Umicore Selects GE Technology to Help Remove Selenium, Other Heavy Metals from Recycling Plant’s Wastewater

Press release:

08 May 2012

Umicore Selects GE Technology to Help Remove Selenium, Other Heavy Metals from Recycling Plant’s Wastewater

 

• Project Represents First Full-Scale Rollout of GE’s ABMet* Technology in Europe
• Process Meets or Exceeds Stringent Standards for Selenium Removal

MUNICH, GERMANY—May 8, 2012—Umicore, a global leader in materials technology, has selected GE’s (NYSE: GE) Advanced Biological Metals Removal Process (ABMet*) wastewater bioreactor technology to remove selenium and other heavy metals from wastewater discharges at Umicore’s precious metals recycling facility near Antwerp, Belgium. The first full-scale installation of GE’s ABMet technology in Europe, this project will help Umicore to achieve low parts-per-billion (ppb) levels of heavy metals in wastewater discharges. Commercial operation will begin by the end of 2013.

ABMet is a proven, reliable way to remove elevated levels of selenium, nitrate and metals found in wastewater streams in many industrial, mining and utility applications, such as at coal-fired power plants. The simple, low-energy system can achieve up to 99 percent removal of selenium and can discharge treated effluent containing 5 ppb or less of selenium, depending on wastewater makeup.

In pilot trials performed at Umicore’s Hoboken, Belgium, facility, the ABMet system proved to be the ideal technology for this application. It employs biofilters seeded with selected strains of naturally occurring, non-pathogenic microorganisms to produce treated effluent wastewater that meets or exceeds the stringent regulatory standards for removal of selenium and other heavy metals. The ABMet system at Umicore’s Hoboken plant will be able to treat an average 160 m³/hour (1,013 gpm) of wastewater.

“GE’s ABMet technology is a key part of our strategy to be able to meet new regulations and also to demonstrate Umicore’s commitment to eco-friendly operations,” said Peter van Herck, manager environmental affairs, Umicore Hoboken. “This unique product helps us to meet important, but challenging regulations, because our facility produces a waste stream containing a varying makeup of metals, depending on what we are recycling.”

“GE’s ABMet wastewater bioreactor technology has demonstrated its advantages in many applications in North America, and now we are beginning to roll it out to Europe,” said Jeff Connelly, vice president, engineered systems—water and process technologies for GE Power & Water. “GE always strives to provide the technology and expertise our customers need to solve their most difficult and important problems, and as the Umicore installation shows, this commitment delivers significant benefits to our customer.”

The Hoboken facility recovers a range of precious and specialty metals from recycled consumer and industrial goods, and as a result, produces a highly complex wastewater stream requiring different unit operations to remove and recover metals before discharge.

The ABMet system comprises microbes seeded in a bed of activated carbon that acts as a growth medium so that the microbes can create a biofilm. Wastewater passes through the biofilm and a reduction reaction occurs, facilitating the conversion of soluble selenium into elemental selenium, which is then removed from the system along with other metals and nitrate. A proprietary molasses-based product is used as a nutrient for the microbes, and other than the addition of the nutrient, the system is self-sustaining once established.

About GE
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GE Energy works connecting people and ideas everywhere to create advanced technologies for powering a cleaner, more productive world. With more than 100,000 employees in over 100 countries, our diverse portfolio of product and service solutions and deep industry expertise help our customers solve their challenges locally. We serve the energy sector with technologies in such areas as natural gas, oil, coal and nuclear energy; wind, solar, biogas and water processing; energy management; and grid modernization. We also offer integrated solutions to serve energy- and water-intensive industries such as mining, metals, marine, petrochemical, food & beverage and unconventional fuels.

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*Trademark of General Electric Company; may be registered in one or more countries.

News Release from EPA Region 2

EPA Adds Eighteen Mile Creek in Niagara County, N.Y.

to the Superfund List

Contacts: Mike Basile, (716) 551-4410, basile.michael@epa.gov or Elias Rodriguez, 212-637-3664, rodriguez.elias@epa.gov

(New York, N.Y. – March 13, 2012) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced it has added the Eighteen Mile Creek site in Niagara County, New York to the Superfund National Priorities List of the country’s most hazardous waste sites. Sediment in some areas of the creek is contaminated with harmful chemicals, including polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), heavy metals and dioxin, which can have serious effects on people’s health, wildlife and the environment.

“Contamination in the Eighteen Mile Creek is dangerous to the health of people who eat fish from the creek and to the environment,” said Judith A. Enck, EPA Regional Administrator. “Adding the Eighteen Mile Creek site to the Superfund list will allow the EPA to do the extensive sampling needed to find the best ways to address the contamination and protect people’s health.”

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, in consultation with EPA, previously investigated four former industrial areas in Lockport, New York, known collectively as the Eighteen Mile Creek Corridor site. The site covers the Flintkote Plant site, United Paperboard Company, Upson Park and the White Transportation property. NYSDEC identified six additional areas within the Eighteen Mile Creek watershed where cleanup activities are also needed. The earlier investigations and sampling of sediment in and around Eighteen Mile Creek confirmed the presence of PCBs, mercury, lead, copper, pesticides and dioxin throughout most of the creek. Specific sources of the contamination have not been definitively identified. EPA’s further investigation into the nature and extent of the contamination in and around Eighteen Mile Creek is expected to begin this summer.

Eighteen Mile Creek flows north for approximately 15 miles and discharges into Lake Ontario at Olcott, New York. The creek has a history of industrial use dating back to the 19^th Century when it was used as a source of hydroelectric power. Possible sources of contamination include stormwater discharges and sewage from municipal pipes, pollution from hazardous waste sites or contaminated properties and industrial and municipal waste discharges.

The land within the Eighteen Mile Creek watershed consists primarily of agricultural lands, with residential, commercial and industrial areas located around Lockport, Newfane and Olcott Harbor. There are several wetlands along the contaminated portion of the creek, and people fish in the Eighteen Mile Creek Corridor and other portions of the creek. Fisherman’s Park, a public fishing area located within Eighteen Mile Creek just downstream of Burt Dam, is a major fishing destination.

Nationwide, EPA is proposing to add 10 other sites to the Superfund list today and is designating nine others as final on the list. The EPA periodically proposes sites to the Superfund list and, after responding to public comments, designates them as final Superfund sites. The Superfund final designation makes them eligible for funds to conduct long-term cleanups. The Eighteen Mile Creek site is now designated as final on the Superfund list.

The EPA does an extensive search to identify and locate the parties potentially responsible for the contamination at all sites on the Superfund list. The agency requires responsible parties to pay for or perform the cleanup work with EPA oversight. The majority of Superfund cleanups are performed by or paid for by polluters. Taxpayer dollars are used to cover EPA cleanup costs when no responsible party can be identified.

For more information, visit: http://www.epa.gov/region2/superfund/npl/18milecreek.

Follow EPA Region 2 on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/eparegion2 and visit our Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/eparegion2.

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