LETTERS helping to solve energy and environmental problems
Drinking biorefractories
Dear Sir: Our laboratory staff of Rotterdam Water Supply read the article on drinking biorefractories (ES&T. Jan. 1973, p 14) with great interest. We are producing water from the highly polluted river Rhine and did some analytical work on volatile industrial solvents by a self-developed headspace technique. The substances we could detect thus far match with some of the 34 chemicals given in the blue table on page 14. Our findings are published in the Water Treatment a n d Examination. Vol. 21, 1972, pp 259-74. Our latest results were published in Vol. 23, June 1974. We fully agree with your comments that other industrial waste treatment must be found. We wish you in the U.S. all the success. In Europe it took 20 years of negotiations by the International River Rhine Committee before some success was achieved.
engineering of the sanitary landfill site for this reason. Although sludge cake at 30-35% solids is autogenous and no auxiliary fuel is required during normal operation once the MHF is up to temperature, start-up fuel requirements may be very large in plants designed to serve growing populations in which the original installation has been sized to meet a future capacity requirement. Such plants will operate the MHF's only a few days a week during the early years, often on a single-shift basis, which can be very expensive fuelwise. Often it would be preferable to: a ) install the units o n a staged basis, in parallel with load requirements as the plant load increases. or b) combine the sludge incineration function with refuse (solid waste) incineration, using the refuse as a "free fuel" for start-up purposes, or c ) when the plant is very small ( 1 or 2 m g d ) , it may be more economical to select fluidized bed incineration equipment. whose "thermal flywheel" characteristics are very effective in reducing start-up fuel requirements. James A. Fife
Chas. T. Main, Inc. Boston, Mass. 02199
J. J. Rook, Chief Chemist
NUS Corporation offers complete design, procurement, installation, maintenance, and data evaluation services for meteorological, air quality, and hyd ro Iog i cal monitor i ng systems. To assure the accuracy of the data and the high degree of system reliability required by current federal and state regulatory authorities, many NUS designed systems are computer controlled and have features that periodically and automatically provide for instrument calibration and for monitoring important instrument as well as site parameters. NUS can demonstrate, therefore, that the data collected and recorded by these systems are valid and suitable for analysis or, by appropriate alarms, immediately establish the need for equipment repair. To solve environmental monitoring problems, call NUS.
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Environmental Science & Technolog
Rotterdam Waterworks The Netherlands Sludge incineration
Dear Sir: In a sense, it's unfortunate that the PAT report (ES&T. May 1974, p 412) concentrated so strongly on Envirotech, BSP equipment. I t leads a reader to think that this may be the only source available. At least two other firms are also well established in the MHF (multiple hearth furnace) field, and these are: Nichols Engineering and Research Corp. (New York, N.Y.) and MSI Industries, Inc. (Denver, Colo.). Nichols, particularly, has been a competitor of BSP's in this field for many years. while M S I . with long experience in MHF's for industrial use, has entered the municipal water pollution control field more recently. All three firms should be contacted by anyone specifying this type of equipment who is interested in obtaining competitive bids. There are indications in the article that these systems produce inert ash. The meaning is that the ash is biologically inert, of which there is little question. By no means, however, should anyone overlook the fact that the ash may not be chemically inert, and the article does mention a high phosphate content sludge ash being marketed in Japan as a fertilizer. Phosphorus would be considered a x i m e water pollutant. as would any Tetals contained in the sludge which n i g h t be leached out of an ash landfill, Particular care is required in the
Peterson interview
Dear Sir: The format of your interview with Dr. Russell W. Peterson, Chairman of the President's Council on Environmental Quality (ES&T. April 1974, p 3 0 3 ) , is one of the best to date because it highlights a wide range of salient issues in a limited space. As conveyed by the three photographs, including the cover, Dr. Peterson is a very dynamic man to inverview, and certainly dedicated to the cause of the environment. In some future issues, may I urge that you also interview the other Council members, Mr. John Busterud and Dr. Beatrice Willard. Such interviews might be equally interesting and informative. since the Council is in a pivotal position in this national administration to influence the course of events on both policy and implementation. Scott D. Hamilton, Jr.
Conservation Council for Hawaii Honolulu, Hawaii 96815 Debunking scrap rates discrimination
Dear Sir: I have belatedly learned of and read an article entitled, "Transportation: bugaboo of scrap iron recycling," by Herschel Cutler and Gerald S. Goldman (ES&T. May 1973. p 408). I am employed by a railroad and. not surprisingly. take exception to much of the article. However, if unjust rate discrimination were found to exist by an impartial body (the ICC presumably falls in
