Where the money is going

The focus of hazardous waste and wastewater control in chemical/petrochemical plants is soluble organics; heavy metal ions; pH; oils, greases and other floating materials; nutrients; suspended and colloidal solids; color, turbidity and odor; and priority pollutants. The authors research shows that many environmental control problems come from poor plant operation. Leakage from faulty valves, spills and improperly trapped suspended material are common. Curtailing pollutants should focus on technologies to manage wastewater sources such as process-vessel washdown, housekeeping, utility blowdown, lab wastes, waste streams from cooling towers, and stream-generating facilities.