Emerging Technology and Environmental Stewardship: Contrasting the Sustainability Impacts of Synthetic Media with Conventional Treatment Approaches

摘要

Background/Objectives. There has been great and renewed interest in synthetic media as a treatment alternative for recalcitrant compounds, but the actual benefits to environmental resource preservation and carbon footprint have not been compared against conventional treatment technologies. This paper will examine two applications where synthetic media has been applied in distinctly different ways. The first application involves removal of color bodies from wastewater for a major U.S. beverage company and is compared to the addition of ozone and/or chlorine (bleaching), commonly applied to the industry. The second application involves treatment of high concentration chlorinated organics at a Gulf Coast chemical facility compared to air and steam stripping with vapor treatment. This paper will share the results of that examination and help conference participants understand how synthetic media can complement sustainability initiatives.