Linde Oxygen Booster Cuts Soluble BOD After or Before DAF Treatment

MURRAY HILL, N.J. and NEW PROVIDENCE, N.J., Oct. 6, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- A custom oxygen booster system from Linde LLC, known as the SOLVOX® oxygenation system, proved effective in dramatically lowering biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) for an on-site wastewater treatment facility for Koch Foods LLC poultry deboning plant in Morristown, Tennessee.

The SOLVOX system was designed and retrofitted for an existing 225,000 gallon aerobic equalization (EQ) tank feeding a dissolved air flotation (DAF) unit.  Dissolved air flotation (DAF) systems are widely used to separate 95-99 percent of fats, oils and greases (FOG) and total suspended solids (TSS) in organic wastewater treatment plants. Yet they are less effective in lowering BOD, which is, sometimes necessary to reduce odors and meet municipal discharge requirements.

Key to success of the new system was control of soluble BOD (sBODs).The poultry processing plant produces more than 70 million pounds of cut wings, and boneless chicken nuggets, tenders and breasts every year. While aeration systems may follow DAF pretreatment and are almost always part of publicly operated wastewater treatment facilities, oxygenating the wastewater before the DAF unit was suggested by consultant Larry W. Moore, PhD, Professional Engineer, a professor of environmental engineering at the University of Memphis. Dr. Moore analyzed the wastewater treatment complex on behalf of the City of Morristown and the Tennessee Manufacturing Extension Program (TMEP), and reviewed BOD treatment options.

"Oxygenation before DAF may be counterintuitive since water can only hold so much oxygen. But Koch Foods' wastewater was well below oxygen saturation concentrations because of the level of soluble BOD that remained after screening solids. The presence of the EQ tank before the DAF unit made O₂ pretreatment possible and cost effective," he said. TMEP does not endorse or warranty any specific method, product, process or service. It is an industrial assistance program designed to help industries make sound decisions regarding environmental management.

Barry Calfee, Certified Environmental and Safety Compliance Officer (CESCO) at Koch Foods, contacted Linde, a global leader in environmentally-friendly water treatment solutions. The Linde team estimated that costs for the proposed SOLVOX system would be about as low as an acid treatment system -- yet SOLVOX would also offer significant environmental advantages. "Sustainability is very important to Koch Foods as a leader in the food industry and a positive force in our local community. The Linde SOLVOX oxygenation system exceeded our expectations," he said.

Dramatic Drop in BOD
In the weeks after the SOLVOX system start-up, effluent BOD₅ levels fell on the order of 90 percent. Even in cold weather, the system operates well within the anticipated reduction target of 50 percent BOD removal. Mid-November to mid-February realized an average effluent BOD₅ reduction of 63.9 percent (effluent BOD₅ = 326 milligrams/liter) compared to the pre-start-up period (effluent BOD₅ = 903 mg/L).

The Linde solution for Koch Foods includes a 6,000 gallon liquid oxygen tank with vaporizer and control system. The SOLVOX control system delivers O₂ through a gas sparger that feeds the oxygen-enriched water into a custom injection header inside the bottom of the EQ tank. Wastewater in the EQ tank is continuously recirculated back through the sparger. In addition to creating a homogeneous mixture of wastewater, the EQ tank equalizes the flow to the flocculation tubes which are part of the DAF process.

With the SOLVOX system in place, colloidal and soluble BOD is converted in the EQ tank in one of two ways:  1) Some is oxidized to carbon dioxide and water, which creates energy for the biomass, 2) some is converted into biomass, which is easily skimmed off by the DAF unit.

Linde pure oxygen injection and O₂ diffusion systems can boost dissolved oxygen levels much more efficiently than aeration systems, which require energy-intensive compressors. The Linde SOLVOX oxygenation system offers several different types of oxygen delivery and control systems. Linde engineers help to determine the optimal solution for oxygen injection. For example, oxygen can be injected directly into pipes using customized spargers, diffused into a treatment tank using special oxygen diffusion mats or nozzles, or injected into a lagoon through high-velocity jets.

When DAF Needs a Boost
For separating solids, DAF units often use a coagulant and flocculent (polymer) ahead of the flotation unit. Yet there are limits to these pretreatments, especially when organic solid loadings are high or hydraulic pressure dips. DAF pretreatment chemicals help reduce organic solids but have far less impact on sBOD, which requires improved aerobic digestion. In general, poor aeration promotes anaerobic decay, which can lead to foul odors and complaints from the community. In addition, excursions above BOD discharge targets can result in special fees or assessments from wastewater treatment authorities.

Large-scale DAF tanks can measure 40 feet long or more, and are often used in conjunction with buffering tanks, lagoons or activated sludge systems to improve clarification of organic solids. An industrial DAF unit is often the last line of control prior to discharge into a municipal sewer system. Food industry segments that rely on DAF for organic wastewater treatment include:

• Meat, Poultry and Seafood production
• Dairy production
• Frozen Foods processing
• Canning
• Prepared Foods processing

Some DAF units can readily handle TSS concentrations in excess of 10,000 mg/L. But even large-scale treatment systems can exceed BOD processing capacity when operations expand. This was the case for the Koch Foods plant which had nearly doubled poultry production volumes over a five year period before installing the new SOLVOX oxygenation system. Total process wastewater flow rate at the plant remained about the same, averaging about 130,000 gpd, but with increasing volumes of TSS, FOG and BOD.

From industrial wastewater to municipal water treatment, bulk oxygen (O₂) and oxygenation systems from Linde LLC can cost-effectively address a range of environmental control issues. Beyond BOD and odor control, Linde pure oxygen systems can boost the efficiency of aeration water treatment systems -- or completely replace them. Also for water treatment, Linde supplies bulk gases for ozonation (O₃) systems which can help control waterborne bacteria and limit the use of chlorine. The company also supplies bulk liquid carbon dioxide (CO₂) which can reduce the pH of high alkalinity wastewater without hazardous mineral acids.

For more information, contact Linde (www.lindeus.com), 800-755-9277.

About Linde LLC in North America
Linde LLC is a member of The Linde Group.  In the 2014 financial year, The Linde Group generated revenue of  USD 17.9 bn (EUR 17.047 bn), making it the largest gases and engineering company in the world with approximately 65,500 employees working in more than 100 countries worldwide. The strategy of The Linde Group is geared towards long-term profitable growth and focuses on the expansion of its international business with forward-looking products and services. Linde acts responsibly towards its shareholders, business partners, employees, society and the environment – in every one of its business areas, regions and locations across the globe. The company is committed to technologies and products that unite the goals of customer value and sustainable development. For more information, see The Linde Group online at www.Linde.com.

SOLVOX is a registered trademark of Linde AG.
For more information, visit www.lindeus.com

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SOURCE Linde North America, Inc.

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