Public awareness of the need to protect our environment from hazardous elements is growing at any ever-increasing rate.
Much of this attention is directed towards industry and the hazardous wastes generated by various industrial processes. Pressure form the public, and particularly from pro-environmental organizations, are impelling governments to place tighter restrictions on industry regarding the disposal of their hazardous wastes. High penalties are being levied on industrial polluters. Industry has, and must continue to initiate stringent controls of such hazardous wastes and, wherever possible, eliminate them.
Mental-working industries have been pinpointed as generators of hazardous wastes, primarily in their process wastewater, which often contain toxic metals. Such hazardous materials must be removed from the water before it is discharged or reused.
In addition, water shortages plus restrictions and prohibition on land disposal of hazardous wastes, (including sludge from wastewater treatment) are forcing industry to initiate programs for waste reduction and detoxification, resource recovery and water reuse.
To help industry achieve these goals, AQUAMARK, Inc. has developed products for wastewater treatment, recovery and conversion of process residuals, and water reuse.
One such product is AQ 131 – a proprietary reagent for removing and recovery of metals from process wastewater and ground waters, as well as a stabilizer, which permanently insolubilizes metals to a non-toxic and non-leachable form. This pamphlet contains information on AQ 131 and its uses. Contact us to discuss specific applications and for samples to perform bench scale jar tests and treatability studies.
AQ 131 Precipitant -Activated Sludge Treatment Plant - POTW
DESCRIPTION
AQ 131 is a rapidly biodegradable organic reagent. It is non-toxic to microorganisms in its neat form, and produces relatively non-toxic oxidation by-products and metallic precipitates. AQ 131 is normally utilized as a precipitating reagent for chelated / complexed heavy metals. When dosed with its Ion Control System, no excess product is discharged.
CHARACTERISTICS
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Chemical Family: Polythiocarbonate |
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Microbiocide Characteristics: None – exhibits no toxic characteristics whatsoever. AQ 131 is not a carbamate. |
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Biodegration By-Products: Elemental Sulfur and Carbon Dioxide. |
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Corrosion Characteristics: Neutral – non-discernible corrosion to ferrous and/or non-ferrous metals. |
HAZARD DATA
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RCRA Hazard Class: (if discarded) Non-Hazardous |
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EPA Priority Pollutants: None |
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DOT Hazard Classification: Non-Hazardous |
AQUATIC TOXICITY
AQ 131 is a reducer and a biodegradable organic. As such, it will consume oxygen until fully degraded to carbon dioxide and elemental sulfur. With the exception of minor oxygen consumption, no toxic characteristics are noted. Metallic precipitates of AQ 131 such as copper (copper thiocarbonate/sulfide) are essentially insoluble and not available to organisms. The copper thiocarbonate/sulfide exhibits no noted toxicity whereas copper ions are well established as toxic.
PRODUCT COMPARISON
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Sodium (or Potassium) Dimethyl (or Diethyl) dithiocarbamate (DTC). Often used as a precipitant, but is also an effective microbiocide. Its precipitate, such as Copper Carbamate is an even more effective microbiocide. |
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Borohydride. Used as an effective precipitant, like AQ 131 it does not exhibit toxic characteristics, but it does add Boron to the water stream, which can be deleterious to many agricultural products. |
AQ 131 PRECIPITANT / STABILIZER APPLICATIONS
WASTEWATER TREATMENT
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TOTAL PRECIPITATION – To precipitate an insoluble, non-hazardous by-product that readily passes the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) Test. |
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POLISHING – As a chelate – beaker precipitant following pH adjustment to ensure discharge compliance. |
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PRETREATMENT – Provide effective pretreatment for spent baths allowing for in – house treatment. |
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REDUCER – For hexavalent chromium reduction or deoxidizer. An effective reducing agent, antioxidant and alkalinity builder. |
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MINE WASTEWATER – Removes heavy metals to allow discharge compliance. |
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SLUDGE REDUCTION – Allows a 10 to 20% overall reduction in sludge volume when replacing DTC or hydroxide precipitation. Reduces sludge by over 90% when replacing iron, such as ferrous sulfate, ferric chloride, iron generators, etc. |
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SCRUBBER WASTEWATER – Heavy metals removal. |
OTHER APPLICATIONS
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MINING – Precious metal recovery from non-cyanide lixivant. |
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WASTE OIL – Removes heavy metals (lead, cadmium, etc.) and reduces chlorine to legal limits. |
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AQUIFER/GROUNDWATER RESTORATION – Treatment technology for inorganics. |
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MERCURY REMOVAL FROM NATURAL GAS – To remove toxic mercury from pipelines. |
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NUCULEAR WASTE REDUCTION – Through detoxification and stabilization of metals. |
STABILIZATION/DETOXIFICATION
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SLUDGE STABILIZER – May be blended with existing sludge to prevent leaching of heavy metals. |
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FLY ASH STABILIZER – Blend with fly ash as needed to maintain non-hazardous classification. |
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SOIL STABILIZER/REMEDIAL SITE – In-situ and ex-situ uses to prevent migration of toxic heavy metals in contaminated soil. |
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SEDIMENT STABILIZATION – To detoxify and stabilize heavy metals in sediments and thereby prevents the migration of toxic heavy metals. |
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FOUNDRY SLUG DETOXIFICATION – Blended with slag to detoxify metals. |
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MUNICIPAL SLUDGE STABILIZATION – Maintains Class 1 sludge by converting toxic heavy metal to non-toxic, non-leachable metals. |
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CHROMIUM TAILINGS DETOXIFICATION – To reduce and detoxify chromium and other toxic metals by in-situ and ex-situ use to prevent migration. |
SAFETY
Unlike other precipitants products, AQ 131 exhibits no toxic characteristics whatsoever and is not a pesticide product. No worker exposure to pesticides and no prohibited pesticide residue in discharge to sewer.
AQ 131 PRECIPITANT/STABILIZER
General Information
Non-reacted AQ 131 (Na2CS3) is an organic sulfide polymer with a high oxygen demand. In the environment, AQ 131 is therefore oxidized by atmospheric oxygen to form sulfites, sulfates and carbon dioxide.
Reacted AQ 131, such as metallic thiocarbonate/sulfide, has NO oxygen demand and cannot be degraded by atmospheric oxygen. The reacted product is similar to the waste products of microorganisms and is therefore not considered a food source for biological activity. Additionally, the reacted product cannot be digested (broken down) under normal environmental conditions due to its double bonded carbon=sulfer.
Under laboratory conditions, a combination of strong oxidizers AND strong acids are required to digest the reacted AQ 131. The end products are elemental sulfur, metallic salt and carbon dioxide.
Under normal environmental conditions, sulfate-converting microorganisms create sulfide as a waste product, which then form metallic sulfides if metal ions are available. This is the general form of many mineral deposits, which are difficult to leach and have remained stable for millions of years. Reacted AQ 131 has these same characteristics in that the stability of the metallic polythiocarbonate/sulfide. Is maintained by the single double-bonded sulfur to carbon link and the two single sulfur-sulfur to metal bond links as shown above.
Several lab and numerous empirical and practical studies have indicated that unreacted and reacted AQ 131 pose no concern to biological activity and/or typical fish species. It can be reasonably concluded that the reacted product does NOT allow the metal to be available to the organism and is essentially inert. The unreacted product shows no toxicity concern.
AQ 131 has the ability to convert soluble metallic forms such as hydroxides to the thiocarbonate/sulfide form. Any precipitate, which has a greater solubility, will be thus converted. In general terms, the greater the solubility, the greater the metal toxicity. AQ 131 does actually DETOXIFY the existing metallic species.
AQ 131 offers the advantage of extremely low solubility which allows for near total metals elimination from waste streams EVEN in the presence of natural chelating compounds and manufactured chelating compounds.
