Ester Solutions
Bedford Park, IL
Ritesh Nair
Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago
Ester Solutions, a C.P. Hall affiliated company based in Bedford Park,
Illinois, is a specialty chemical manufacturing plant. The company produces
highly engineered plasticizers and intermediates for rubber, plastics,
and personal care products. Ester Solutions is a leader in ester additive
technologies as well as the supplier of many polymer additives.
The intern worked on several projects, but the primary focus was on improving
the efficiency of the wastewater treatment process. This would involve
optimizing chemical usage and determining the optimum parameters for running
the system efficiently with minimal maintenance.
Result:
- A study of the waste treatment plant identified various opportunities
to improve the efficiency of the process. The intern identified a number
of projects that not only have the potential to save approximately $100,000
a year, but also reduce supervision and maintenance requirements.
- The intern identified the following opportunities to reduce waste
generation and improve efficiency:
- Change from solid flocculant to liquid flocculant for easy handling
and low maintenance.
- Install a static mixture system for the preparation of flocculant
stock solution for more precise control and minimal supervision.
- Establish a preventive measure scheme, involving installation of
turbidity sensors at the wastewater inlet, tied in with the control
loop of the flow of chemicals into the floc tank. This will allow
workers to react more efficiently to any sudden increase in fats,
oils and grease (or FOG) concentrations in the wastewater and save
time and money in “re-working” the wastewater.
- Conduct pilot testing with the multimedia, carbon adsorption and
reverse osmosis systems to help reduce biological oxygen demand (or
BOD) levels and save money by reusing the treated wastewater as process
water.
|
