Sustainable Land Development Today - January 2008 - (Page 55) “One-inch tubular FEG™ Plus membranes from Koch Membrane Systems Inc., (KMS) of Wilmington, Massachusetts, were retrofitted into CWT’s existing filtration system.” lar FEG™ Plus membranes from Koch Membrane Systems Inc., (KMS) of Wilmington, Massachusetts. The oneinch diameter membrane design provided a wider flow channel and better resistance to fouling. “The FEG membranes from KMS are able to handle the high solid content of our wastewater and the high variability between different wastewater streams,” Scherff said. The PVDF chemistry of the membrane provides temperature and chemical resistance, and the unique spongeball cleaning method provides a mechanical cleaning process that significantly reduces downtime and the consumption of chemicals. Higher Productivity “By switching to the KMS tubular membranes, we are spending much less time cleaning the system and therefore dramatically increasing our productivity,” said Scherff. “We are processing anywhere from 8,000-15,000 gallons per day, depending on the composition of the wastewater. With the other membranes, we processed only about 5,000 gallons per day because fouling reduced performance and we were cleaning six-eight hours per day.” The new membranes allow CWT to process wastewater 24 hours a day, and the only downtime is during cleaning or on an occasional Sunday when there is no wastewater to process. CWT also decreased the cleaning time of its small process tank to once every other day. Using these membranes, systems with larger tanks could decrease cleaning time even more. “We spent thousands of dollars up front automating our process control systems to the point where it is not necessary to have anyone here. It is completely automated with all sorts of process controls built in. Only a low fouling membrane system can achieve this level of automation,” Scherff said. The FEG membranes have been in use worldwide for more than 30 years, removing solids, oily wastes and metals from wastewater streams in a variety of industries. With the assistance of KMS, Scherff and his small staff of four quickly learned to predict how long it would take to treat each batch, despite the variability in wastewater composition. This predictability allows CWT to optimize the utilization of the entire treatment plant. “The KMS membrane system is remarkably simple and clean, with low operating costs,” Scherff said. Our biggest accomplishment, which we are most proud of, is that we have not had a single violation of our discharge permit in the 17 months since the first day of operation. And that is something that our competitors cannot say.” SLDT FEG™ is a trademark of Koch Membrane Systems, Inc. About the author: Tim Jordan is Midwest Regional Sales Manager for KMS Industrial Water and Wastewater. Does the Cold and Wet Season Put Your Projects Behind Schedule? Feb 6 Feb 8 Feb 21 Feb 22 Mar 6 Mar 8 Atlanta, GA Charlotte, NC Fredericksburg, VA Baltimore, MD Louisville, KY Cincinnati, OH Land Development breakthroughs Best Practices Workshops SITE SOIL MANAGEMENT Excessively wet soils are a costly setback in land development especially during cold and wet seasons. Industry specialists who do the work will educate developers, builders, contractors, engineers and project managers on the use of lime to dry and improve construction site soil. Learn how to avoid missed construction schedules and rectify budget overruns by pre-registering for this 1/2-day workshop. BEFORE | AFTER SPONSORED BY this is a free workshop Pre-register now by calling 888-388-8787 or going to www.LDBreakthroughs.com www.LDBreakthroughs.com www.SLDTonline.com 55 http://www.LDBreakthroughs.com http://www.LDBreakthroughs.com http://www.LDBreakthroughs.com http://www.SLDTonline.com
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