Anaerobic treatment of aircraft de-icing agent using the SNC-LAVALIN Multiplate Reactor

Conference · Wed Dec 31 04:00:00 EST 1997

OSTI ID:353568

Mulligan, C; Chebib, J; Safi, B ^[1]

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1. SNC Research Corp., Montreal, Quebec (Canada)

A system for the anaerobic treatment of aircraft de-icing agent has been developed by SNC Research Corp., a subsidiary of the SNC-LAVALIN Group (Montreal, Canada). The de-icing agent used in the evaluation contains 54% ethylene glycol, 46% water and trace additives such as surfactants and colorants. The process is comprised of a buffer tank and the SNC-LAVALIN Multiplate Reactor and is as follows. The effluent containing the aircraft de-icing agent with ethylene glycol as the major component enters the buffer tank where the temperature and pH adjustment and the addition of nutrients takes place. The water is then sent to the SNC-LAVALIN Multiplate Reactor. Here, the de-icing agent is converted to biogas which contains 80% methane and the liquid effluent which is essentially ethylene glycol free is discharged. The biogas can be either burned in a flare or used for heating purposes. The following results are typical for the aircraft de-icing agent: Greater than 90% total COD and 99% ethylene glycol removal at an organic load of 15 kg COD/m{sup 3}-day. The de-icing agent can be collected and subsequently treated on-site using the SNC-LAVALIN system. The advantages of the SNC-LAVALIN system are low capital and operating costs, possibility of treating a wide range of de-icing agent concentrations and other liquid effluents unlike evaporation processes, potential recuperation of the biogas and a gentle technology for the environment without generation of VOCs.

• OSTI ID: 353568
• Report Number(s): CONF-970677--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AIRCRAFT
ANAEROBIC CONDITIONS
BIODEGRADATION
BIOREACTORS
FREEZE PROTECTION
PERFORMANCE
POLYETHYLENE GLYCOLS