Kevin Livingston has seen his company grow from a manufacturers representative firm specializing in water and wastewater treatment, and industrial process instrumentation, to a green manufacturer with a new wrinkle in disposing of municipal waste.
A Michigan environmental technology company has received a United States patent for a revolutionary system that will lower energy costs for municipal-based waste water treatment facilities and food processing plants that produce organic waste by converting waste products to energy and other useful by-products.
HESCO has been recognized as one of the 2011 “Michigan 50 Companies to Watch,” an awards program sponsored by the Edward Lowe Foundation and presented by the Michigan Celebrates Small Business.
Most see wastewater treatment as a necessary evil to keep watercourses clean and safeguard human health. While cleaning water for reuse is green indeed, the treatment process is not. Processing wastewater requires large amounts of energy, toxic chemicals, and produces waste solids for disposal. Recently some have recognized hidden environmental benefits for these processing “evils”.
In the municipal wastewater treatment industry, it is conventional wisdom that the processing and disposal of solid waste materials (biosolids) represent about half of a facility's operating budget. Biosolids processing and disposal is a popular topic during meetings and seminars; numerous papers and case studies have been presented at Conferences and Technical Fairs; but nothing really new or innovative has broken through to popular use. The problem worsens over time. With energy prices on the rise, the costs to handle, transport, and dispose of biosolid waste materials rise as well. It seems that the industry is looking (or waiting) for some regulation to be promulgated that will solve all of these problems and change the landscape of the alternatives that are available to us.
Grit is a problem for all publicly owned treatment works (POTWs). It is small dense material, such as broken glass, metal shavings and particles, silt, pebbles, and aggregate that ends being captured in the collection system and transported to the POTW. It ranges in size from very fine (approximately 50 mesh or 300 microns) to fairly coarse. If these particles are not removed they abrade pumps and other mechanical devices, causing undue wear and increased maintenance costs. In addition, grit has the tendency to settle and collect in corners and bends, reducing flow capacity and ultimately clogging pipes and channels. It also collects in sludge treatment processes such as digesters, which reduces the active volume and treatment capacity of the digester. Removing grit from a digester and repairing equipment damaged or worn by grit, is a difficult and costly burden for maintenance personnel and their budgets. This issue of the ProactiView digs in to the Grit, and invites you to attend a 4-hour comprehensive “Grit School”.
Sluice and slide gates have been used for water flow control for hundreds of years. A few years ago, the venerable cast iron sluice gate was challenged by a fabricated sluice gate for use in submerged, high-head flow control conditions. Ultimately, cast iron won out to remain the champion for that application. Fabricated slide gates constructed of aluminum or stainless steel had been used successfully to control flow in open channels, and there are several important reasons why they should continue to be used in this way. This issue of ProactiView will shed some light on the design differences of the Cast Iron Sluice Gate and the Fabricated Slide Gate to provide guidance on the appropriate uses of each.
Disinfection is a crucial process in virtually all water and waste water treatment facilities. Chlorine gas is inexpensive to purchase, and highly effective, but the safety precautions are extensive and a leak can be devastating. Liquid Sodium Hypochlorite is safer and effective, but stills needs careful handling, and off-gassing can bind pumps if not properly vented. This ProactiView addresses all the pros, cons, benefits and safety concerns of both gas and liquid chlorine, so you can make an informed decision.
There are many approaches to measuring the level of water in a vessel, and just as many “expert” opinions on which is the best. Read the HESCO ProactiView to learn the relevant differences between today's most effective (complimentary) technologies: Radar and Ultrasonics.
Our sales engineers welcome the opportunity to discuss our products and field services with you. Please contact us to schedule a meeting.