COLUMBIA, Md., April 8
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Martek Biosciences Corporation,
today announced that it has received a report from the
Office of the Kentucky State Fire Marshal that concluded
that the explosion that occurred in March, 2003 at a
wastewater pretreatment facility in Winchester, KY
resulted from the introduction of n-hexane, a class I
flammable liquid, into the local sanitary sewer system.
The Fire Marshal's report did not rule out other possible
contributors to the explosion.
Martek utilizes n-hexane in
its production process at the Company's plant in
Winchester, KY, and the Fire Marshal has concluded that
inadvertent discharges of hexane from Martek's plant had
resulted in elevated levels of n- hexane in the sewer
system. Martek has taken measures to insure that no
further n-hexane is emitted into the sewer system.
Production at the facility has not been negatively
affected by these events.
Martek is in the process of
evaluating the Fire Marshal's conclusions and, as
previously disclosed, continues to believe that the
ultimate outcome of this matter will not have a material
adverse effect on the Company's financial condition or
results of operations.
Martek Biosciences
Corporation develops, manufactures and sells products from
microalgae. The Company's products include: (1) specialty,
nutritional oils for infant formula that aid in the
development of the eyes and central nervous system in
newborns; (2) nutritional supplements and food ingredients
that may play a beneficial role in promoting mental and
cardiovascular health throughout life; and (3) new,
powerful fluorescent markers for diagnostics, rapid
miniaturized screening, and gene and protein detection.
Doubling
Capacity : Seymour Breaks Ground on WWTP Improvements
SEYMOUR, Ind.--(BUSINESS
WIRE)--April 7, 2003--Officials from Seymour and EMC broke
ground on $17 million worth of improvements to the Seymour
wastewater treatment plant.
The improvements boost the
plant's capacity from 4.3 million gallons a day to 8.7
million gallons a day. The plant is now operating at its
maximum capacity. The upgrades are necessary in order to
avoid the state placing a sewer ban on the city, which
essentially places a moratorium on any new residential or
commercial construction.
"These improvements
are vital to the continued economic growth of Seymour.
They will also greatly enhance our citizens' quality of
life," said Mayor John Burkhart of Seymour. John
Mitchell, EMC's president, said, "EMC values working
with a city like Seymour to provide citizens and their
communities with water and wastewater management solutions
that clean and protect the environment and use rate
payers' dollars efficiently. We are also pleased to have
assembled an excellent and experienced team of
construction and engineering partners to help successfully
execute this project."
Joining the city and EMC at
the ceremony will be Paric Corporation, the construction
manager for the project; Sieco, the project's engineer;
Bowen, the general contractor; and EIC, the mechanical,
electrical, and plumbing subcontractor.
Besides increasing the
plant's capacity, the improvements will significantly
reduce the amount of untreated storm water now discharged
into the river via the city's combined sewer overflow
system. This will ensure that Seymour complies with the
more stringent standards, soon to be introduced, of both
the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the state of
Indiana.
The plant will also switch
from using chlorine and sulphur dioxide as disinfection
agents to an ultraviolet (UV) disinfection system. The UV
system is a safe, efficient and cost-effective technology
that uses no chemicals and virtually eliminates the risk
of harmful, potentially dangerous spills or leaks.
The project is slated for
completion in the fall of 2004. It includes new headworks,
oxidation ditch, three new clarifiers, post aeration
tankage, the UV disinfection system, storm water pumping,
sludge handling facilities, and the installation of
pre-purchased mechanical equipment. EMC, a BOC Group
company, operates and maintains municipal wastewater
facilities in over 50 U.S. cities.
The BOC Group, the
worldwide industrial gases, vacuum technologies and
distribution services company, delivers solutions to more
than two million customers in 50 countries. BOC's
expertise helps improve the quality of people's lives
through advances in industries such as food, metals,
chemicals, environmental protection and water treatment,
welding, glassmaking, electronics and healthcare. BOC
employs 46,000 people and had annual sales of some $6
billion in 2002.
Further information about
The BOC Group may be obtained on the Internet at http://www.boc.com
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California :
USFilter Provides Drinking Water Treatment Solution
PATTERSON,
Calif., April 9, 2003 — The Western Hills Water District
will be the first of several water districts in the state
of California to use the new Microfloc ACTIFLOC drinking
water treatment system. The Diablo Grande Limited
Partnership, the developer of the community located near
Patterson, Calif., selected the new technology engineered
by USFilter.
Several treatment process
options were considered, however the Microfloc system was
selected by the community because of its ability to handle
influent turbidity spikes, low installed cost, minimized
operational costs, and high quality of water produced. The
system will produce 1400 gallons per minute (gpm) of
drinking water for this fast growing community.
In addition to the ACTIFLOC
package plant, USFilter will provide overall plant and
process controls using a Honeywell Plantscape SCADA
system, along with Stranco Polyblend polymer feed system,
pH control, coagulant feed and powdered activated carbon
storage, makeup and feed systems.
The fast track project will
require a temporary treatment system to produce drinking
water for the community during the construction of the
permanent plant. USFilter will also provide these mobile
temporary treatment units.
The ACTIFLOC treatment
process unites both the patented Actiflo high-rate
ballasted clarification process and the Microfloc mixed
media filter into a single pre-engineered system. The
ACTIFLOC package treatment plant has the ability to treat
water sources with extremely high turbidity and organics,
while consistently delivering high quality drinking water.
The pre-engineered system simplifies installation and the
compact size of the system reduces overall project costs
by minimizing building footprint.
The fixed Actiflo
clarification process utilizes microsand to enhance the
settling characteristics of the flocculated water. The
microsand, in combination with the intense mixing inherent
to the process, increases the effectiveness of the
chemical coagulant, allowing significant chemical savings
compared to other processes. Wide fluctuations in raw
water quality are easily handled by the clarifier,
allowing the filter to consistently produce high quality
filtrate under a variety of conditions. Addition of
powdered activated carbon for organics removal is easily
incorporated into the plant design. Microfloc conventional
package drinking water treatment systems are used by more
than 1,000 communities across the U.S. The ACTIFLOC™
process is the latest technological advancement to the
line of Microfloc package drinking water filters.
Brown and Caldwell of
Walnut Creek, Calif. were the engineers on this project.
United States Filter
Corporation, a Vivendi Environnement company, is North
America’s leading water company providing comprehensive
water and wastewater systems and services to commercial,
industrial, municipal and residential customers.
Biosolids :
WEF to Comment on EPA's Response to NAS Report
Alexandria,
Va. -- The Water Environment Federation (WEF) will comment
on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's strategy to
respond to the recommendations in the National Research
Council's National Academy of Sciences July 2002 report
entitled "Biosolids Applied to Land: Advancing
Standards and Practices."
"The
public has a right to expect that biosolids land
application programs will continue to have a sound
scientific and technical basis. We commend EPA and in
particular Tracy Mehan, Assistant Administrator for Water,
for their leadership in formulating a response to the NAS
recommendations," said WEF Executive Director Bill
Bertera. "The Federation plans to submit comments
during the 90-day comment period."
The report was
an independent review of the technical basis of the
chemical and pathogen regulations applicable to sewage
sludge that is applied to land. The Federal Register
notice, signed April 2, 2003, explains the Agency's
rationale for the strategy and solicits public comment on
the strategy.
In the Federal
Register notice, EPA identifies three main objectives for
attaining a better understanding of biosolids and reducing
the potential for, or reducing the uncertainty related to,
human health impacts: update the scientific basis of Part
503 by conducting research in priority areas; strengthen
the biosolids program by evaluating results of completed,
ongoing, or planned studies both within and outside EPA;
and continue ongoing activities for enhancing
communication with outside associations and with the
public.
The
Federation's Residuals and Biosolids Committee will review
recommendations in the following categories: survey,
exposure, risk assessment, methods development, pathogens,
human health studies, regulatory activities, and biosolids
management. Following public comment, EPA will publish
specific pollutants for possible regulation in early 2004.
People post their requests
for help and offer their suggestions to others in our open
forum.
Faisal is having
problems with foaming:
A huge quantity of foam in
WWTP particularly in aeration tank causing problem for me.
Please give me an idea by which i can reduce the foam from
aeration tank.
(Click
here to post a reply)
I am an Australian living
in China. I am in the process of opening a fast food
outlet on the beach at sea level.
Although I am from a
construction background I have no experience in the best
way to deal with the waste water created by the shop.
Total area is 80 sq meters and there is no requirement for
toilet treatment facilities. The only water will be from
dish washing facilities.
Help Forum:
Share your
expertise with others in our Help
Forum.
i
i
From the Job
Fair : WW Treatment Plant Operators Wanted - Forney,TX
Wastewater
Treatment Plant Operators needed for five-month contract
position in Forney. The plant is 4.0 mm GPD. Candidates
need to have water/wastewater plant experience. However,
class licenses are not necessary. Experience with pump
troubleshooting/repair would be helpful.
Shifts are four 12-hour
first shift days, then off for four days with four hours
of overtime every two weeks. Additionally, there is no per
diem available for this position. Therefore, local
candidates only please.
Feel free to e-mail over
resume or contact me with any questions.
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::
Explosion : Martek Updates WWTP
Issue
:: Doubling Capacity : Seymour Breaks
Ground on WWTP Improvements
:: California : USFilter Provides Drinking
Water Treatment Solution
:: Biosolids : WEF to Comment on EPA's
Response to NAS Report
:: Help Forum
:: The Job Fair
:: Top Picks at Amazon.com
:: Ask Tom! Column!
:: 46,000+ visitors in March !
:: Call For Photographs!
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PATTERSON,
Calif., April 9, 2003 — The Western Hills Water District
will be the first of several water districts in the state
of California to use the new Microfloc ACTIFLOC drinking
water treatment system. The Diablo Grande Limited
Partnership, the developer of the community located near
Patterson, Calif., selected the new technology engineered
by USFilter.
Alexandria,
Va. -- The Water Environment Federation (WEF) will comment
on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's strategy to
respond to the recommendations in the National Research
Council's National Academy of Sciences July 2002 report
entitled "Biosolids Applied to Land: Advancing
Standards and Practices."
"This
is a stunning contribution! Exactly what PMs need."
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