within ASTM, several methods and rating schemes exist to objectively evaluate various aspects of paint performance, ranging from adhesion properties to resistance against corrosion. These methods frequently involve the use of humidity and salt spray chambers, calibrated to respective standards, in order to expedite the simulation of environmental conditions within a relatively short timeframe. Humidity testing (ASTM D2247) is a milder version of accelerated testing, where a continuous, stable water fog is applied to replicate humidity resistance. Alternatively, more aggressive assessments utilize salt-based solutions, either neutral or acidic, to replicate corrosive environments. Among these, neutral salt spray (ASTM B117) stands as the predominant approach for evaluating paint performance.

Across multiple standards, test specimens can be prepared using panels containing substrates, pretreatments, & paint applications representative of the actual part being evaluated. Once prepared, these panels can be evaluated via several methods, often integrating multiple standards to comprehensively measure specific performance aspects. Routine types of testing include:

• First Rust Evaluation: A straightforward approach involving the assessment of a painted part or panel within an accelerated environment until initial indications of rust manifest. This method can also be utilized to evaluate the tenacity of the paint itself.
• Creep from Scribe: This method consists of a set of panels scored with centerline scribe that are concurrently subjected to an accelerated chamber at periodic intervals. After exposure, panels are evaluated by scouring perpendicular to the scribe, with the average width of paint removed being quantified.
• Cross-Hatch Testing: This technique involves a series of parallel scribes intersecting another perpendicular set of scribes. These scribes can be assessed within an accelerated environment, or immediately tested by applying and removing tape over the intersectional area to evaluate potential paint removal.

Regardless of the chosen methods or standards, it is important to acknowledge that these tests function as relative indicators of performance and durability. Metrics and ratings often depend on customer specifications. Given the multitude of factors influencing performance – from surface geometry and pretreatment morphology to quality of paint applied – parameters can be tailored to the part and its intended application.

Contributed by Connor Callais

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• Is the rust preventative being applied to the part during an in-process step or is this the final step in the production process?
• Will the part be stored indoors or outdoors?
• How much corrosion protection is required?
• Are there specific customer or military specifications that need to be met?
• What type of finish is desired on a part after treatment (oily, dry-to-touch)?
• How is the rust preventative being applied (immersion, spray, brush, etc.)?

Customers that need short-term temporary in-process rust protection between manufacturing steps, a Metal Guard 800 series water based rust preventative is typically preferred.   For example, parts that need rust protection prior to painting, plating, or powder-coating would benefit from this type of rust preventative.  Water based rust preventatives do not contain oil, therefore the parts are easily cleaned and do not contaminate the pretreatment processes on the paint or plating lines.  However, water based rust preventatives only provide a few days of rust protection.

For the cost-conscious customer wanting more rust protection than what is provided by a water-based product, a water-soluble or water emulsifiable oil such as Metal Guard 320 would be recommended.  These products are very versatile and are used heated, typically around 140^o F. They are diluted 5%-25% by volume in water, depending on the amount of rust protection desired, and the level of oiliness the customer prefers on the part surface.   These products typically provide 48-96 hours (about 4 days) of ASTM B-117 salt spray protection over a black oxide finish.

The best protection is provided by a water displacing rust preventative such as our Metal Guard 400 and 500 series of products.  These products are considered long term indoor rust preventatives and differ based on the type of final oil film left on the surface.  If the customer desires a drier final finish, they will use Metal Guard 450, however they would be accepting a reduction in corrosion protection in order to get that drier finish.  Conversely, if the customer desires up to 200 hours (about 1 week) rust protection, they will use Metal Guard 560, but the final finish will be oilier.

Customers that need outdoor rust protection will use Metal Guard 900, which is a viscous thixotropic liquid that forms a soft easily removed barrier to protect bare steel from corrosion in outdoor environments. A customer using Metal Guard 900 would apply this material via spray, immersion, or brush, and they can expect up to two months of outdoor rust protection.

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