Solutions

Removing Trace Metals From Stormwater at Industrial Hard Chrome Plating Facility

Figure 2. Sorption media surface magnified 1,500 times

Industrial stormwater can contain trace metals above regulatory limits. Although standard water treatment processes are available to treat this water, they are generally expensive and require more maintenance than small companies can afford. Lower-cost, lower-maintenance alternatives are needed.

Peat is a natural material and has long been known for its ability to remove metals from water. At least five different mechanisms on the peat surface are involved in metal removal (Brown, et al. 2000). Various studies have evaluated the ability of peat to remove metals, and copper concentrations up to 8.9% have been reported in samples used to treat wastewater (Lapakko and Eger 1988, Premi 1970).

Peat, although relatively inexpensive, tends to be non-uniform and somewhat difficult to handle. Although loose, fibrous peat can have […]

More about water treatment and chemical contaminants:

Understanding chemical byproducts formed during water treatment

Anxiety drugs are getting into the water we drink. This is how we could stop them.

U.S. Steel dumps more toxic chromium near Lake Michigan, faces lawsuit

Pennsylvania watershed contaminated with radioactive material and endocrine-disrupting chemicals

Summary
Article Name
Removing Trace Metals From Stormwater at Industrial Hard Chrome Plating Facility
Description
Studies have evaluated the ability of peat to remove metals (e.g., hexavalent chromium), and copper concentrations up to 8.9% have been reported in samples used to treat wastewater.
Author
Publisher Name
Forester Magazines
Publisher Logo

Recent Posts

It’s Raining Stormwater NOVs in California

Photo: Adobe Stock / Romolo Tavani For many California industrial facilities, above average rainfall brought 60-day…

3 hours ago

Nature-based solutions: California wants to harness more than half its land to combat climate change by 2045.

U.S. Forest Service firefighters in the Angeles National Forest burn piles of forest debris below…

1 day ago

Conservation.gov — Showcasing, Supporting Rapid Acceleration of Local Efforts to Conserve, Protect and Restore USA Lands and Waters

New hub will connect communities with resources and funding available through President Biden’s Investing in…

2 days ago

Ocean Waves Mist Decades-Old PFAS into the Atmosphere

Sea spray rereleases large amounts of PFAS from the ocean into the atmosphere. Credit: Pexels/Jess Loiterton…

3 days ago

Meet the Las Vegas teens facing Western drought head on

(LtoR) Katie Kim, Fisher Parry and Kira Anderson with the Southern Nevada Water Authority's Youth…

4 days ago

Climate Change’s ‘Physical Risks’ Are Catching Up With Banks

A container ship navigates through the Miraflores locks of the Panama Canal on Nov. 3. Drought…

5 days ago