ARCLIN USA

Arclin USA owns and operates a thermosetting resin plant near Andalusia, Alabama. The facility treats and discharges a combination of boiler blowdown, cooling tower blowdown and contact stormwater. The wastewaters are comingled to an unlined aerated lagoon. Chemical addition is provided at the pond for pH adjustment and chlorine is added for disinfection. The wastewater is discharged to an un-named tributary of the Conecuh River. During the last permitting cycle, the facility was cited for violating its permitted discharge limits for copper and biochemical oxygen demand. Further, the effluent permit limits were based on the 10-year 7-day low flow of the un-named stream, 0.00 cfs, which resulted in the limits being applied at the end of pipe. Therefore, Arclin USA desired to develop an alternative and more reliable means of treatment and disposal of their wastewater and stormwater.

Mr. Rogers led a team of engineers and plant operators in an analysis of alternative wastewater treatment and disposal systems for the facility. Several alternatives were considered including chemical coagulation, reverse osmosis, evaporation, ion exchange, pumping to the nearest municipal wastewater treatment facility, and relocation of the existing discharge to the Conecuh River to gain advantage of the dilution afforded by the larger river. The team prepared preliminary, 30% designs, drawings and cost estimates for these several alternatives.
​
Arclin initially selected pumping and discharge to the nearest municipal wastewater treatment facility in Andalusia. However, the City denied Arclin's request for a permit to discharge to the nearest up-stream manhole citing concerns for the character of the wastewater. Subsequently, Arclin selected the alternative to relocate the discharge to the Conecuh River. Mr. Rogers was instrumental in negotiating final effluent discharge limits and permitting by the Alabama Department of Environmental Quality.