This powerpoint presentation begins by providing a brief overview of water treatment chemical cost trends. An example is presented of the Palm Beach County Water Utilities Department's response
to rising chemical costs that included
water treatment process optimization,
evaluating treatment alternatives, and
competitive bidding.
A plant optimization study for water treatment plant (WTP) No. 3 included:
evaluating alternative chemical pretreatment options;
focusing on reducing sulfuric acid feed; and, testing three different anti-scalants. WTP No. 3 existing conditions are given, along with chemical pretreatment optimization
pilot testing, pretreatment chemical choices, pilot operating conditions, and text matrix. Pilot results are provided for: raw water quality; feed channel pressure drop; membrane productivity; projected cleaning frequencies; solute mass balances for refined scaling assessment; membrane forensics; reduced acid pretreatment; and, cost benefits. Presentation summary includes the following: pretreatment optimization enhanced performance, operational
safety, and lowered water production cost;
optimized conditions tend to be site-specific;
anti-scalant advancements may enable full acid elimination;
must proceed carefully to avoid adverse impacts; testing plays an important role;
evaluations must go beyond the membrane process
- post-treatment and concentrate disposal processes may require
adjustment / modification; and,
chemicals factor more heavily now in water treatment lifecycle
cost. Includes tables, figures.