April 2012 - Power Air Quality Insights 53

Flyash Pond and Wastewater Treatment Issues is Hot Topic Hour on Thursday, May 3 and Friday, May 4, 2012

Because of the strong interest in this subject, we have scheduled eight speakers in two sessions – the first at 10 a.m. (CDT) on Thursday, May 3 and the second at 10 a.m. (CDT) on Friday, May 4. If you register to attend the first session on Thursday, you will automatically be registered for the session on Friday.

It’s been more than three years since the coal ash spill at a TVA plant in Kingston, Tennessee prompted strong public pressure on operators of coal-fired power plants to drain and shut down their coal ash impoundments and on EPA to regulate impoundments and coal combustion residuals (CCRs). CCRs include bottom and flyash, boiler slag and SO₂ scrubber residues and are often referred to collectively as “coal ash.” More than 130 million tons are generated each year.

The EPA proposed either subjecting coal ash to a federal hazardous-waste management law or requiring states to regulate it as a non-hazardous waste. But the proposed EPA regulations have yet to be implemented. Both Senate and House have stepped in and passed bills to either block EPA from regulating CCRs or force EPA to mandate that each state will have the authority to regulate them. However, neither bill has yet resulted in legislation. As a result, a dozen national environmental and public health groups recently announced plans to sue the EPA to force implementation of the proposed rule under the federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.

The net result of all of this activity has been to create great uncertainty for plant operators and increased cost while reducing options for disposing of CCRs. All of the discussion about regulating CCRs as hazardous waste has attached a stigma to beneficial re-use. After growing for ten years to a level where in 2009 44.3 percent of CCRs were recycled to industry as raw materials, the rate is now declining. At the same time, water discharge permits have become increasingly stringent, allowing for the release of only very low concentrations of pollutants in plant effluents making it more difficult to drain ponds.

The following speakers will address the status of proposed federal and state regulations, the potential impacts of the eventual regulations on the coal-fired power plant industry, alternatives to using impoundments to dispose of CCRs, what will need to be done to comply with the expected regulations and systems and technology for eliminating wet ash handling and slurry storage in ponds or reduce wastewater volume as well as treat the wastewater generated by the plant process.

John N. Ward, President of John Ward, Inc, is representing the American Coal Ash Association (ACAA) and will provide an update on coal ash regulatory and legislative issues. Three and a half years have passed since a coal ash impoundment failure in Tennessee prompted the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to initiate rulemaking activities for new coal ash disposal regulations. With no end in sight for the rulemaking, Congress is getting involved and legislation creating new disposal regulations is now the subject of a Transportation Bill conference committee negotiation. Meanwhile, lawsuits against the EPA, new EPA-led risk evaluations of coal ash beneficial use, and an expected Notice of Data Availability related to Steam Effluent Generating Guidelines data are combining to further complicate the regulatory outlook.

James Ballan, Manager of SCM (Supplementary Cementitious Materials) at FLSmidth, Inc, will discuss processes for coal ash beneficiation. For many years coal ash has been in use as a cement additive, soil stabilizer and filler for underground voids such as sink holes and mines. All of the discussion about regulating CCRs as hazardous waste has attached a stigma to the beneficial re-use. This presentation will introduce a concept for the beneficiation of coal ash in one compact system with the flexibility to address both new CCR production and existing impoundments.

Naomi Levy, Lead Industrial Engineer at Infilco-Degremont, Inc, will describe treatment options for both the flyash and the flyash pond leachate. The presentation will include Infilco-Degremont’s (IDI’s) expertise in treating this considerably variable and complex water. Flyash is one of the many byproducts generated in power plant’s operations as a result of the combustion of coal. It contains all the non-combustible minerals that were deposited with the coal and is highly variable. In many places, this residue is being collected in ash ponds. Unless treated or reused, it would stay inside the structure “forever,” potentially being a candidate for a disastrous spill or contributing to the contamination of the water receiving body.

Douglas J. Dahlberg, P.E. at Sargent & Lundy LLC, will discuss how the proposed U.S. EPA coal combustion residuals regulations will impact the power plant and the bottom line. The more recent Oak Creek, Wisconsin generating facility ash-bluff collapse reminded the regulatory agencies of the potential problems associated with ash disposal sites. The critical questions are “What’s this going to cost and how will it affect your power plant’s bottom line?” With proposed rules technically similar to the existing Subtitle D municipal solid waste disposal regulations, CCRs handling and disposal unit costs can be estimated by considering differences and similarities between municipal solid waste and CCRs.

Nick Nelsen, Environmental Specialist at Barr Engineering Company, will discuss how to evaluate projects for handling coal combustion residuals. Disposal capacity limits and recent air regulations are forcing power plants to commit to upgrades for pollution control equipment and disposal facilities before CCRs rules or effluent guidelines are finalized. This presentation will provide recent experience in evaluating immediate project requirements while positioning upgrades to comply with final CCR and effluent guideline regulations. Because utilities are struggling with how to prepare for these changes, the presentation will include specific recommendations on what to do now so that better decisions can be made in these upgrade projects.

Tom Higgins, Technology Fellow Vice President, or Dennis Fink, Environmental Engineer and Sr. Project Manager, Industrial Systems at CH₂M Hill, will discuss CH₂M Hill’s work with power plants to address pressures to close ash ponds. The approach described in this presentation to eliminate ash ponds includes a combination of: eliminating wastewater streams, segregating streams that have stringent regulatory requirements or that adversely affect reuse (total dissolved solids), and treating remaining high volume/easily treatable wastewater for reuse or discharge. Each of the main wastewater streams typically discharged to ponds will be discussed (FGD wastewater, flyash transport water, bottom ash transport water and other plant waste streams), focusing on why and how to eliminate treatment by ponds. Best practices for designing treatment of remaining wastewater will be presented, as will reuse strategies for wastewater discharge minimization or elimination.

Ari Schoen Lewis, Health Scientist at Gradient Corporation, will discuss “Human Health Risk Assessment and the Regulation of Coal Combustion Residues (CCRs).” In support of the Proposed Rule to regulate CCRs, U.S. EPA has published several assessments on the potential human and ecological risks associated with various coal ash disposal practices. This presentation will discuss the risks associated with surface impoundments and how this information was used in the cost-benefit analysis to distinguish among different regulatory options. Also, in light of changing (but as yet unknown) regulations, this presentation will address how human health risk analysis will be important to address future safety concerns associated with disposal and beneficial use of CCR, and the importance of emerging toxicological assessments of the chemical constituents in CCRs (e.g., arsenic, cobalt, chromium).

Answers to this question will be provided on May 10 in a 90 minute webinar conducted by the McIlvaine Company. The merger of Tyco Flow Control and Pentair coupled with the acquisition of Howden by Colfax indicate the recognition of a $330 billion market which covers the movement of gases (including air) and liquids (including water) as well as their control and treatment.

There are a number of very attractive growth segments which provide opportunities for expansion and acquisition. Here are some of them which will be identified and quantified in the session:

· International shipping including ballast water treatment and stack gas cleanup while burning bunker fuels,

· Sales of equipment to reduce air toxics and to regulate water extraction and discharge to receiving streams and lakes,

· New approaches to NO_x and odor control of air and disinfection of water including use of chemicals and UV oxidation techniques,

· Potential for innovative technologies created by a more holistic view of opportunities such as co-locating municipal wastewater treatment and power plants,

· The evaluation of China as both a market for products and services and potential breeding ground of international competition,

· Necessity of evaluating all international growth opportunities through the prism of purchasing parity and adjustments for inflation,

· Leveraging various product combinations for highest growth. The advantages of chemicals, filter media and other consumables as opposed to components, instrumentation or systems.

This session is available free of charge to any subscriber to McIlvaine air or water related market reports. It is available at a price of $400 for non-subscribers. However, this payment is deductible from future report purchases.

On Thursday at 10:00 a.m. Central time, McIlvaine hosts a 90 minute web meeting on important energy and pollution control subjects. Power webinars are free for subscribers to either Power Plant Air Quality Decisions or Utility Environmental Upgrade Tracking System. The cost is $125.00 for non-subscribers. Market Intelligence webinars are free to McIlvaine market report subscribers and are $400.00 for non-subscribers.

DATE	Non-Subscribers Cost	SUBJECT	Webinar Type
April 26, 2012	$125.00	Particulate and Condensable Removal	Power
May 3 and 4,2012	$125.00	Flyash Pond and Wastewater Treatment Issues	Power
May 10, 2012	$400.00	$330 Billion Market for Air/Gas/Water/Liquid/Flow and Treatment (high growth segments plus regulatory, technology, application, and market drivers)	Market Intelligence
May 17, 2012	$125.00	Role of Renewable Energy in U.S. and World	Power
May 24, 2012	$125.00	Status of Carbon Capture Programs and Technology	Power
May 31, 2012	$400.00	Air Pollution Control Markets (geographic trends, regulatory developments, competition, technology developments)	Market Intelligence
June 7, 2012	$125.00	Dry Sorbent Injection and Material Handling in Coal-fired Power Plants Plants	Power
June 14, 2012	$125.00	Report from Power Gen Europe (update on regulations, speaker and exhibitor highlights)	Power
June 21, 2012	$400.00	Pumps and Valves (impacts of mergers, new markets, market drivers, forecasts)	Market Intelligence
June 28, 2012	$125.00	Greenhouse Gas Strategies for Coal-fired Plant Operators	Power
July 12, 2012	$125.00	CFB Technology and Clean Coal (Update on CFB Reactor Technology)	Power
July 19, 2012	$400.00	Future for Coal, Gas, Nuclear and Renewables (forecasts by region and discussion of market drivers and regulatory constraints)	Market Intelligence
July 26, 2012	$125.00	Beneficial Byproducts of Coal Combustion and Gasification	Power
August 2, 2012	$125.00	Mercury Control and Removal Status and Cost	Power
August 9, 2012	$400.00	Filter Media (forecasts and market drivers for media used in air, gas, liquid, fluid applications both mobile and stationary)	Market Intelligence
August 16, 2012	$125.00	Report from Coal-gen (highlights of speeches and exhibitions)	Power
August 23, 2012	$125.00	Report from Mega Symposium (highlights of speeches and exhibitions at this important air pollution conference)	Power
August 30, 2012	$400.00	Instrumentation for Air, Gas, Water, Liquids (forecasts , market shares, growth segments)

Droughts, contamination and growth are creating markets for flow and treatment of water which exceed GDP. In some segments, double-digit growth is forecast for the coming decade. McIlvaine has identified these high growth segments in its various water related market reports.

The segment with the highest growth rate is ballast water treatment for vessels. Presently, a few hundred systems are installed in vessels for the purpose of preventing the escape of potentially invasive species to the lakes and harbors where freight is loaded and ballast water is discharged. Over the next eight years, more than 50,000 ships will be fitted with systems costing as much as $1 million each. Filters to remove particles larger than 50 microns will be included in each system.

A means to kill organisms, such as ultraviolet light, ozone oxidation, or chemicals will be necessary. Because large amounts of water have to be discharged in relatively short periods, there will be a significant opportunity for the suppliers of pumps and valves. These systems will be highly instrumented both to insure effectiveness and minimize consumables costs. Additional monitoring instrumentation will need to be acquired by testing firms and laboratories to serve more than 500 ports around the world.

Unconventional gas and oil exploration and processing will also generate fast growing markets for water treatment and flow products and services. Proposed U.S. EPA regulations as well as regulations already in place in Pennsylvania and other states will result in substantial investment in systems to treat produced water from various extraction operations and flow back water from shale fracturing.

A number of very expensive treatment systems and recovery of water through evaporation are in the planning stages. Filters are challenged to remove dissolved solids which can be as high as 25 percent of the total fluid being processed. Pumps and valves have to deal with very high levels of corrosive chlorides and other difficult chemicals.

Extensive monitoring systems will be required to measure water quality in groundwater and aquifers. There will need to be early investments to determine baseline contamination prior to drilling. Due to this lack of a baseline, it is presently unclear whether some of the problems are a result of drilling or were pre-existing.

There are many double-digit geographic growth segments. Desalination activity will remain at a high level in the Middle East, but will not grow as fast as it will in China and a number of other countries. Sales of systems and products to treat municipal wastewater and drinking water will grow at double-digit rates in a number of developing countries.

There are also certain product categories which will enjoy double-digit growth. One example is the high pressure pumps needed to move millions of gallons of water, sand and chemicals down two miles at high pressure to fracture shale. Another example is elecrtrodeionization which is finding uses in ultrapure water, desalination and even treatment of water for fracking.

The sales of equipment and chemicals to power plants for the purpose of flue gas desulfurization (FGD) will total more than $16 billion dollars this year. This is the latest finding in the McIlvaine publication World FGD Markets. (www.mcilvainecompany.com)

The largest segment will be new wet calcium systems. These will mostly be systems using limestone as a reagent and making calcium sulfate (gypsum) for wall board consumption. A much smaller segment will use circulating dry scrubbing, spray dryer absorbers (SDA) or direct lime injection.

Over 90 percent of the installed base of systems dating back to 1968 are limestone systems. Due to the corrosive atmosphere, replacement needs are substantial. Some of these systems are also being upgraded to higher efficiency. As a result, over $3 billion will be spent in 2012 for parts and upgrades of existing wet calcium systems.

Limestone is by far the most popular reagent. However, its cost is considerably less than lime. As a result, the total revenues are only twice that of lime. Other chemicals are also being used. Ammonia is one reagent which results in a salable ammonium sulfate fertilizer. Amines are also being used in systems which produce sulfuric acid as a byproduct. There are a number of treatment chemicals used to purify FGD wastewater and prevent scaling and foaming in the scrubber systems. One approach chemically fixes the FGD sludge with the addition of lime.

China is the largest purchaser of new systems and the largest consumer of limestone. The U.S. has passed rules relative to air toxics which will encourage dry lime injection and will boost the market for this reagent. India has opted for seawater systems which do not use any major reagent. The alkalinity in the seawater is sufficient to capture the SO₂. The seawater being discharged is slightly warmer and has marginally higher sulfates than the raw seawater. (This approach will also be used by vessels to scrub the SO₂ created by the burning of bunker fuel. (However, the vessel and industrial FGD markets are not included in these forecasts.)

The markets in Western Europe, Taiwan and South Korea are mostly retrofit and repair as virtually all plants are fitted with FGD. Eastern Europe is investing heavily in FGD to meet membership requirements for the European Union.

A good program and exhibition warrant a trip to the Baltimore Convention Center next month. Here are the details:

McIlvaine will be taking stand pictures and reporting on the insights gained from discussions with speakers and stand personnel. Bob will be available for meetings with any of the subscribers. You can make arrangements by emailing him at: rmcilvaine@mcilvainecompany.com. Here are the environmental speakers:

EP12 Session 7A & 8A: Clearing the Air on Air Emission Regulations: A Panel Discussion

Product	$ Millions
Dry lime scrubbing including SDA and dry injection	900
Dry lime repair parts including atomizers	200
Wet calcium systems	6,600
Wet calcium replacement and repair	4,000
Lime	1,500
Limestone	3,000
Other chemicals	300
Total	16,500

	A panel of industry authorities present and discuss the current EPA air regulations and their impact on the electric power industry.
Chair:	Mr. Michael Morris, P.E., Vice President, ZACHRY
Moderator:	Robert Peltier. Ph.D. PE, Editor-in-Chief, POWER magazine
Panelists:	Dr. Robert Wayland, Leader, Energy Strategies Group, US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
	Frank Prager, Vice President, Environmental Policy and Services, Xcel Energy
	Block Andrews, Director of Strategic Environmental Solutions, Burns & McDonnell - Energy Division
	Jay Holloway, Partner, Winston & Strawn, LLP
	Janet Gellici*, CEO, American Coal Council

	This session will present design considerations and operating results of dry sorbent injection for the control of SO2 & HCl, sorbent selection and injection technologies.
Chair:	Mark Nagel. PE, Station Director, Midwest Generation EME LLC
Co-Chair:	David Paz, P.E., Regional Sales Manager, Hitachi Power Systems
Speaker(s):	Utility MACT Compliance Strategy David A. Parks, Environmental Associate, Sargent & Lundy LLC Co-Author(s): John Klumpyan, NRG Representative, NRG Energy, Inc. David Park, Environmental Associate, Sargent & Lundy LLC
	Dry Injection of Sodium Sorbents for HCl and SO2 Mitigation - Effects of Using Mills Yougen Kong, Technical Development Manager, Solvay Chemicals
	Improvements in SO2 and SO3 Removal Performance in DSI Injection when using Conditioned Air for Trona Transloading and Milling Jarret McClendon, Applications Engineer, NatronX Co-Author(s): Robert Byrne, Applications Engineer, NatronX Technologies, LLC

	This session will present design and environmental performance consideration for upgrading existing electrostatic precipitators.
Chair:	Kevin Dougherty, VP Business Development and Marketing, Fuel Tech Inc
Co-Chair:	Robert Hollinsworth, Maintenance Superintendent at KCPL’s Hawthorn Station, Kansas City Power & Light Co.
Speaker(s):	Electrostatic Precipitator from Worst to Best Dennis Shanahan, Electrostatic Precipitator Product Manager, Clyde Bergemann Power Group Co-Author(s): Tom Henderson, PrincipalEngineer - Engineering and Construction Services, Santee Cooper
	New and Novel Technology for Introducing High Frequency, DC Energy Into ESP’s for Improved Performance and Reliability Dave Jackson, Technology Manager - Environmental Controls, Stock Equipment Company Co-Author(s): Jason Horn, Business Development Manager – Environmental Controls, Stock Equipment Company
	ESP Versus Baghouse Comparative Study Mick Chambers, Director of Precontract Operations, Southern Environmental

	This session explores the industry’s experience with activated carbon injection and other technologies for controlling Hg emissions from coal-fired power plants. Hg control performance for different coal types will be reviewed and strategies for complying with the utility MACT rule will be discussed.
Chair:	Robert Hollinsworth, Maintenance Superintendent at KCPL’s Hawthorn Station, Kansas City Power & Light Co.
Co-Chair:	Mike Gregory, District Sales Engineer, Babcock & Wilcox
Speaker(s):	Simple and Effective Method to Control Mercury Reemissions from FGDs Bruce Keiser, Research Fellow, Nalco Company Co-Author(s): John Meier, Director - Mercury Solutions, Nalco Company Wayne Carlson, Senior Research and Development Manager, Nalco Company
	Enhanced Mercury Removal with an Electrostatic Precipitator Geoffrey Urwin, Sales Engineer, Clyde Bergemann Power Group
	ACI and DSI Systems: Procurement Planning for MATS Jim Mitchell, Director of Sales and Marketing, ADA-ES, Inc
	Options for Utility MATS Compliance using ESP enhancements and Mer-Cure technology Richard LaFlesh, Principal Consulting Design Engineer, Alstom Power Co-Author(s): John Iovino, Product Manager, Alstom Power Tapan Mukherjee, Director Business Development, Alstom Thermal Services

	This session will address wet and dry FGD design, performance, operations and maintenance issues. Session Sub-Topics: · FGD design and performance · FGD O&M · FGD balance of plant effects · FGD material selection
Chair:	Mr. Yiu-Lam( Albert) Lau, Performance Engineering, GenOn Energy
Co-Chair:	Jim Sims, Director. Marketing & Communications, Babcock Power, Inc.
Speaker(s):	An Update on the Gas Suspension Absorbers at Point Comfort, TX Mike Widico, VP, Business Development, Lodge Cottrell Inc.
	Recent Operating Results of the Five New Wet FGD Installations For Ameren Corporation Bruce Studley, VP. After Market Services, Hitachi Power Systems Co-Author(s): Robert Nicolo, AQCS Product Director, Hitachi Power Systems Steve Mosch, Director, Air Quality Control Systems Engineering, Hitachi Power Systems America, Ltd.
	Wet FGD Compact Absorber Arrangement in Concrete Chimney: Structural and Process Innovations Mitchell Krasnopoler, Manager, Air Quality, Kiewit Power Engineers Co-Author(s): Tim Dement, Eng, Kiewit Power Engineers Anand Mahabaleshwarkar, Senior Project Manager AQCS, Kiewit Power Engineers Stephen Henson, Process Engineer, Kiewit / TIC Steve Frankosky, OR Trade Show Coordinator, T.E. Ibberson Company

	This session will focus on SCR technology for NOx reduction. Topics will include planning for retrofits, SCR reagent options and catalyst management strategies.
Chair:	Melanie Green, P.E., Senior Manager, CPS Energy
Co-Chair:	Mr. Yiu-Lam( Albert) Lau, Performance Engineering, GenOn Energy
Speaker(s):	Project Planning Contributes To Smooth Project: William Siegfriedt, Project Manager, Sargent & Lundy Co-Author(s): Andrew Carstens, Process Engineer, Sargent & Lundy Gavino Perez, Jr., Project Manager, CPS Energy Lisa Hufstetler, Project Manager, CPS Energy
	Improvements in Catalyst to Enhance Performance of the SCR and Minimize the Cost Impact of Compliance with the New Regulations Kyle Neidig, Hitachi Power Systems America, Ltd.
	Improving SCR Efficiency by Eliminating Buildup with a Combination of Sonic Horns and Air Cannons Jeff Shelton, Global Bus. Develop. Mgr., Martin Engineering