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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Pilot plant wastewater treatment project status at the University of North Dakota Energy Research Center

Conference ·
OSTI ID:6254938

The slagging fixed-bed gasifier (SFBG) pilot plant provides the only large-scale source of lignite-derived effluents for subsequent characterization and treatment studies. The principal goal of the gasification research at University of North Dakota Energy Research Center (UNDERC) is to develop public environmental data on effluents from the fixed-bed gasification of lignite, focusing on waste water treatment. The level of treatment is dictated by end use, which in water-deficient regions such as the Western United States, will undoubtedly be makeup for a cooling tower. A major area of uncertainty surrounding the reuse of wastewater centers around the cooling tower. The extent of treatment needed to produce a satisfactory makeup for the cooling tower is unknown, and the environmental and economic risks are substantial. The most cost effective approach is to provide minimal treatment. In order to assess the effectiveness of extraction and stripping alone in treating wastewater for cooling tower use, UNDERC has installed a pilot-scale wastewater treatment train consisting of solvent extraction and ammonia stripping to prepare stripped gas liquor for testing as makeup to a small cooling tower. Approximately 28,000 gallons of wastewater have been pretreated by solvent extraction and ammonia stripping are being fed to a counter-flow cooling tower and attendant test heat exchangers as part of a two-month assessment of the environmental and operating problems associated with the use of stripped gas liquor as cooling tower makeup. Wastewater pretreatment was performed within the limits of the public data for GPGA design, and the cooling tower system was designed to simulate heat duties and tube velocities reported for the GPGA design.

Research Organization:
North Dakota Univ., Grand Forks (USA). Energy Research Center
DOE Contract Number:
FC01-83FE60181
OSTI ID:
6254938
Report Number(s):
DOE/FE/60181-10; CONF-830542-6; ON: DE83011802
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English