Frac Water Recycling White Paper

Frac Water Recycling White Paper

Balancing the risk of well damage with the economic benefits of frac wastewater reuse can be difficult. In conjunction with Environmental Daily Advisor, Anguil Environmental Systems has sponsored a detailed report which answers some of the tough questions about fracking and water use.

Minimizing Operator Risks While Implementing a Frac Water Recycling Program

• Why Recycle?
• Why isn’t recycling a widespread practice?
• How to manage the perceived risks of wastewater reuse
• What are the emerging technologies?
• What are the regulatory risks?

The reduced U.S. dependence on foreign oil and the increase in U.S. exports of natural gas are directly related to natural gas resources in the United States that have become more accessible through hydraulic fracturing. However, companies have come to realize that due to the amount of water needed in the fracking process, the use of freshwater is unsustainable. Recycling frac fluids would not only mitigate the need for freshwater, but would also provide an alternative to the costs and problems of disposing of wastewater.

Concerns that the use of recycled frac fluids would damage wells have held operators back from embracing recycling even though recycling has proven to be much less expensive than using freshwater. However, major operators are demonstrating that certain frac fluids that are recycled properly do not damage wells, making recycling increasingly attractive to operators.

Contact us for copy of the report to learn this and more about the evolving landscape of hydraulic fracturing.

Mercury Marine’s Environmental Stewardship

A recent expansion at Mercury Marine in Fond du Lac Wisconsin has caught the attention of professionals in the energy and environmental industries.

At an event this past May, the Wisconsin Association of Energy Engineers (WAEE) showcased Mercury’s new process equipment and pollution control system. The 75 attendees consisted of facility engineers, plant managers, project managers, contractors, vendors, and energy consultants. They were given in-depth presentations and a plant tour of the expansion project as well as the air pollution control system being utilized on the new engine test lines.

Anguil Environmental was honored to be a part of this project and event. The engine exhaust treatment device is Mercury Marine’s third abatement system designed, fabricated and installed by Anguil. The Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) system targets Carbon Monoxide, Total Hydrocarbons, Non-Methane Hydrocarbons, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs), and Particulate. The custom-designed SCR system utilizes an integrated air-to-air heat exchanger that reduces the facility’s energy consumption and lowers Mercury’s carbon footprint.

Focus on Energy (FOE), Wisconsin’s energy efficiency and renewable resource program, worked with Mercury Marine to determine the energy saved and contributed funds for the project based on those savings. FOE representatives were at the event to present Mercury Marine with a reimbursement check of $170,688 for their environmental stewardship efforts.

Employees at Anguil Adopt A Highway

As part of Anguil’s commitment to our community and environment, the company has adopted a highway just North of the corporate headquarters in Milwaukee. Through the Wisconsin Department of Transportation Adopt-A-Highway program, employees will help reduce litter along a local highway and enhance the beautify of Wisconsin’s roadsides.

Volunteers from the company are responsible for a stretch of Mequon Road in Ozaukee County. “It allows our employees to give back to the community and we support their efforts” said Chris Anguil, President of Anguil Environmental.

Teams of Anguil employees will walk the 1.5 mile section of highway three times per year to cleanup trash. During the first spring cleaning of 2014, the Anguil volunteers collected nearly 15 garbage bags full of paper, cans, bottles, plastic bags, wrappers and even car parts.

Anguil Expands Into Australia

Two leading suppliers in the air pollution control industry are partnering-up to meet the needs of Australian companies with emission control requirements. Australia’s single-largest air pollution control company, Total Air Pollution Control (TAPC) has teamed up with Anguil Environmental Systems, Inc. (Anguil), a global provider of oxidation and vapor combustion technologies.

Both Anguil and TAPC specialize in technologies, products and services that destroy Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs) from a broad range of applications. When released into the atmosphere these pollutants contribute to smog as well as the destruction of agriculture and forests. In humans they can cause birth defects, nervous system damage, respiratory ailments, heart conditions or even death during massive accidental releases.
TAPC’s current product offering includes gas scrubbers, electrostatic precipitators and fabric filters. With access to the Anguil thermal and catalytic oxidiser technologies they can now offer a control technology increasingly being used in the region to meet the more stringent environmental regulations for VOCs and HAPs.

Anguil, founded in 1978, has gained its recognition and reputation as one of the leaders in manufacturing, servicing and installation of oxidation technologies and heat recovery systems for various applications and industries. TAPC will incorporate Anguil’s oxidizer designs and heat recovery systems with their existing gas cleaning technologies for facilities throughout the region.

This partnership provides a local Anguil presence for sales, installation, fabrication and service needs. Customers in Australia can expect state of the art air pollution control equipment, dependable service and responsive support from two of the most reputable companies in the industry.

For more information on TAPC, please visit www.tapc.com.au

New Senior Sales Manager Joins Anguil

Anguil Environmental Systems is pleased to announce that Jim Stone has joined the company as a Senior Sales Manager. Jim brings with him over 25 years of experience with air pollution control, exhaust gas treatment and heat recovery applications.

Located in Milwaukee WI, Anguil designs, manufactures, installs and services thermal and catalytic oxidizers, vapor combustion technologies and energy recovery systems throughout the world. Jim’s sales and application knowledge will be used to apply Anguil’s equipment design into a variety of industries, from composites and printing, to chemical and packaging. The addition of Jim further enhances Anguil’s ability to efficiently and effectively reduce emissions and energy consumption at industrial facilities.

New Clean Air Techniques for Carbon Fiber Processes

As a material, carbon fiber has fundamentally changed many of the products we use every day, making them lighter, stronger and more durable. The manufacturing process is typically unique to each supplier and it can be as complex as the fiber molecules themselves. Equally as challenging are the air pollution control systems used on the production equipment. This year, two institutions have rolled out new processing techniques that utilize different, yet highly effective air pollution abatement technologies that also drive down production costs.

When the first conversion plants came online, operating costs were not critical design parameters and neither were the environmental effects of production. Today, the manufacturing of carbon fiber is heavily regulated by the environmental community and producers are continually looking to reduce energy demands of this heat intensive process. The oxidation and carbonization furnaces and industrial ovens have the potential to emit hydrogen cyanide (HCN), ammonia (NH3) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Some of these pollutants are immediately dangerous to human health, even in very small quantities. Other pollutants of concern for carbon fiber producers include harmful gases such as carbon monoxide (CO) and nitrogen oxide (NOX). These emissions not only contribute to global warming but also have a direct correlation with the manufacturer’s consumption of energy.

Recycling at the Forefront

The strength, durability and light-weight characteristics of carbon fiber make it perfect for many manufactured products like airplanes and automobiles. However, most waste ends up in landfills where those same attributes do not allow the carbon fiber to break down like other organic material. A major university has opened a new, state of-the-art facility dedicated to the reuse of this valuable resource.

In conjunction with industry partners, they have developed a pilot scale carbon fiber recycling plant. The team set out to develop and commercialize recycled fiber that maintains the material strength at a cost-savings to manufacturers using carbon fiber in their products. The result was a lightweight, low cost material made from recycled carbon fiber that gives users a competitive advantage over virgin carbon fiber.

The university knew that an air pollution control device would be necessary to meet the local emission requirements for hydrogen cyanide (HCN) and ammonia (NH3). They also realized that there was the potential to reuse some of the energy released during the combustion of these carbon fiber processing emissions.

Anguil Environmental Systems (Anguil) was selected to provide the air pollution control system. Their experience with similar applications and ability to make a custom designed system to meet the unique needs of this pilot-scale recycling facility were the primary determining factors. Anguil manufactured, installed and recently brought online a Thermal Recuperative Oxidizer with dual heat recovery.

A metallic heat exchanger within the oxidizer reduces the amount of supplemental fuel required to bring the process emissions up to combustion temperatures. In addition, a secondary heat recovery system downstream of the oxidizer captures nearly all of the remaining heat for process heating needs. The extremely efficient system drastically reduces the operating costs of the carbon fiber manufacturing process. In addition, the Anguil oxidizer has been achieving over 99% destruction rate efficiency.

A Technology Transfer in the United States

Recognizing the need for this industry to develop a lower cost carbon fiber material, The United States Department of Energy built a custom designed conversion process at Oak Ridge National Laboratories (ORNL). The process equipment, designed by Harper International, makes this one of the most sophisticated and capable facilities in the industry. The carbon fiber technology line in Oakridge, Tennessee allows commercial partners to test the scalability of emerging carbon composite materials before commercial production.

To treat the exhaust streams coming from the carbon fiber process, Anguil Environmental Systems was commissioned to design, manufacture and install a multi-stage Direct Fired Thermal Oxidizer (DFTO). The abatement system is capable of destroying nitrogen compounds without the formation of NOX which is a typical by-product in conventional oxidation processes. Gases move through zones within the DFTO under varying conditions where the total emission destruction efficiencies are over 99% with minimal NOX generation.

Even though this application does not warrant additional NOX reduction, the Anguil DFTO has the capability of adding Selective Non-Catalytic Reduction (SCNR) to further reduce the environmental impact.

Anguil Environmental is a system provider of air pollution control and energy recovery solutions. We are intimately familiar with the capture, control and compliance hurdles of the carbon fiber industry. View our Carbon Fiber page for more information.

Home Market Foods Solves Odor Control Issues

The Norwood Bulletin recently highlighted the odor and pollution control efforts at Home Market Foods in Norwood, Massachusetts. Anguil is supplying a 30,000SCFM Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer (RTO) at this frozen food manufacturer to elimate emissions and odors. The Anguil RTO is an effective, efficient abatement device for many food processing applications.

We were pleased to be selected for this project and happy to help Home Market Foods with their environmental stewardship efforts. The full article can be found here.

Anguil Receives State & Regional Recognition from the SBA

The United States Small Business Administration (SBA) has announced the winner of its annual Jeffrey Butland award. Anguil is honored to be the 2013 recipient for both the state of Wisconsin as well as the Midwest region. The SBA acknowledges the contributions that small businesses make towards America’s economy by honoring the owners of these outstanding small businesses. The Jeffrey Butland award specifically highlights family owned and operated-small businesses that have transitioned to the second generation.

The news release for these SBA awards was published on Tuesday April 23rd 2013. Of the fifteen state winners, Anguil was one of four small business selected to receive regional recognition. Gene, Deb and Chris Anguil will be attending the 28th annual presentation breakfast on Friday May 31st at the Italian Community Center in Milwaukee, WI. An SBA Regional Administrator will be visiting Anguil Environmental in June to present the certificate for the company’s regional award.

Air Force Base Remediation Project Includes an Anguil Oxidizer

KAFB Ramps Up Fuel Spill Cleanup

By John Fleck / Journal Staff Writer on Friday, January 18, 2013

A Kirtland Air Force Base crew is in the final stages of testing a new machine it hopes will accelerate cleanup of a fuel spill that has contaminated southeast Albuquerque groundwater.

On a concrete pad just north of the base flight line, workers Thursday were testing a garden-shed-sized furnace officials say will begin within the next week to burn off jet fuel sucked from deep under ground.

“It’s the next step in actually cleaning up the contaminants,” said Col. John Kubinec, the base commander.

Officials note that this is not the final remedy for the longstanding problem, but rather an interim measure to remove some fuel from the ground while the Air Force and state regulators wrestle with the long-term problem of cleaning up the decades-old mess.

“We wanted to get after this contamination sooner rather than later,” said John Kieling, head of the New Mexico Environment Department’s Hazardous Waste Bureau.

Contractors for the Air Force sank two wells six inches in diameter more than 500 feet into the ground adjacent to the base’s old fuel loading area, where in 1999 the Air Force discovered that an underground pipe had been leaking for decades.

Vacuum units will suck fuel vapors from the layers of soil above the groundwater, and the furnace unit will then burn it off, explained Brent Wilson, Kirtland’s civil engineer.

The fuel has moved through groundwater more than a mile from the spill site. None has been detected in Albuquerque drinking water wells. Test wells near Phil Chacon Park, between the nearest drinking water wells and the known fuel spill area, recently came back clean, suggesting the risk to drinking water is not imminent, according to the state Environment Department.

The Albuquerque Bernalillo County Water Utility Authority is in the midst of developing a network of early warning monitoring wells between the fuel spill and the nearest drinking water wells. The water utility is working with the U.S. Geological Survey to determine the best place to put the wells. The agency will pay for the wells but under an agreement with the Air Force, there is a possibility that the Air Force will reimburse the utility for the work, according to John Stomp, the utility’s chief operating officer.

Smaller “soil vapor extraction” units have been at work for years sucking aircraft fuel vapors from the ground, but the new larger system is designed to work more effectively at removing the fuel from the ground, Wilson said.

The cleanup efforts face challenges that officials at the Air Force and the state acknowledge cannot be solved with the systems currently in place. The biggest near-term issue is the fact that the water table in the area has been rising as a result of decreased drinking water pumping from nearby wells run by the water utility.

That rising water table has submerged a layer of jet fuel that had been resting in soil on top of the water table, making cleanup harder. In a December report to the Environment Department, the Air Force acknowledged that fuel layer, now trapped under water, “will be an ongoing source of dissolved groundwater contamination indefinitely.”

The Air Force and Environment Department are in talks about implementing the next cleanup step, which would begin removing some of that fuel submerged in the groundwater layer.
– This article appeared on page A1 of the Albuquerque Journal

New Service Resource for Oxidizer Operators

On a yearly average, Anguil services oxidizers made by dozens of different manufacturers. Put that knowledge to use for you by registering your oxidizer system(s) with Anguil and get a unique Service ID!

Participants in this program receive periodic maintenance recommendations, energy saving tips and service ideas for keeping your oxidizer running effectively and efficiently. In addition, your Anguil Service ID will streamline future service requests and scheduling.

As an added bonus you will immediately receive an Anguil hat, flash drive and pen! Future benefits may include complimentary operating cost evaluations and discounted service pricing.

Click Here for the Machine Registration Page