216
I N D U S T R I A L AhrD ENGINEERING C H E M I S T R Y
Vol. 21, No. 3
Figure 1
Treatment of Industrial Wastes from Paper Mills and Tannery on Neponset River’ Almon L. Fales METCALF & EDDY,ENGINEERS, STATLSXBUILDING, BOSTON,MASS.
EPONSET River is a small, and for the most part sluggish, stream in the eastern part of hlassachusetts, emptying into Boston Harbor. This river, including its tributaries, has been used for industrial water supply, and to some extent for power, for a great many years. The industrial wastes were discharged into the river with little or no treatment until with the growth of industries the load on the stream became greater than it could handle. During periods of warm weather and low stream flow the dissolved oxygen in the river water was exhausted, resulting in anaerobic decomposition of the organic matter in the flowing water and in deposits on the bed of the stream, accompanied by the production of offensive odors. The principal sources of pollution were the paper mills of Bird & Son and the Hollingsworth & Vose Company, in East Walpole, and the tannery of Winslow Bros. & Smith Company, in Norwood. These industries, in cooperation with the State Board of Health, started investigation of the problems of wastes treatment about twenty-five years ago. Since that time they have all built works for the treatment of their industrial wastes. The firm of Weston & Sampson has acted as consulting engineers for the Hollingsworth & Vose Company, and the firm of Metcalf & Eddy, for Bird & Son and Winslow Bros. & Smith Company. Hollingsworth & Vose Companya
N
The Hollingsworth & Vose Company manufactures jute and rope manila paper. The stock is cut into short pieces, boiled under pressure, washed to remove foreign matter, disintegrated in the beaters where the fibers are separated and undergo hydrolysis, and then made into paper on the paper machines. The total quantity of industrial wastes produced averages about 5.5 million gallons per day. 1 Presented before the Division of Water, Sewage, and Sanitation at the 76th Meeting of the American Chemical Society, Swampscott, Mass., September 10 to 14, 1928. 8 This description of the wastes treatment plant of the Hollingsworth & Vose Company has been taken from notes prepared by George G. Bogren, assistant sanitary engineer with Weston & Sampson.
The wastes resulting from the boiling of the stock, which amount to about 20,000 gallons daily, and those resulting from the draining of boiled stock, about 45,000 gallons daily, are added to the first portion of the washer wastes for treatment. The wastes from the paper machines, being relatively clean, are used for the first part of the washing of the boiled stock and filtered river water is used for the last part. The last part, or cleaner portion, of the washer wastes is added to the beater wastes. The first part, or dirtier portion, amounting to 1 million gallons daily, is passed through tanks of 169,000 gallons total capacity, providing a settling period of approximately 4 hours. The effluent from these tanks is applied to six filter beds having an aggregate area of 2.25 acres. These beds consist of 3.5 feet in depth of coke or cinders graded into three sizes, the coarsest being a t the bottom. They are underdrained with open-joint tile pipe discharging into Neponset River. The beater wastes result from the circulation of filtered river water through the beaters to remove fine particles and last traces of chemicals. These wastes, amounting to 2.5 to 3.5 million gallons daily, are passed through four sedimentation tanks having a combined capacity of 338,000 gallons providing a settling period of from 2.25 to 3.25 hours. A portion of the effluent from these tanks is applied to four cinder fdter beds having an aggregate area of one acre, and the remainder is discharged directly into the Neponset River. The wash water from the mechanical filters is discharged into the river without treatment, as is the water used in occasional cleaning of the coagulating basins. The sludge from the sedimentation tanks is dewatered on three sand beds having a combined ares of 0.88 acre. The dewatered sludge is piled alongside the river. It has little or no commercial value. Bird & Son, Inc. Bird B Son, Inc., manufactures heavy papers for paper boxes, shipping cases, cartridge paper, etc. The industrial wastes are divided into three classes: boiler wastes from the
INDUSTRIAL A N D ENGINEEKIZIG CIIE.IfIISTRY
March, 1929
boiling of cotton and hemp stock with lye, washer wastes from the washing of boiled stock, and machine wastes from the paper maohines. A sketch of Bird & Son's wastes treatment plant is shown in Figure 1. BoImR WASTESDIsPosAL-The boiler wastes, amounting to 4000 to 5000 gallons per day, are very strongly alkaline and are disposed of on waste land. Tabla I-Enicleney
of Bird & Son Sedimentation Tanks for Washer WSSfeb
(Based on results of analmes by Sfate Department of Health of composite samples collected 8:30 A.M. to 4:30 P. M. November 5, 1914) RAW WASXEPI
WISTIS
P.p . m.
Residue on erapointion: Totel Loss On ignition FiXPd ~~~~~~~
3908 2212 1696
2586 1420 1136
1564 828 736
1992 1124 868
2344 1384 960
564 296 268
34.6 35.8 33.0
DkxOlved solids:
Total Loss on ignition Fixed Suspended solids:
Loss On ignition
Fired Ammonia: Free Albuminoid:
2.16
75.9 78.6 72. I
-
2.36
19.7 10.0
Tl'oid
-21.5 -26.4 -15.2
18.2 15 2 3.0
Disrobed Susoended Y.7 Oxygen consumed (5 min. boiling): 'rotai 480 DiSSOl"
