AWT - Analyst - Winter2019 012819 SMALL RES PDF

Volume 26 Number 1
1300 Piccard Drive, Suite LL 14 • Rockville, MD 20850 Winter 2019

the Analyst The Voice of the Water Treatment Industry
What Are Practical Approaches to Improve RO Technology?

Part 1: Keys to Successful IX Resin Storage
Can Hydrophobic Modifications to Polymers Achieve Better
Carbonate Scale Control?
Volume 26 Number 1 Winter 2019
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Cover
A hydroxide-form
Type 1 gel
strong-base anion
resin.
Courtesy:
ResinTech Inc.
Winter 2019 Volume 26 Number 1
10 What Are Practical Approaches to Improve RO Technology? 4 Calendar of Events

Michael Boyd, Desalitech Inc.
Reverse osmosis (RO) is the primary technology used in the desalination of industrial water 6 President’s Message
and treating wastewater for reuse. Although the technology is very effective at removing
salts, it has many limitations and pain points associated with its operation. These include
low recovery rates, fouling and membrane scaling, high clean-in-place (CIP) frequencies, 8 Message From the
short membrane life, difficulty in managing variations in feedwater quality, compromised President-Elect
permeate quality, and high operating costs, among others. The key to solving all of these
issues ultimately comes down to thinking outside the box and reinventing the basic
filtration process starting from scratch.
50 Industry Notes
26 Part 1: Keys to Successful IX Resin Storage 54 Association News

Peter Meyers, ResinTech Inc.
Generally, ion exchange (IX) resins may be safely stored for two to five years (or longer) 56 Membership Benefits
without significant chemical or physical deterioration. Numerous exceptions exist, and
salt-form resins (neutral pH) store better than hydrogen (H) or hydroxide (OH) forms. Indoor 58 T.U.T.O.R.
climate-controlled storage in the original shipping containers is ideal. Precautions should
always be taken to store IX resins in their original undamaged shipping containers. These
should be kept in sheltered, reasonably well-ventilated areas, protected from extremes of 66 Making a Splash
heat or cold and from rain or other forms of moisture. Following these precautions, there is
little or no concern regarding the shelf life of the stored resins. So, with reasonable care, IX 67 CWT Spotlight
resins can be stored for five years or longer without any ill effects.
68 Ask the Experts
34 Can Hydrophobic Modifications to Polymers Achieve Better
Carbonate Scale Control? 69 Capital Eyes
Klin Rodrigues, Ph.D., and Jan Sanders, Nouryon (formerly AkzoNobel)
It is a known fact that nonionic modifications of polymers improve scale control 70 Financial Matters
performance. These nonionic modifications can be hydrophilic or hydrophobic. The role of
hydrophobic modifications of polymers for carbonate scale control has not yet been widely
studied. This article will investigate the impact of hydrophobic substitutions of polymers for 72 Business Notes
carbonate scale control in cooling water systems.
74 Advertising Index
3 the Analyst Volume 26 Number 1

1300 Piccard Drive, Suite LL 14 Calendar of Events
Rockville, MD 20850
(301) 740-1421 • (301) 990-9771 (fax)
Association Events
www.awt.org
2019 AWT Board of Directors

President 2019 Technical Training
David Wagenfuhr
President-Elect West East
Thomas Branvold, CWT February 27–March 2, 2019 March 27–30, 2019
Secretary DoubleTree San Diego–Mission Valley Hotel Annapolis
Michael Bourgeois, CWT San Diego, California Annapolis, Maryland
Treasurer
Matt Jensen, CWT 2019 Annual Convention & Exposition
Immediate Past President September 11–14, 2019
Marc Vermeulen, CWT
Palm Springs Convention Center and Renaissance Hotel
Directors
Steven Hallier, CWT Palm Springs, California
Stephanie Keck, CWT
Andy Kruck, CWT 2020 Annual Convention & Exposition
Bonnee Randall
September 30–October 3, 2020
Ex-Officio Supplier Representative
Garrett S. Garcia Louisville Convention Center and Omni Hotel
Past Presidents Louisville, Kentucky
Jack Altschuler Mark R. Juhl
John Baum, CWT Brian Jutzi, CWT 2021 Annual Convention & Exposition
R. Trace Blackmore, CWT, Bruce T. Ketrick Jr., CWT September 22–25, 2021
LEED AP Bruce T. Ketrick Sr., CWT
D.C. “Chuck” Brandvold, Ron Knestaut Providence Convention Center and Omni Hotel
CWT Robert D. Lee, CWT Providence, Rhode Island
Brent W. Chettle, CWT Mark T. Lewis, CWT
Dennis Clayton Steven MacCarthy, CWT
Bernadette Combs, CWT, Anthony J. McNamara, CWT 2022 Annual Convention & Exposition
LEED AP James Mulloy September 21–24, 2022
Matt Copthorne, CWT Alfred Nickels Vancouver Convention Centre
James R. Datesh Scott W. Olson, CWT
John E. Davies, CWT William E. Pearson II, CWT Vancouver, Canada
Jay Farmerie, CWT William C. Smith
Gary Glenna Marc Vermeulen, CWT 2023 Annual Convention & Exposition
Charles D. Hamrick Jr., CWT Casey Walton, B.Ch.E, CWT
Joseph M. Hannigan Jr., CWT Larry A. Webb October 4–7, 2023
Grand Rapids Convention Center and Amway Grand Hotel
Staff Grand Rapids, Michigan
Executive Director
Heidi J. Zimmerman, CAE Also, please note that the following AWT committees meet on a monthly
Deputy Executive Director
Sara L. Wood, MBA, CAE basis. All times shown are Eastern Time. To become active in one of these
Senior Member Services Manager committees, please contact us at (301) 740-1421.
Angela Pike
Vice President, Meetings Second Tuesday of each month, 11:00 am – Legislative/Regulatory Committee 
Grace L. Jan, CMP, CAE Second Tuesday of each month, 2:30 pm – Convention Committee
Meetings Manager
Morgan Prior Second Wednesday of each month, 11:00 am – Business Resources Committee
Exhibits and Sponsorship Manager Second Friday of each month, 10:00 am – Special Projects Subcommittee 
Barbara Bienkowski, CMP
Second Friday of each month, 11:00 am – Cooling Subcommittee 
Exhibits and Sponsorship Associate Manager
Brandon Lawrence Second Friday of each month, 2:00 pm – Pretreatment Subcommittee 
Marketing Director Third Monday of each month, 9:00 am – Certification Committee 
Julie Hill
Production Manager
Third Monday of each month, 3:30 pm – Young Professionals Task Force
Jennifer Olivares Third Tuesday of each month, 3:00 pm – Education Committee 
Website Manager Third Friday of each month, 9:00 am – Boiler Subcommittee 
Jeyin Lee
Technical Writer/Copy Editor Third Friday of each month, 10:00 am – Technical Committee
Lynne Agoston Quarterly (call for meeting dates), 11:00 am – Wastewater Subcommittee 
Accountant
Dawn Rosenfeld
The Analyst Staff

Publisher
Heidi J. Zimmerman, CAE
Other Industry Events
CTI, Annual Conference, February 5–9, 2019, New Orleans, Louisiana
Managing Editor
Lynne Agoston ASHE, PDC Summit, March 17–20, 2019, Phoenix, Arizona
Technical Editor NACE, Corrosion Conference & Expo, March 24–28, 2019, Nashville, Tennessee
Michael Henley
(303) 324-9507 ACS, Spring National Meeting & Expo, March 31–April 4, 2019, Orlando, Florida
mdhenleywater@gmail.com WQA, Aquatech Meeting, April 23–26, 2019, Las Vegas, Nevada
Advertising Sales
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President’s Message By David Wagenfuhr
At AWT, we define ourselves • The water treatment community will continue

by holding onto our principles to be engaged in the important work of resource
and values while embracing the conservation and responsibility.
excitement of the future. With this • We will support the excellence of our members
in mind, in November 2018, the and the dedication of the volunteers that
board of directors approved a new characterize AWT.
strategic plan to guide AWT. The
plan reflects the collaborative efforts of the entire AWT We hope you will share our excitement for the AWT
community and the aspirations of that community for strategic plan and that you will join us as we begin to
our great association. implement that plan. This is an exciting time in our
history, and an opportunity to engage the entire AWT
AWT is focusing on four strategic outcomes. community in building the future for this remarkable
association. We encourage you to get involved and help
• Outcome 1—Training and Education: AWT’s us as we work to achieve our outcomes.
membership heavily utilizes the premier business
and technical resources for the water treatment I would also like to remind you of two upcoming events
industry through technologically advanced happening in the coming months.
delivery mechanisms.
• Outcome 2—Member and Industry Advocate: Benchmarking Survey
AWT is the recognized advocate for the water The data from the financial benchmarking survey is
treatment industry, including creating a workforce crucial to all water treatment companies, and your
pipeline, and is known for its contributions by participation is critical to our having current information
members, the public, and especially the younger on our industry. In addition to obtaining complimentary
generation. survey results, participants will also receive a compli-
• Outcome 3—An Engaged Membership: AWT mentary STEM kit they can use at their local school. Be
has increased its membership and is known for sure to participate in the survey.
enhanced communication that encourages a
diverse, engaged membership to continuously AWT Training
design a relevant association. AWT Training will be held February 27–March
• Outcome 4—Charity Focused on Water: AWT 2 in San Diego, California, and March 27–30 in
demonstrates its commitment to global clean Annapolis, Maryland. Every year, the sessions are
water as “the first environmentalists” through its revised and updated based on feedback received from
charitable pursuits related to water. attendees. Programs include Sales, RO, Fundamentals
and Applications, Wastewater (San Diego Only), and
By focusing on the strategic outcomes: Water Treatment training sessions. Sign up now at
www.awt.org.
• AWT will be training the water treatment
workforce of the future. As always, I welcome your feedback and can be reached
• AWT’s members will be valued for the service at president@awt.org.
they provide, not just the products they provide.

Bio-Source is a specialty consulting, toll blender, repackager and distributor of EPA
registered non-oxidizing and oxidizing biocides. We also distribute a wide range of raw
materials commonly used to formulate boiler and cooling water products. All biocides
can be resold under the manufacturer’s label or private labeled through a subregistration.
All private labels will be printed and maintained current with EPA by Bio-Source.
BIOCIDES RAW MATERIALS
Bromicide Tablets ( BCDMH ) PMA & PAA
Bromicide Granules Maleic acid Copolymers / Terpolymers
Sodium Bromide ( 40 % ) PCA
Stabilized Liquid Bromine PCA / AMPS
Trichlor / NaBr POCA
Dichlor / NaBr AA / AMPS
DBNPA ( 20 % ) ATMP
DBNPA ( 5 % ) HEDP
DBNPA Tablets ( 40 % ) PBTC
Glutaraldehyde ( 50, 45, 25, 15 % ) TTA ( 50 % )
Glut / Quat Blends The Copper Bullet ( TT / BZT / HTT ), 38 %
Isothiazolin ( 1.5 % ) Cyclohexylamine
Isothiazolin ( 1.5 % Cu Free ) DEAE
Isothiazolin / Bronopol Blend Morpholine
Terbutylazine ( 4 % ) DEHA
TTPC ( 5 % ) Sodium Molybdate Dihydrate
TTPC / WSCP ( 5 % ) Sodium Molybdate Crystals
WSCP ( 60 % ) Carbohydrazide
THPS, Various Concentrations Erythorbic acid
Hydrogen Peroxide / Silver Blends SPECIALTY PRODUCT
DTEA IITM Biodispersant
VOLUME DISCOUNT PRICING IN BOTH PAILS AND DRUMS
MULTIPLE STOCKING LOCATIONS
IN BUSINESS SINCE 1991
www.biosourceinc.com Integrity in Life.

john@biosourceinc.com Integrity in Business.
P.O. Box 2386 * Dacula, GA 30019 * 770 / 978-1443 * ( FAX ) 770-978-4165

Message From the President-Elect By Tom Brandvold, CWT
If you are like me, your life orbits Educational Program

around water. Beyond being a We have received a record number of abstracts for this
necessity, water is what we do. year’s convention. We will have a solid program with
Its use and misuse create oppor- quality sessions, including more panel discussions and
tunities for all of us. Do you ever educational workshops.
stop and wonder how something
as simple as a couple hydrogen atoms and an oxygen Golf Tournament
atom can be so complex? How can a molecule with an The golf tournament will be held at Indian Wells Golf
atomic mass of 17 and only nine electrons be a universal Resort—one of the few properties to have two courses
solvent and absorb, store, and release heat better than ranked in the Top 25 “Best Municipal Courses in the
almost anything and exist in all three physical states United States” by Golfweek Magazine. In addition to
at the temperatures we encounter on Earth? Therein spectacular mountain views, the par-72 Celebrity Course
lies the Magic of Water, our theme for the 2019 Annual features breathtaking fairways and flowing water in the
Convention & Exposition. form of streams, brooks, and split-level lakes connected
by striking waterfalls, with vibrant floral detail. This
Palm Springs, California, will be the place to be course is unrivaled in beauty and playability. From start
September 11–14, as the water treatment industry to finish, the Celebrity Course offers an unmatched golf
gathers for robust technical and educational sessions, the experience. You won’t want to miss the chance to play at
tradeshow, and networking and social functions. this incredible location.
Keynote Address Annual Reception and Awards Dinner

Our keynote address will be delivered by Ryan Oakes. We’re also looking forward to a great Annual Reception
With almost 20 years of experience performing as a and Awards Dinner, which will again take place on
magician and mentalist, Ryan is one of the country’s Thursday evening to allow more people to celebrate
most sought-after corporate entertainers, averaging over with us. We’ll be celebrating in style this year, with a
100 appearances per year. A decorated veteran in the red-carpet magical event. It will be a fun time and a nice
field of magic, Ryan is the youngest person ever to win way to honor our award recipients and include entertain-
the Society of American Magicians’ National Magic ment from Ryan Oakes.
Competition, one of the highest honors in magic. Since
then, Ryan has performed at literally thousands of Mark your calendars now for the 2019 Annual
events, including an appearance at the White House. Convention & Exposition!
Ryan will help us understand the importance of having
a WOW factor in our dealings with customers and pros- As we plan and prepare for Palm Springs, I welcome
pects. He will also touch on techniques we can all use in your input and feedback. I can be reached at
client negotiations. carmac@premierwater.com.

West East
February 27–March 2, 2019 March 27–30, 2019
DoubleTree San Diego–Mission Valley Hotel Annapolis
San Diego, California Annapolis, Maryland
Training Available
Polymeric-Membrane Separation Technologies RO/Ultrafiltration Training: This one-day in-
depth course is suited for anyone looking for a better understanding of reverse osmosis, ultrafil-
tration, EDI, or related membrane technologies.
Sales Training: This interactive “how to” session will give you the practical knowledge you will
need to develop yourself, your business, and your brand.
Fundamentals and Applications Training: The Fundamentals and Applications course is de-
signed for service technicians new to the industry. This highly interactive class brings the me-
chanical room into the classroom and focuses on real-world examples; attendees learn directly
from leaders in the industry as well as their peers.
Water Treatment Training: This intensive three-day training covers regulatory and safety issues,
water chemistry and testing, calculations, boiler water treatment, cooling water chemistry, and
much more.
Wastewater Treatment (San Diego Only): This comprehensive three-day course, only offered in San
Diego, will cover all aspects of wastewater treatment, including influent and effluent clarification,
solids removal and dewatering, chemical application, and how to screen products for application.
Sign up today at www.awt.org

What Are Practical Approaches to
Improve RO Technology?
Michael Boyd, Desalitech Inc.
Reverse osmosis (RO) is the primary technology used in beverage company reduced its water footprint and costs
the desalination of industrial water and treating waste- while meeting corporate sustainability goals. Case Study
water for reuse. Although the technology is very effective 2 reviews how a paper mill in the Sonoran Desert was
at removing salts, it has many limitations and pain points able to double production, extend CIP frequency, and
associated with its operation. These include low recovery reduce energy and chemical costs.
rates, fouling and membrane scaling, high clean-in-place
(CIP) frequencies, short membrane life, difficulty in In Case Study 3, we will examine how a Fortune 50
managing variations in feedwater quality, compromised company in the Midwest was able to adapt to a variable
permeate quality, and high operating costs, among feedwater to meet stringent ingredient water specifica-
others. The key to solving all of these issues ultimately tions. Case Study 4 examines how a Southern Californian
comes down to thinking outside the box and reinventing a power company upgraded all their peaking power plants
the basic filtration process starting from scratch. to increase reliability and reduce operational costs by
85%, saving more than $1 million at each plant. In Case
In traditional multistage RO systems, recovery, flux and Study 5 we will examine water treatment at a pharmaceu-
crossflow are coupled, so managing efficiency and perfor- tical facility, while Case Study 6 looks at treating waste-
mance is a balancing act. The systems are either reliable, water for reuse by California municipal plants.
but inefficient, or efficient, but unreliable. There are ways
to optimize this balancing act using hybrid-staging or Closed Circuit RO
inter-stage booster pumps. However, this comes at the The CCRO processA (1–4) is illustrated in Figure 1. The
sacrifice of operational flexibility. While the industry
system operates in two modes: closed circuit at 100%
has made significant advancements to individual aspects
recovery and in plug flow or flushing mode at 15% to
of the RO process (i.e., membrane elements, variable 50% recovery. A high-pressure pump (HPP) feeds a
frequency drive [VFD] pump motors, and analytical closed loop comprising a single-stage of membrane
equipment), none of these advancements have come from elements and a circulation pump (CP). Multiple pressure
optimization of the fundamental design. vessels are operated in parallel with short membrane
arrays. Permeate is
The mass adop- produced at a rate
“In the past, the traditional multistage RO systems
tion of a newly equal to the flow-
emerging closed would be designed and operated based on a single rate of the HPP.
circuit reverse point in time, which was the worst-case condition Brine is recir-
osmosis (CCRO) culated without
technology across over the course of the year.” depressurization.
multiple indus-
tries represents a When a desired
fundamental breakthrough in RO technology since its recovery percentage is reached, brine is purged from the
commercialization in the 1960s. The simple solution system, displaced by feedwater from the high-pressure
combines the benefits of dead-end filtration with the pump in a single plug-flow (PF) sweep. Brine displace-
strengths of crossflow filtration. Using standard compo- ment is executed without stopping the high-pressure
nents configured in a single-stage design, recovery, flux, pump or the production of permeate. The system then
and crossflow are uncoupled with standard triggers to returns to closed-circuit (CC) operation, during which
purge concentrate based on volumetric recovery, pres- there is no brine reject stream.
sure, and/or conductivity. This flexibility provides a level
of efficiency and reliability that can only be achieved As an example, when operating at 90% overall recovery,
with the CCRO process. the system may be in CC mode for 20 minutes (min) and
PF mode for 1.5 min. At 95% recovery, the system may
In the next section, this article will examine how the be in CC mode for 40 min. and PF mode for 1.5 min. In
technology works from a basic level before we examine addition to volumetric recovery, the brine flush valve can
six case studies. In Case Study 1, we will review how a also be triggered to purge concentrate from the system

What Are Practical Approaches to Improve RO Technology? continued
based on pressure or permeate/concentrate conductivity. Operating with multiple set-points provides the system
Custom triggers can be incorporated, including perme- the flexibility to automatically adapt to changing feed-
ate-silica concentration, permeate-nitrate concentration, water conditions, while always maximizing recovery
and permeate-sodium concentration, among others. relative to the desired permeate quality targets.
Figure 1: Illustration of the CCRO approach.
The overall recovery rate in the CCRO process is a induction time for precipitation of most sparingly soluble
function of the time between brine flushes. Therefore, salts. This contrasts sharply from the steady-state condi-
it is not necessary to use multiple stages of six to eight tions in traditional RO systems, which maintain nearly
membrane arrays in pressure vessels to achieve high constant concentrations throughout their membrane
recovery as is required in traditional RO processes. For arrays for months or even years. In addition, because
example, a high-recovery design can be constructed recovery can be easily manipulated, the adaptive process
with just one membrane element. However, in practice, can be adjusted if the concentration of scaling salts or
the membrane arrays consist of vessels of four or five other feedwater properties change.
elements per vessel. These quantities optimally balance
performance and costs (5, 6). Because of these properties, the CCRO process is
inherently more reliable than a traditional multistage
Good resistance to fouling and scaling and high recovery RO, which has been a key factor in the adoption of the
operation are important in most brackish water desalina- autonomous, data-driven process for mission critical
tion, industrial water purification and water reuse appli- applications. Traditional RO systems are only reliable
cations. The CCRO process provides new and enhanced when operated at lower recovery rates. As an example,
means for addressing these challenges. Independently a single-stage, 50% recovery RO will typically have less
controlled crossflow supplied by a circulation pump fouling and scaling then a two-stage, 75% recovery RO,
efficiently washes the membranes resulting in lower which in turn will have less fouling and scaling than a
Beta values (concentration polarization) and reduces the three-stage, 88% recovery RO. However, even end users
effects of scaling and fouling (7–9). that are exceedingly sensitive to the reliability of their
RO system are not operating at the more reliable 50%
As the salinity throughout the sequence cycles from recovery, but rather, in the 75% to 88% recovery range.
the feedwater salinity to that of the most concentrated
brine, biofilm formation and scale precipitation can The reason is that while reliability is their primary oper-
be disrupted and even reversed. Notably, the sequence ational driver, they cannot ignore the efficiency consid-
time of purging concentrate is much shorter than the eration, and operate two- or three-stage RO systems. In

the CCRO process, this compromise no longer exists; in time, which was the worst-case condition over the
in fact, the higher the recovery, the more significant the course of the year. However, there were many months
concentration variations will get, which in turn provides when the feedwater conductivity or temperature would
better immunity to biofouling. In addition, the adaptive drop, allowing for higher achievable recovery rates. The
nature of the process will keep the system at optimal opportunity to increase efficiency during these times
performance as feed or membrane conditions vary over was dismissed though, as adjustment to the steady-state
time, providing a level of reliability and efficiency that systems was a manual process, requiring mechanical
cannot be achieved with a traditional RO. modifications and coming at the sacrifice of membrane
performance.
Case Study 1: Increasing Efficiency
As the primary ingredient in beverages is water, beverage In the CCRO systems, the trigger to purge concen-
industry leaders are making a major push to reduce trate is based on a recovery set-point (limited by scaling
their water footprint through aggressive sustainability potential at a defined temperature) and/or a permeate
goals. One of the easiest ways to meet these goals is conductivity set-point total dissolved solids (TDS) level.
by increasing water-use efficiency within the produc- This allows for automatic adjustment, so regardless of
tion facilities. As an example, Coca-Cola, the world’s feedwater conductivity or temperature, the unit will
largest beverage company, has managed to increase its maximize the recovery relative to the conditions of the
water-use efficiency by 27% from 2004 to 2016, reducing feed in real-time while simultaneously ensuring permeate
its water-use ratio from 2.70 to 1.96 (10). This means quality. The data-driven process has been a simple
that it requires 1.96 liters (L) of water to make 1.00 L of solution for the company in reducing water-use ratios
sellable product. As impressive as these results are, the without any operator engagement.
industry leader is not stopping there, with even more
aggressive goals for the future. When it comes to corporate sustainability, the foun-
dation is based on three pillars: social, environmental,
It should come as no surprise that the company has and economic, which are more commonly referred to
already installed a half-dozen of the CCRO systems, as people, planet, and profits. In addition to conserving
with more units currently under construction. These our planet’s most precious resource so future generations
systems around the globe operate at recovery rates will continue to have access to fresh water, the financial
ranging from 91% to 95%, depending on the quality savings and increased bottom line have made the switch
of their feedwater source and the specific bottling line. to the autonomous, data-driven process a no brainer.
This greatly improves the 75% to 85% recovery rates that Muhtar Kent (11), chairman of the board and former
they were accustomed to with traditional multistage RO CEO of the company said it best: “If you aren’t respon-
systems. The improvement is saving millions of gallons sibly managing water in your business, you won’t be in
of water annually. business 20 years from now.”
The driving operational metric for the company is Case Study 2: Sonoran Desert Paper
ensuring that all quality assurance/quality control (QA/ Production
QC) specifications are met in terms of the product The groundwater in the Sonoran Desert is not known for
water, while maximizing water recovery rates and system its quality. If anything, it is known for its high salinity
utilization rate. While this seems like a simple request, and high concentrations of silica. Not only are the salts
the majority of the bottling plants see slight or drastic a problem, but many of the wells draw water with high
variations in feedwater conductivity and/or temperature. concentrations of iron and manganese. In the instance
Both of these values will change the achievable recovery, of this particular paper mill, the well water not only had
particularly when bottling a sodium-free product with metals, but also high levels of biological activity due to
strict permeate quality requirements. the geothermal conditions (105 oF).
In the past, the traditional multistage RO systems Over the years, the paper mill had accepted that purifi-
would be designed and operated based on a single point cation of the groundwater source was never going to be

an easy task. A significant budget was allocated every In 2014, the paper mill decided it was going to double its
year for membrane cleanings (a supervised event) and capacity by installing a second paper-making machine.
system maintenance. Ultimately, the performance of the The expansion not only required more paper-making
water treatment equipment became the limiting factor in equipment, but also required a 100% increase in the
the overall plant production. capacity of purified water. The problem with the tradi-
tional RO system was that doubling the capacity meant
To secure access to fresh water for the paper-making double the concentrate, which was a limiting factor
process, the mill drilled, cased, and developed two because of the discharge permit.
groundwater wells and used a treatment train consisting
of pressure filtration with greensand media for pretreat- To minimize the water footprint and concentrate
ment of iron and manganese before entering a multi- volumes, the paper mill upgraded its traditional multi-
stage traditional RO system. The traditional RO system stage RO system to two CCRO systems. Not only did
struggled to perform with the challenging feedwater, the solution double the required permeate capacity,
requiring three biocides a week and biweekly high- and but the units also did so while reducing the volume of
low-pH cleanings (CIPs). The CIPs were triggered based concentrate produced over the single traditional system
on a reduction in normalized permeate flow and/or a with half the capacity that the mill operated at before.
reduction in differential pressure across the membrane This was achieved while extending the CIP frequency
array. Membrane autopsies confirmed the culprit was and significantly reducing the energy and chemical
organic fouling and silica scaling because of the difficult- consumption. The results are presented in Table 1.
to-treat groundwater.
Table 1: Multistage RO versus CCRO, long-term performance.
Multi‐Stage Closed Circuit Value

# of Trains 1 x 100% 2 x 100%
# of Stages 2 1
Reverse Osmosis
Array (per train) 3:1 (28 Membranes) 10 (40 Membranes)

Design
Process Steady‐State Dynamic

Recovery 73% 88%
Utilization Rate 90% 63%
Permeate Flux (gfd) 15.4 15.5
Daily Process Water (gallons) 155,520 311,040 200% Increase in Permeate Production
Daily Wastewater (gallons) 57,521 42,414 26% Reduction in Wastewater Generated
Performance
System
Specific Power Consumption (kWh/kgal) 1.75 1.67 5% Reduction in Energy Required

Antiscalant Consumption (ppm) 8 3 63% Reduction in Antiscalant Use
Biocide Frequency 3X / Week 1X / Week 300% Extension in Biocide Frequency
CIP Frequency 24X / Year 4X / Year 600% Extention in CIP Frequency
Lead Element Flux (gfd, avg) 20.5 18.0 12% Reduction in Lead Element Flux
Performance
Membrane
Flux Distribution (gfd, avg) (6.5 ‐ 20.5) (13.9 ‐ 18.0)

Max Beta Value 1.14 1.09 4% Reduction in Max Beta Value
Beta Range 1.03 ‐ 1.14 1.04 ‐ 1.09
Organic and inorganic fouling in a traditional steady- comes to fouling and scaling, higher crossflow veloc-
state RO process typically occurs on the lead elements ities always help to reduce concentration polarization
where individual membrane element fluxes are the (Beta values); however, in a steady-state process where
highest and microorganisms have a stable environment, recovery, flux, and crossflow are coupled, this is difficult
giving them the ability to flourish. Scaling occurs on to achieve unless operators are willing to sacrifice perfor-
the tail elements, where membrane elements are contin- mance elsewhere in the system.
uously exposed to the highest salinity and individual
membrane element fluxes are at their lowest. When it In the CCRO process, recovery is achieved in time,

versus in space as with traditional RO, so shorter U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have
membrane arrays can be used to reduce lead element set regulatory limits to the concentrations of nitrates in
flux. Salinity cycling and full periodic purging disrupts potable (drinking) water. While the majority of potable
organic fouling, and crossflow is independently controlled water sources fall below these nitrate limits, regions with
with a circulation pump providing ultimate membrane shallow wells or surface water can be significantly affected
performance. Antiscalant consumption is also reduced when located in agricultural regions where fertilizers are
because of reduced concentration polarization and slower used to increase the yields and quality of harvests.
induction times associated with silica scale formation.
Figure 2: Two CCRO systems.
While not a driving operational metric for brackish or
wastewater RO, energy savings is still an expense that
needs to be included in the total cost of ownership of an
RO asset. In any RO system, the initial pressure required
to desalinate the source water is a function of the compo-
sition, temperature, flux, and number of membranes
in series. In the case of the paper mill, the traditional
two-stage RO had 14 membranes in series, and the
applied pressure needed to be high enough, even at the
14th membrane. The applied pressure will be higher than
the osmotic pressure of the highest salinity concentrate,
just before it is rejected from the system.
In contrast, the CCRO system has four membranes in its

single-stage design. This means the initial pressure of the A Fortune 50 Midwest-based food and beverage company
sequence, when it is filled with fresh feed at the beginning was in the process of expanding one of its production
of each batch, is much lower than that of the traditional plants when it encountered this exact problem. The
RO; however, as the system concentrates up salts, the corn-processing facility was located in a region with
required osmotic pressure rises. Ultimately, the system significant agricultural activity and used surface water as
reaches the same pressure as the traditional RO, or higher makeup water to the plant. Over the course of the year,
in the case of 88% versus 73% recovery, but with all the it would encounter high (20 milligrams per liter [mg/L])
time spent below the fixed pressure of the traditional RO, and low (5 mg/L) levels of nitrate (as NO3) with a feed-
the CCRO systems still saved up to 5% in energy. water temperature ranging from 15 to 25 °C. Normally,
this would not be an issue, except that one week out of
Case Study 3: Ensuring Children’s each month, the plant produces ingredient water used in
Safety baby food products, requiring a nitrate limit not to exceed
On Nov. 29, 1944, a team of doctors at John Hopkins 2 mg/L for the downstream processes.
Hospital performed the first successful surgery to cure
Tetralogy of Fallot, more commonly known as “blue To manage the variable nitrate concentrations, the
baby syndrome” (12). The congenital heart disease company installed two CCRO systems to purify this
in infants can be caused by methemoglobinemia, or variable feed source (shown in Figure 2). The systems
a reduced oxygen-carrying capacity of hemoglobin, used a custom trigger connected to an online nitrate
the iron-containing protein that transports oxygen analyzer to automatically adapt to the seasonal changes
throughout the body. It is generally accepted within the in feedwater nitrate concentrations and temperature
medical community that high concentrations of nitrates (temperature effects salt passage in RO membranes and
in drinking water can be a co-factor for this disease (13). systems). The CCRO systems typically operate at 90%
recovery and could be set to operate at much higher
In an effort to reduce the number of infant-related recovery rates.
surgeries, the World Health Organization (WHO) and

However, when the custom nitrate algorithm is acti- Figure 3: Containerized CCRO system. The inset photo
vated, the unit will automatically adapt to the changing on the lower right corner provides an interior view of the
container with the RO treatment system.
feedwater conditions to ensure the nitrate levels in the
permeate never exceed the QA/QC specifications for the
ingredient water. The systems achieve this by automat-
ically adjusting recovery, dropping down to 82% when
the water is the warmest and at the highest concentration
of nitrate and maintaining 90% recovery when the water
is the coolest and the concentration of nitrate is at its
lowest. This is all done with no operator engagement.
For a traditional RO, operating at 82% versus 90%

recovery would be a challenge that would require
expertise and even with it, will generate an imbalance
of crossflow and flux without mechanical modifications.
This would all require more oversight, expertise, and
supervised maintenance activities, such as thottling Any potential replacement needed to be extremely
valves, adding stages, and performing membrane and reliable with exemplary water recovery rates. Given that
replacements, all with the respective oversight, labor, many of these peaking power plants are not manned on a
downtime, and cost implications. daily basis, it was vital that any alternative to the mobile
demineralizers be largely autonomous and reliable.
This flexibility has provided the plant with a simple and
reliable solution to what was initially a very difficult The power generation company identified five gas-fired
challenge that could not be achieved with a traditional, peaking plants that were looking for reliable and
multistage RO system. cheaper ways to manage their water needs—Stanton,
Norwalk, Ontario, and Rancho Cucamonga in the
Case Study 4: Reducing Power Los Angeles Basin, with the fifth in Ventura County,
Generation Cost at Oxnard, on the Pacific Coast. The peaking plants
Southern California Edison (SCE) depends on ultra- needed an alternative to mobile demineralizers that
pure water for emission control and cooling in five of would allow them to simultaneously reduce their oper-
its peaking power ational expenses and
plants. In most of improve operational
these applications, “An RO system made the most sense to replace reliability without
the water is from the expensive demineralization trailers, but sacrificing water
municipal sources quality.
and must be made
traditional RO systems always had limited water
into high-purity recovery rates.” An RO system made
water before use in the most sense to
the power plant. replace the expensive
Until recently, the company had been relying solely on demineralization trailers, but traditional RO systems
rented, mobile demineralization trailers to purify water always had limited water recovery rates. This can be
for use in these peaking power plants. However, these overcome, in part, by setting up multistage RO systems,
systems were costly, consumed a lot of water in the but the tradeoff is an increase in operational complexity.
supply chain, and presented a singular point of failure in Multistage RO systems are also more difficult to main-
the plant. tain with each subsequent stage and require significant
downtime for cleaning and maintenance. The result is
that a traditional RO system with more than two or
three stages will suffer from reduced reliability.

The company adopted CCRO along with mixed-bed A pharmaceutical facility in drought-stricken California
ion exchange polishers to address all its concerns at the was urgently trying to find a way to reuse its wastewater,
five peaking power plants. It estimates a savings of 44 but it encountered a significant challenge because of
million gallons of water per year through the systems. the variability in the wastewater characteristics. The
The RO systems operate at 91% recovery in a simple salinity of the wastewater fluctuated daily, with conduc-
and flexible single-stage design, producing a guaran- tivity values ranging from below 100 µS/cm to more
teed water purity of <10 microsiemens per centimeter than 2,000 µS/cm, and the COD levels were as high as
(µS/cm). When compared to a traditional multistage RO 2,000 mg/L. Under the guidance of its environmental
system, the CCRO systems provide an additional 18% engineering firm, the company contacted a supplierB
savings in feedwater consumption and a 64% savings in to install a treatment train consisting of microfiltration
brine disposal costs. (MF) followed by CCRO. The MF would remove any
suspended solids and the RO would remove the salts so
In addition, the plants will greatly improve reliability that the water can be reused for boiler and cooling tower
because of the high-quality permeate and by operating makeup in addition to irrigation water.
the mixed-bed polishers in series. This novel approach
has enabled SCE to reduce its annual water operating The CCRO process system was set up to operate using
costs by 85%, from about $1.5 million to $0.225 million three set points: volumetric recovery, internal conduc-
per plant. The tivity, and pressure.
CCRO systems The volumetric
“In pharmaceutical manufacturing, water is critical,
have been success- recovery set point
fully commissioned not only for the highly regulated ultrapure process was set at 95%, the
at all five plants water, but also for boilers and cooling towers.” internal conduc-
(see Figure 3). For tivity set point was
adopting new tech- set to 14,800 µS/
nology in the pursuit of sustainability, this project earned cm and the pressure set point was set to 300 pounds
the company the prestigious 2017 Power Magazine per square inch (psi). Regardless of the continuously
Water Award, which is given to innovative leaders in the changing composition of the wastewater, the unit would
power industry (14). adapt in real-time to maximize recovery relative to the
continually changing wastewater composition. As you
Case Study 5: Reusing Pharmaceutical can see from Figure 4, the RO automatically adapts over
Wastewater the course of a week to drastically changing feedwater
In pharmaceutical manufacturing, water is critical, not conditions. To show just how much this wastewater
only for the highly regulated ultrapure process water, varied, you can see the color of the concentrate change
but also for boilers and cooling towers. To mitigate risk over the course of the week in the far right beaker in
associated with water scarcity, the industry has taken a Figure 5. In more than six months of operation on
proactive approach to minimizing the water footprint the continuously changing wastewater streams with
with a significant focus on the reuse of high-strength no antiscalant, the system never required a CIP. A
organic effluent; however, the reuse of these complex CIP was conducted to set a baseline and show that the
wastewater streams presents significant challenges, from membranes were recoverable.
the high total suspended solids (TSS), biological oxygen
demand (BOD), and chemical oxygen demand (COD)
levels to the daily variations in salinity and its associated
wastewater composition, depending on the product mix
that is being produced.

Figure 4: CCRO performance.
Figure 5: RO concentrate from Case Study 5. Case Study 6: Reusing Municipal

Wastewater
A common theme in the water industry is reusing
municipal effluent for industrial applications, including
boilers, cooling towers, and process streams. The primary
treatment equipment required is MF or ultrafiltration
(UF) to remove suspended solids and RO to remove
dissolved solids. Ultimately, the limiting factor on the
overall plant efficiency becomes the performance of
the RO, as the MF or UF must all be designed around
the full-flow. Increasing recovery rates beyond 85% on
municipal effluent has proved challenging because of the
high concentrations of organics in the feedwater.
In 2016, Padre Dam Municipal Water District

(California) completed a nine-month pilot study to eval-
uate the performance of CCRO. The goal of the study
was to demonstrate the maximum achievable recovery
while exceeding a CIP frequency of 30 days. Although a
traditional multistage RO was unable to operate at 92.5%
recovery for longer than 22 days, the performance for
the CCRO is shown in Figure 6 (15). The single-stage
system was able to operate at 95% and 96% recovery while
exceeding the target CIP frequency of 30 days and was
then operated all the way up to 97.5% recovery.

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Figure 6: CCRO performance when treating a municipal wastewater.
One of the distinct advantages to the CCRO design is Total organic carbon (TOC) is routinely used in munic-
that shorter membrane arrays can be used to achieve ipal wastewater applications to monitor membrane
any desired recovery rate. Where a traditional three- integrity and performance and was incorporated into
stage RO with seven membranes per pressure vessel the testing at the water district. Per the RO membrane
would ultimately have 21 membrane elements in series, a manufacturer’s specifications, the maximum feedwater
CCRO design can achieve 98% recovery with four or five TOC value is 3 mg/L. If higher values are experienced,
elements in series. The fewer the number of membranes a loss of flux can be expected, and the effects can be irre-
were in series, the lower the lead element flux and the versible. Figure 7 (15) shows the feed, concentrate, and
better the flux distribution. This leads to better overall permeate TOC values for the CCRO system. Although
membrane performance and longer membrane life. the feedwater TOC values were approximately 10 times
the maximum concentration, as per the membrane
In addition to the shorter membrane arrays, as recovery manufacturer’s specifications, when compared to Figure
is achieved in time in the CCRO design, the pressure at 6 (15), the loss in specific flux was minimal. In addition,
the beginning of the sequence may be 100 psig, and 30 the loss of specific flux was reversible, as even the CIPs
minutes later at the end of the sequence, it is 300 psig. with no heat were able to recover the membranes.
Once the desired recovery rate is achieved, the concen-
trate is flushed from the system with fresh feedwater.
This salinity cycling and continuous purging does not
provide a conducive environment for organics to thrive,
which differs from the steady-state conditions of multi-
stage RO systems.

Figure 7: Feed, concentrate, and permeate TOC values in CCRO.
These results have been repeated elsewhere in Southern CIP can be extended. The CCRO technology also can
California. The Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles prolong membrane life and allows for better manage-
County achieved a sustained recovery of 93% (16), the ment of water quality variations. End users also can save
city of Los Angeles achieved a sustained recovery of 95% money because of lower use of treatment chemicals and
(17), Orange County Water District achieved a sustained electricity.
recovery of 92% and is optimizing to go higher (18), and
the Eastern Municipal Water District has purchased a One important purpose of this article was to provide
demonstration unit (Eastern Municipal Water District, examples of success stories involving the use of RO
2018). San Jose State University is an example of a technology using the CCRO approach to the technology.
non-municipal end user that also recently installed a In each case study, it was necessary to work around the
CCRO system to treat tertiary treated wastewater from limitations of RO and find ways to meet the water treat-
the San Jose/Santa Clara Water Pollution Control Plant ment needs of particular end users in ways that helped to
for makeup to their boiler system. The solution will guar- make the technology more reliable and efficient.
antee the university a minimum recovery rate of 93%,
with a permeate conductivity of less than 30 µS/cm. Future advances in RO technology could include the
following:
Conclusions
In this article, we have examined an RO technology More sophisticated control strategies
that addresses all the pain points of multistage RO by
using the strengths of simple (dead-end) filtration with New membranes
the strong points of crossflow filtration. This simple
and fundamental change, coupled with a data-driven Enhanced fluid mixing with complex spacer
and autonomous Internet of Things (IoT) software geometries (20)
has allowed end users to achieve high water recovery
rates of the incoming feedwater without hydraulic New modeling techniques
limitations. This approach has also shown that fouling
and scaling can be limited and that the time between New antiscalant chemistries

References Endnotes
1. Efraty, A. (Dec. 8, 2009). “Apparatus for Continuous Closed-Circuit A
The CCRO process mentioned in the text is also known as ReFlex™ RO,
Desalination under Variable Pressure with a Single Container”, U.S. which features Closed-Circuit Desalination™. Both are brands of
Patent No. 7,628,921. Desalitech Inc.
2. Efraty, A. (April 13, 2010). “Continuous Closed-Circuit Desalination B
Desalitech, Newton, MA, is the supplier company mentioned in the text.
Apparatus without Containers”, U.S. Patent No. 7,695,614.
3. Bratt, R. (March 21, 1989). “Method and Apparatus for Fluid Treatment
by Reverse Osmosis”, U.S. Patent No. 4,814,086.
Michael Boyd has been in the water
4. Szucz, L.; Szucs, A. ( Jan. 8, 1991). “Method and Apparatus for Treating industry for more than 15 years and
Fluids Containing Foreign Materials by Membrane Filter Equipment,” currently serves as regional director for
U.S. Patent No. 4,983,301.
5. Stover, R. (November-December 2011). “CCD Starts a New Generation
Desalitech Inc. Mr. Boyd has spent the
for RO”, Desalination and Water Reuse, pp. 34-35. majority of his career serving the
6. Stover, R. (September 2012). “Evaluation of Closed-Circuit Reverse industrial and municipal markets. He
Osmosis for Water Reuse”, Proceedings of the 27th Annual Water Reuse
Symposium, Hollywood, FL. holds a B.S. in engineering technology
7. LewaPlus (2018). Version 1.15.0, LANXESS, Cologne, Germany. from the University of Central Florida. He may be contacted
8. Proton Membrane Aqueous Chemistry Calculator (n.d.). American Water at mike.boyd@desalitech.com.
Chemicals, Plant City, FL.
9. Dow Water & Process Solutions (2016). “Reverse Osmosis System This article is based on a paper presented by the author at the 2018
Analysis”, Version ROSA_Desalitech– 2017, Dow Water & Process AWT Annual Conference, which was conducted Sept. 26–29, 2018, in
Solutions, Edina, MN. Orlando, Florida.
10. The Coca Cola Co. (2016). 2016 Sustainability Report, retrieved from
https://www.coca-colacompany.com.
11. Kent, M. (Sept. 20, 2016). “Our Water Wake-up Call; What Will Be
Yours?, [Web log post], retrieved April 19, 2018, from http://www.
coca-colacompany.com.
12. Blalock, A.; Taussig, H.B. (May 19, 1945). “The Surgical Treatment of
Malformations of the Heart”, Journal of the American Medical Association
128(3), pp. 189-202.
13. Knobeloch, L.; Salna, B.; Hogan, A.; Postle, J.; Anderson, H. (2000). “Blue
Babies and Nitrate-Contaminated Well Water”, Environmental Health
Perspectives 108(7), pp. 675-678.
14. Paulos. B. (August 2017). “Closed-Circuit Reverse Osmosis System
Squeezes Money Savings Out of Water
Management”, Power Magazine 161(8), pp.
28-29.
15. Idica, E.Y.; Faulkner, B.W.; Trussell, R.S.; Sen,
S. (2017). Maximizing Product Water through
Brine Minimization: Innovative Recovery RO
Testing, U.S. Department of the Interior—
Bureau of Reclamation, Washington, D.C.
16. Mansell, B.; Ackman, P.; Tang, C.-C.; Friess, P. People crafted solutions since 1976.
(March 15-17, 2015). “Pilot-Scale Evaluation
of the Closed-Circuit Desalination Process for
Minimizing RO Concentrate Disposal
Volume”, presented at 2015 WateReuse Califor-
nia Annual Conference, Los Angeles, CA.
Custom Blender.
17. Wang, S. (March 12-16, 2018). “How Much
Concentrate Can You Squeeze with
Closed-Circuit Desalination and What to
super savvy.
Consider”, presented at 2018 Membrane Our people blend solutions, not chemicals.
Technology Conference & Exposition, West We manufacture a broad line of proven products
Palm Beach, FL. for treating any size of commercial or industrial
18. Gu, H. (March 25-27, 2018). “Pilot Evaluation boiler, cooling water, closed loop, airwasher,
of Closed-Circuit Reverse Osmosis for RO or wastewater systems.
Concentrate Treatment”, WaterReuse
California Annual Conference, Monterey, CA. › Expert Technical Assistance
19. Eastern Municipal Water District. (Nov. 1, › Biocide Sub-registrations Available
2017). “November 1, 2018 Meeting of the
Board of Directors”, Contract Approval, › Private Labeling, Product Bulletin and MSDS Services
Action/Info Item 2965. › Water, Deposits and Corrosion Coupon Analysis Services
20. Tilton, N. (Oct. 15-19, 2017). “Direct › PTSA Dye Trace Cooling Products
Numerical Simulations of Unsteady Mixing and
Concentration Polarization in Reverse Osmosis
Systems”, 9th Sino-US Joint Conference of
Chemical Engineering (SUCE 2017), Beijing,
China.
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Part 1: Keys to Successful IX Resin Storage
Peter Meyers, ResinTech Inc.
Generally, ion exchange (IX) resins may be safely stored water or if the downstream processes that use the treated
for two to five years (or longer) without significant water are of critical importance.
chemical or physical deterioration. Numerous excep-
tions exist, and salt-form resins (neutral pH) store better Dry Resin
than hydrogen (H) or hydroxide (OH) forms. Indoor Almost all resins are shipped in their moist water
climate-controlled storage in the original shipping swollen forms. Although they may lose significant
containers is ideal. Precautions should always be taken amounts of moisture and appear dehydrated, suffi-
to store IX resins in their original undamaged shipping cient water usually remains inside the beads to prevent
containers. These should be kept in sheltered, reasonably physical breakage when the resin is rehydrated. While
well-ventilated areas, protected from extremes of heat air-dried resin usually will not fracture when rewetted,
or cold and from rain or excessive contact with air
other forms of moisture. “Frozen resin should be brought to a warm causes chemical damage
Following these precau- area and allowed to thaw before use.” over time and a conse-
tions, there is little or no quent increase in leach-
concern regarding the ables. Physical damage
shelf life of the stored resins. So, with reasonable care, due to rehydration may occur in cases of extreme mois-
IX resins can be stored for five years or longer without ture loss during storage. For these reasons, resins should
any ill effects. remain moist during storage. Resins stored in unlined
bulk sacks or fiber drums are far more susceptible to
Circumstances Affecting Resin dehydration than resins stored in more robust packaging.
Conditions
Precautions Before Using a Stored
Freezing and Thawing Resin
During the shipment to and storage in areas where Before using any resin that has been stored for more
temperatures drop below 0 °C (32 °F), storage precau- than a few months, it is a good practice to soak the resin
tions should be taken to avoid subjecting IX resins to in water for a few hours and then rinse it thoroughly.
repeated freezing-thawing conditions. Although a few Soaking allows the IX resins to swell back to their orig-
such cycles are generally harmless, repeated freezing and inal volume slowly and to release any organic contami-
thawing of IX resins, regardless of the forms in which nants from the resin structure. Rinsing before use purges
they are supplied, could physically damage the IX resin the organic contaminants. A four-hour soak is sufficient,
by cracking or breaking the resin beads. It takes about although overnight is better if time permits. Rinse
10 freeze-thaw cycles before damage is noticeable, so a volume should be sufficient to rinse out any color throw
single episode of freezing is not a calamity. Frozen resin plus some extra. Ten bed volumes (BVs) (75 gallons per
should be brought to a warm area and allowed to thaw cubic foot) are recommended for most applications, 20
before use. Do not plunge frozen resin into boiling hot BVs are suggested for resins used in potable or ultrapure
water, as this can instantly crack and break beads. water treatment applications.
Hot Resin Pro tip: Where onsite rinsing is not possible, either
Temperatures above 105 °F do not damage most resins delay shipment until just before use or use a third-party
chemically, although exceptions exist. Elevated tempera- supplier to rinse the resin for you.
tures, however, increase the rate at which organic
leachables form in the resin, which can then complicate Special Requirements for Hydroxide and Sulfite
preconditioning requirements prior to use. Any resin Anion Resin Forms
that has been subjected to elevated temperatures during Hydroxide-form strongly basic anion resins undergo
storage should be rinsed to waste before use. If the high a slow decomposition during storage. This reaction is
temperature exposure was longer than a few days, it is a temperature dependent and occurs more rapidly in Type
good idea to have the resin analyzed, just to make sure it 2 anion resins than in Type 1 anion resins.
has not been damaged, especially if the use is ultrapure

Part I: Keys to Successful IX Resin Storage continued
Sulfite-form strongly basic anion resins, unless stored in a way that prevents exposure to air, gradually convert from
the sulfite form to the sulfate form (thus diminishing their ability to remove oxygen from water). The shelf life of these
products is limited and is highly dependent on storage conditions. Consequently, no exact shelf life can be stated.
Sulfite-form anion resin and hydroxide-form Type 2 anion resins older than three months and hydroxide-form Type 1
anion resins older than 12 months, unless stored in gas barrier packaging, should be tested prior to use to verify they
remain usable.
Resin Shelf Life

Shelf life relates to the resin type, ionic form, storage conditions, and customer expectations for use. For instance,
potable water resins that develop an odor or taste during storage are often no longer suitable for use without extensive
reprocessing, even though their chemical and physical characteristics are still “like new.” For regenerated resins and
resins used in ultrapure applications, packaging in gas barrier liners can greatly extend usable life. Table 1 provides a
guideline for the acceptable length of resin storage.
Table 1: Guideline on acceptable resin storage length.

Outdoor, covered with Indoor, not temperature Indoor and climate Climate controlled in gas
Storage method tarp controlled controlled barrier packaging
Na form SAC 1 to 2 years 2 to 5 years 5 to 10 years > 10 years
Cl form SBA 1 to 2 years 2 to 5 years 5 to 10 years > 10 years
H form SAC 1 to 2 years 2 to 5 years 5 to 10 years > 10 years
OH form type I SBA 1 year 1 to 2 years 2 to 5 years > 5 years
OH form type II SBA NR* 0.25 years 0.5 years 1 to 2 years
H or Na form WAC 1 to 2 years 2 to 5 years 5 to 10 years > 10 years
WBA any kind 1 to 2 years 2 to 5 years 5 to 10 years > 10 years
Chelating resins 1 to 2 years 2 to 5 years 5 to 10 years > 10 years
Mixed Bed 1 year 1 to 2 years 2 to 5 years > 5 years
Ultrapure mixed bed NR 1 year 1 to 2 years 2 to 5 years
Sulfite form SBA NR 0.1 year 0.5 years 1 year
Cl form Acrylic SBA NR 1 year 2 to 5 years > 5 years
OH form Acrylic SBA NR 0.5 years Year >1 year
Table Notes:
NR = Not Recommended
SAC = Strongly acidic cation resin
SBA = Strongly basic anion resin
WAC = Weakly acidic cation resin
WBA = Weakly basic anion resin
Regenerated resins deteriorate more rapidly in air than when protected from gas transfer. Hydroxide form anion resins
absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) from air and become exhausted. All resins develop leachables over time that may make
them unusable for some applications or require reprocessing prior to use.
Changes as Resin Ages

Aside from possible dehydration and freeze damage, several other changes occur as resin ages. Mostly, these changes
have to do with leachable formation and loss of functional groups. SAC resins gradually desulfonate, releasing sulfuric
acid and aromatic sulfonic acids that separate from the polymer backbone. These acids remain trapped in the resin
beads until the beads meet water, and then are released.
SBA resins release amines rather than acids. Anion degradation is somewhat faster than cation breakdown, partic-
ularly for anion resins in the hydroxide form. Since amines are somewhat volatile, older anion resins that have been

kept in sealed containers (especially if stored in the almost any pH-neutral salt form is acceptable. Although
hydroxide form) can release amines to the air well resins can be stored in the hydrogen and hydroxide forms,
above Occupational Health and Safety Administration shelf life is limited and handling a bit more difficult.
(OHSA) guidelines.
When storing used resins outside the vessel, follow the
Mixed beds are “self-neutralizing.” The cationic leach- same general guidelines for storage of new resins.
ables are absorbed by the anion component, and the
anionic leachables are absorbed by the cation component. Inside the Vessel
Both components gradually exhaust the mixed resin, Unless the IX system is going to be shut down for more
lowering the amount of regenerated capacity remaining. than a few weeks, the best practice is simply to leave the
vessels filled with water, with all valves to and from the
All resins (except those stored in inert gas) gradually unit turned off. If the system will be shut down for more
decompose, their plastic structure slowly weakening than a few weeks, some form of storage preparation is
from exposure to oxygen. Degraded resins release bits recommended. Depending on the nature of the system,
and pieces of lower molecular weight (mwt) polymer as the following suggestions are offered for successful resin
well as oxidative byproducts. (Note: Molecular weight is storage:
the sum of the atomic weights of all the atoms in a molecule.)
Softeners and salt-regenerated anion units. Rinse
Leachables build up over time, requiring longer and monthly with a minimum of one vessel volume clean
more extensive rinses and possibly regeneration to purge feedwater. For units in series (such as a softener followed
them before use. Many cationic leachables foul anion by a chloride cycle dealkalizer), rinse the lead unit to
resin and anionic leachables foul cation resin. Resins waste first, then use the effluent to rinse the second unit.
used in series that are not fully rinsed are therefore Regenerate each unit before returning to service.
susceptible to fouling related to storage.
Separate-bed demineralizers (and other H- and
Over very long periods of time, drum liners, and even OH-form units). Cation and anion resins can be left in
drums and bulk sacks themselves, begin to deteriorate. the regenerated (H and OH) forms and rinsed at two- to
Packaging older than 10 years is at risk of shedding into four-week intervals in the following manner:
the resin. For this reason, 10 years is generally consid-
ered the outer limit for resin storage, except under ideal 1. Rinse one vessel volume of raw water through the
storage conditions. first vessel (usually the cation) to waste.
Storage of Used Resin 2. Using the effluent from the first vessel, rinse a vessel
volume through the second vessel (usually the anion)
Outside the Vessel to waste.
If the resins are to be removed from the IX vessels
for long-term storage, it is best if they are first fully 3. Continue with any other vessels in series, first
exhausted or converted to their neutral salt form, drained rinsing the preceding vessels to waste and then
of excess water, and placed in watertight containers, such thoroughly checking out of each downstream vessel
as plastic drums with liners and locking ring seals, like in turn.
those used for shipping new resin.
4. Regenerate each unit before returning to service.
Steel drums are not recommended because of the risk that
the resin will corrode the steel and then be contaminated Warning: Cation Leachables Foul Anion
by the rust. Fiber drums are not recommended because Resin
even a tiny hole will allow water to wet and weaken the As time passes with no water flowing, leachable organic
fiber. For strong cation resin and strong anion resins, material will form in the cation resin. These leachables
storage in the sodium and chloride forms is best, but irreversibly foul anion resins. Rinsing the cation resin to

waste first removes these organics and prevents fouling form, typically the sodium form for SAC resins and the
of the anion resin. chloride form for SBA resins. The weak acid and weak
base resins are most stable in their regenerated forms,
Mixed Beds hydrogen form for WAC resins and free base form for
The cation and anion resins should be separated by WBA resins.
backwashing before storage so that the cation and
anion layers can be rinsed individually. A simultaneous It is beyond the scope of this article to provide detailed
rinse of both resin types (up through the cation resin instructions for exhausting or regenerating resin.
and down through the anion resin, with both rinses However, as a general guideline, avoid sudden changes
exiting through the interface collector) at approximately in pH or in concentration. When exhausting with salt,
one-month intervals will help ensure the resin remains keep the concentration below 1%. If in doubt, consult
unfouled during storage. Before a return to service, the knowledgeable sources before proceeding.
resins should be regenerated, remixed, and rinsed.
Freeze Protection During Storage
Polishing Demineralizers Cold temperatures do not damage resin chemically; the
When polishing mixed beds or other polishing demin- risk is physical cracking and breakage of the resin beads.
eralizers are used in high-purity water (also known as Many climates are moderate enough to not freeze the
ultrapure water) applications, the decision must be made water in a vessel. However, if freezing is possible, the
whether it is worth the extra work to re-purify the resins water in the vessel should be drained as a precaution.
for reuse. This must be Otherwise, the expansion
compared with the addi- “Cold temperatures do not damage resin as water freezes could
tional degradation that
chemically; the risk is physical cracking and damage the internals or
will otherwise happen even the vessel itself.
if the resins are not breakage of the resin beads.”
converted to stable salt If freezing is likely, a
forms prior to shut down and storage. simple remedy is to drain the water and refill with salt
brine. A 10% sodium chloride solution offers protection
For ultrapure water applications it is probably best to down to approximately 20 °F (-6 °C). Saturated calcium
leave the resins in their highly regenerated forms and chloride offers protection down to approximately -40 °F
simply rinse them periodically to keep leachables to a (-40 °C). Sodium chloride is less risky to use; use of
minimum. Polishing mixed beds have been stored for calcium chloride requires any anion resin to be care-
more than a year this way and still rinsed up well when fully neutralized so that any hydroxide form capacity is
returned to service. Each case should be taken on a removed from the resin.
specific basis.
Following storage in salt solutions, the brine should be
It is important to keep all valves to and from the demin- slowly rinsed out with water so that the osmotic swelling
eralizer vessels in the “off” position so that resins remain that occurs as the resin rehydrates is spread out over
submerged in water, thus minimizing contact with time. A minimum of one hour is recommended for the
oxygen and microbe-containing air. first vessel volume of water, and then any additional
rinsing can be at any convenient flowrate.
Very Long Storage
For very long-term storage in the vessel, it is best to store After the salt is rinsed out, the resin should be allowed to
the resins in their most stable ionic forms. This retards soak in water for a few hours prior to being regenerated.
the buildup of leachable organic matter, minimizes The soak time allows salt that has diffused into the beads
oxidation degradation of the sulfonic acid or amine to come back out. Finally, be sure to rinse to less than
groups, and prolongs the functional life of the resin. 5 parts per million (ppm) hardness before regenerating
anion units with sodium hydroxide, otherwise hardness
For SAC and SBA resins, the most stable form is the salt fouling is likely.

Although organic solvents such as alcohols and glycols Where resin use is critical to downstream processes
can be used to prevent freezing, their use is rather and has been stored for a long time, it is advisable to
problematic. For one, disposal of the spent solution is pull samples a month or two before return to service.
a problem. For another, it takes extensive rinsing to These resins should be analyzed to ensure that the resin
remove all the solvent. Lastly, most glycols contain addi- remains suitable for use.
tives that can foul resin. All in all, salt brine is better.
Closing Thoughts on Resin Storage
Preventing Biogrowth During Storage Some older storage instructions suggest storage in glycol,
Several strategies, including sterilization techniques, alcohol, or in various sterilizing solutions. In the author’s
can be used to prevent biogrowth during storage. Brine opinion, these practices do not make sense. At best, it
may be used to retard biogrowths. In this case, the resin takes so much water to purge and dispose of the chem-
beds are deliberately left in a brine solution, like that icals from the resin after storage that the cost exceeds
used for freeze protection. Instead of rinsing the brine that of new resin. At worst, the chemicals foul the resin
out after exhausting the resins, additional brine can be and are potentially washed into downstream processes
introduced such that the brine concentration is approxi- where they create additional problems. Table 2 provides a
mately 5% and left in the brine until the resins are ready list of guidelines to aid the successful storage of new and
to be used again. used IX resin storage.
Prior to use, the brine must be thoroughly rinsed out of Table 2: Guidelines for successful IX resin storage.
the units (each separately). Then the resin must be super • Store in original undamaged shipping containers
regenerated to restore it to its fully regenerated form, • Store in a well-ventilated storage area
charged and ready to use. • Protect from extremes of heat or cold (above freezing, below
105 °F)
Other strategies for controlling biogrowths include • Protect from rain, sun, and other weather extremes
storing the resin in an inert nitrogen atmosphere and

using various chemical biocides. Oxidizing biocides are a Figures 1 and 2 show examples of IX resins that could be
bad bet; they damage the resin and are used up over time. stored.
Many nonoxidizing biocides damage IX resin or are Figure 1: Macroporous resin.

not compatible with downstream processes. Various
alcohols can be used without risk to the resin but are
time consuming to rinse out and may be problematic to
dispose of. All in all, brine is likely as good an alterna-
tive as any.
In any event, storing resin in a way that retards

biogrowths does not guarantee sterility. Sterilization
procedures may still be needed before return to service.
Precautions Before Using Stored Resin

Always rinse resins before returning them to service.
Regeneration is advisable, even if the resin was stored in
the regenerated form. For IX units in series (such as soft-
eners followed by dealkalizers, or hydrogen-form cation
units followed by hydroxide-form anion units), rinse the
first unit thoroughly before using the effluent to rinse the
second unit. Pre-rinsing removes leachables that could
otherwise foul the downstream exchangers.

Figure 2: Sulfonated resin. Peter Meyers is the technical director for

ResinTech Inc., an ion exchange resin
manufacturer. Mr. Meyers has more
than 45 years of experience covering a
wide range of ion exchange applications,
from demineralizers, polishers, and
softeners to industrial process design and
operation. Mr. Meyers is co-inventor along with Mike
Gottlieb of a hybrid ion exchanger used to remove arsenic
from potable water. He can be reached at pmeyers@resintech.
com.
This article is based on a paper presented by the author at the 2018
AWT Annual Conference, which was conducted Sept. 26–29, 2018, in
Orlando, Florida.
Closure
This discussion about the storage of ion exchange resins
is the first part of this article series that describes the
physical aspects of how resins are used. Other parts of
the series include an introduction to using ion exchange
resins; moving resins from place to place; and loading,
unloading, disposal, and step-by-step procedure
outlines.
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Can Hydrophobic Modifications to
Polymers Achieve Better Carbonate
Scale Control?
Klin Rodrigues, Ph.D., and Jan Sanders, Nouryon (formerly AkzoNobel)

Abstract Polymers minimize scaling in water treatment systems
It is a known fact that nonionic modifications of polymers through a combination of three mechanisms:
improve scale control performance. These nonionic modifi-
cations can be hydrophilic or hydrophobic. The role of hydro- 1. Threshold inhibition: This is the ability of the
phobic modifications of polymers for carbonate scale control polymer to suppress scale formation. Unlike other
has not yet been widely studied. This article will investigate additives, polymers do this at sub-stoichiometric
the impact of hydrophobic substitutions of polymers for levels.
carbonate scale control in cooling water systems.
2. Crystal growth modification: Polymeric additives
Background are known to modify the growing crystal structures.
Polymers (1) are long chains of molecules. If we examine The extent of crystal growth modification primarily
the meaning of the word “polymer,” “poly” refers to depends on the functionality in the polymer and to a
the idea of “many”, and “mer” refers to “repetition.” lesser extent, the polymer’s molecular weight (2, 3).
Therefore, a literal meaning would refer to “many units
of monomers” in the context of water treatment. 3. Dispersion: Most anionic polymers used in water
treatment applications have the potential to be good
Polymers are widely used in the water treatment industry dispersants, but their ability to disperse solids is
to minimize scale formation. A wide array of water primarily determined by molecular weight. Low-
treatment formulations will also contain phosphate to molecular weight polymers like polymaleics are
minimize corrosion. Due to phosphate bans in a number poor dispersants. Similarly, high-molecular weight
of states, it is becoming increasingly common to operate polymers tend to have poor dispersancy properties.
cooling systems in the higher pH ranges to minimize In general, polymers with a weight average
corrosion issues. Higher pH leads to increased calcium molecular weight of 3,000 to 7,000 Daltons tend to
carbonate scaling. Therefore, it is becoming important have the best dispersancy properties.
to have polymers with better calcium carbonate scale
control properties. A number of anionic polymers are used in water treat-
ment. Polymaleics (PMAs) (4, 5) are widely used in
In cooling water systems, calcium carbonate is one of the water treatment applications for calcium carbonate scale
most common scales. Calcium carbonate scale in most control. There are a number of variations of polyma-
treatment applications is formed by a series of chemical leic acid (PMA). The performance of these polymers is
reactions that are shown in Reactions 1 through 4. dependent on the process used to produce them, whether
by aqueous or solvent-based processes. For purposes
CO2(g) CO2(1) Reaction 1 of this article, a polymaleic produced in an aqueous
system will be designated as PMA-AQ , and a polyma-
CO2(l) + H 2O HCO3- + H+ Reaction 2 leic produced in a solvent system will be designated as
PMA-S.
HCO3- CO3-2 + H+ Reaction 3
The 13C 1D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spec-
Ca+2 + CO3-2 CaCO3 Reaction 4 trum of PMA-AQ is shown in Figure 1.

Can Hydrophobic Modifications to Polymers Achieve Better Carbonate Scale Control? continued
Figure 1: 13C 1D NMR spectra of PMA-AQ.
This spectrum appears to be consistent with the structure of PMA-AQ , as currently understood (see Figure 2). The
structure has hydroxyl (OH) end groups, which are a result of the initiating system typically used in these products.
Figure 2: Proposed structure of aqueous polymaleic/PMA.
The commonly accepted structure above does not have any CH 2 groups; however, 13C 1D DEPT NMR spectrum
(Figure 3) for the PMA-AQ indicates the presence of a significant fraction of CH 2 groups. (In 13C 1D DEPT spectra,
the C=O [carbonyl groups] are not present, the CH and CH3 groups are above the axis, and the CH 2 groups are below
the axis.)
Figure 3: 13C 1D DEPT NMR spectra of PMA-AQ.
A possible explanation for this is that significant portions (one-third) of the acid groups are decarboxylated. Maleic
acid (HO2CCH=CHCO2H) is hard to polymerize and requires strenuous polymerization reaction conditions, like
strong initiator systems and relatively high temperatures. This results in the formation of the maleic oligomer but
also in a large amount of decarboxylation. This essentially introduces a hydrophobic methylene (CH 2) group into the
polymer. Therefore, a more accurate depiction of the aqueous-based PMA is depicted in Figure 4.
Figure 4: Structure of aqueous PMA with decarboxylation.

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Solvent-Based Polymaleic Acid

Solvent-based polymaleic acid (PMA-S) is usually polymerized in an aromatic solvent such as xylene. The molecular
weight data summarized in Table 1 indicate that PMA-S and PMA-AQ are about the same molecular weight. The
residual maleic content for PMA-AQ is typically much lower than that of PMA-S (see last column in Table 1). This
is most likely due to the initiating system in the solvent process not being as effective as the one used in the aqueous
process.
Table 1: GPC data for PMA-S and PMA-AQ.

Mw Mn
(weight (number Residual
average average unreacted
molecular molecular PD Maleic
Sample weight) weight) (polydispersity) acid
PMA-S 639 502 1.3 24,000
ppm
PMA-AQ 637 531 1.2 10,900
ppm
However, the GPC chromatograms for these products look completely different, as depicted in Figure 5.
Figure 5: GPC chromatograms for PMA-AQ (solid) and PMA-S (dotted).
The PMA-S appears to have a bimodal distribution, and its chromatogram is not similar to that of the PMA-AQ.
These chromatograms clearly show a difference between solvent-based PMAs and aqueous PMAs. To further investi-
gate the structure of the PMA-S, 13C NMR spectra were obtained.

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The NMR spectrum of PMA-S in Figure 6 shows an indicate that the amount of maleic acid to xylene func-
aromatic functionality (125 to 145 ppm) incorporated into tionality is approximately 3:1. An approximate structure of
the polymer. One will note that this aromatic function- the solvent-based PMA-S is shown in Figure 7.
ality is not present in the spectrum for PMA-AQ (Figure
1). This incorporation of aromatic functionality is likely In general, PMA-S is known in industry to be superior
because of chain transfer to the solvent used in the polym- in performance to PMA-AQ for calcium carbonate
erization, which is typically xylene. NMR analyses further scale control. This is attributed to the crystal-growth
modification properties of PMA-S.
Figure 6: 13C NMR spectrum for PMA-S.
Figure 7: Likely structure of PMA-S.

Minimizing carbonate scale requires the polymer to be As mentioned earlier, polymers minimize scaling in
a good crystal growth modifier and also to have good water treatment systems through a combination of three
threshold inhibition and dispersancy. PMAs do not mechanisms: threshold inhibition, crystal growth modi-
show good dispersancy properties, primarily because of fication, and dispersion.
their low molecular weights. The molecular weight can
be increased by adding co-monomers to maleic acid. If Threshold Inhibition Performance
portions of the co-monomers are hydrophobic (6), this Comparison
should improve the crystal growth modification. If the The calcium carbonate threshold inhibition for HMC,
molecular weight of these hydrophobic copolymers are PMA-S, and PMA-AQ was measured under the static
carefully controlled, the threshold inhibition and disper- conditions listed in Table 3. Note that the test readings
sancy properties should improve. are in milligrams per liter (mg/L).
The polymer scientist can choose from a variety of mono- Table 3: Calcium carbonate static test conditions.
mers that can hydrophobically modify water-soluble Static Conditions
polymers. Some of these monomers are styrene, methyl Ca 300 mg/L as CaCO3 (120 mg/L as Ca)
methacrylate, t-butyl acrylamide, and vinyl acetate. An Mg 147.6 mg/L Mg as CaCO3 (36 mg/L as Mg)
experimental design was conducted to optimize perfor- Li 8.64 mg/L Li as CaCO3 (1.2 mg/L as Li)
mance for carbonate scale control by incorporating a Bicarbonate 350 mg/L as CaCO3 (427 mg/L as HCO3-)
series of hydrophobic monomers. The factors in the Carbonate 80 mg/L as CaCO3 (48 mg/L as CO3-2)
experimental design included the type of hydrophobic pH 8.7-8.9
monomer, its molar amount in the copolymer, and Temperature 50 °C
molecular weight of the copolymer. Time elapsed 17 hours
The experiments below compare one of the hydropho- The resulting data for HMC, PMA-S, and PMA-AQ
bically modified copolymers (HMC) from this exper- are plotted in Figure 8. In this test, a minimum of
imental design with the PMA materials. To compare 90% carbonate inhibition is considered acceptable. The
performance against PMAs, only one polymer from the amount of polymer required to deliver 90% carbonate
experimental design was chosen. The study compared the inhibition in this test can be regarded as the minimum
structural characteristics, threshold inhibition, crystal inhibitor concentration. The minimum inhibitor concen-
growth modification, and dispersancy, as well as scale trations for HMC, PMA-S, and PMA-AQ are 4, 8,
control under dynamic conditions, of the PMA-AQ , and 12 mg/L, respectively. These data indicate that the
PMA-S, and HMC polymers. solvent-based polymaleic (PMA-S) is superior to the
aqueous-based polymaleic (PMA-AQ ) by almost a
The molecular weights for the three polymers are listed factor of two. However, the hydrophobically modified
in Table 2. copolymer HMC is superior to the PMA-S by a factor of
two and the PMA-AQ by a factor of three.
Table 2: GPC molecular weight data and residual monomer
levels for PMA-AQ, PMA-S and HMC.
PMA-AQ PMA-S HMC
Mw (weight average 648 639 3,666
molecular weight)
Mn (number average 534 502 2,305
molecular weight)
PD (polydispersity) 1.2 1.3 1.6
Residual monomer (ppm) 10,900 25,000 < 500

Figure 8: Calcium carbonate inhibition data for HMC, PMA-S, and PMA-AQ.
Crystal growth modification

The crystal growth modification of various polymers was measured using the procedure detailed in a 2014 AWT
paper by Standish (7). In the experiments, 50 mL of a solution containing 1,200 mg/L of calcium/Ca+2 (from calcium
chloride dihydrate) and polymer was mixed with a solution of 50 mL of 1,200 mg/L of carbonate/CO3-2 (from sodium
carbonate monohydrate). The resulting solutions were in the pH range of 9.5 to 10.2 and contain 600 mg/L of Ca+2,
600 mg/L CO3-2, and 30 mg/L polymer. The solutions were heated in a water bath for 18 hours at 70 °C and then
allowed to cool. The crystals were collected and photographed by a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Figure 9
shows the resulting images.
Figure 9: Crystal growth modification image of (from left to right) no polymer, PMA-AQ, PMA-S, and HMC.
These images (all taken at the same magnification) clearly indicate that the crystal growth modification or distortion
properties of the HMC are superior to that of PMA-S, which in turn is superior to that of PMA-AQ. The PMA-AQ
appears to round out the calcium carbonate crystals. The PMA-S appears to not only round out the crystals but also
create dimple like structures. The HMC completely distorts the crystal structure, giving it a cauliflower like shape,
making it difficult to build on itself, and therefore adhere to surfaces. The HMC polymer modifies the crystal substan-
tially, transforming the crystals from calcite to something closer to the vaterite form. This is consistent with the results
of GuiCal, et al. (8), where they reported that the better threshold inhibitors produce a larger fraction of the crystals
being vaterite rather than calcite.
Dispersancy
The third performance vector of a good calcium carbonate scale inhibitor is the ability to disperse scale (or dirt) after
the scale has precipitated. Polymers can keep scale or dirt dispersed in the aqueous phase so that they do not adhere

to heat transfer surfaces in the system. The dispersancy Comparison in Dynamic Testing
properties of a series of polymers were measured using Dynamic testing was used to verify the data seen in the
the following test conditions: testing above. This dynamic test is designed to simulate
performance when applied in a cooling tower or similar
• Kaolin clay: 2% weight system. Dynamic performance tests were conducted on
• Polymer dosage: 10 mg/L a non-evaporative dynamic test unit, as shown in the
• Settling times: 17 hours schematic drawing in Figure 11.
• Temperature: 21 °C
The system design allows increasing cycles of concen-
Typically, polymaleic polymers do not have the ability tration (CoC) by continuous addition of makeup water
to successfully disperse existing scale because of their concentrate and controlled feeding of polymer, with
relatively low molecular weight. However, the weight an overflow to maintain constant system volume and
average molecular weight (Mw) of the HMC has been constant polymer concentration throughout the test.
optimized to be in the range 3,000 to 7,000 Daltons, The water in the system (approximately 20 liters [L]) is
which maximizes its dispersancy performance. In Figure contained in a 25-L basin and is circulated through the
10, the dispersancy properties of a blank (no polymer), system through a heat exchange rack. The heated area
HMC, PMA-AQ , and PMA-S are shown. It is obvious consists of three heat exchange rods running at approx-
from the settling of the clay in the solution that the imately 750 watts surrounded by glass tubing for the
HMC is a much better dispersant than either of the water to flow through.
PMA materials, which show similar performance to the
blank (no polymer). The heated area of each rod is approximately 23.8 square
inches. This results in a heat transfer rate of approxi-
Figure 10: Clay dispersancy (from left to right) of a blank mately 16,000 British thermal units per hour per square
(no polymer), HMC, PMA-AQ, and PMA-S. foot (BTU/hr/ft 2). The water then passes through a
corrosion rack (made of 1-inch chlorinated polyvinyl
chloride [CPVC] piping), a condenser, and back into
the basin. The basin water temperature is controlled
through a chiller, which passes cooled water through the
condenser. The pH is controlled with a pH controller and
a sulfuric acid feed.
A flow meter is mounted into the system for moni-

toring the flow rate of the water through the system. The
CoC are controlled and increased through the constant
feeding of hardness solutions and concentrated alkalinity
solutions. A polymer treatment feed is also added to
maintain the desired dosage levels of treatment within
the system. The flow across the heat exchangers was
kept constant at 3.0 gallons per minute (gpm). Specific
conductivity is approximately 750 micro-mhos.

Figure 11: Schematic of dynamic test unit.
The conditions for dynamic testing are detailed in Table 4. can be measured. From Figure 12, it can be seen that the
HMC stays above 90% inhibition for approximately one
Table 4: Dynamic unit test conditions per cycle of cycle of concentration longer than both PMA products.
concentration.
Parameter Dynamic Test Conditions Both PMA products drop rapidly from 100% inhibi-
Ca 100.0 mg/L Ca as CaCO3 (40 mg/L as Ca) tion to 20% inhibition. However, the HMC drops at
Li 2.88 mg/L Li as CaCO3 (0.4 mg/L as Li) a much slower rate, which gives the operator room for
Mg 49.2 mg/L Mg as CaCO3 (12 mg/L as Mg) error, should the polymer level drop below the minimum
Bicarbonate 74 mg/L as CaCO (90 mg/L as HCO -)
3 3 inhibitor concentration. These data validate earlier find-
Carbonate 447 mg/L as CaCO3 (268 mg/L as CO3-2) ings that the hydrophobically modified copolymer has
Fe 0.5 mg/L superior threshold inhibition, crystal growth modifica-
pH 8.80-8.90 tion, and dispersancy, since all three of these factors are
Temperature 43-44 °C accounted for in the dynamic test.
Polymer 10 mg/L
concentration
(active)
Sampling from the basin allows quantification of the ion

levels in the circulating water, giving an indication of the
polymer’s threshold inhibition capabilities. The change
in these concentrations over time demonstrates how long
the polymer can completely inhibit scale formation. In
addition, the rate of decrease in threshold inhibition
when the threshold inhibition starts to drop below 90%

Figure 12: Calcium carbonate inhibition versus CoC from Figure 13: Calcium carbonate inhibition versus calculated
the dynamic test unit for PMA-AQ, PMA-S, and HMC. LSI from the dynamic test unit for PMA-AQ, PMA-S, and
HMC.
The Langelier Saturation Index (LSI) is a measure of Images of the dynamic test containing 10 mg/L each of
the scaling tendency of calcium carbonate to precipitate PMA-AQ , PMA-S, and HMC at 5.5 CoC (calculated
out and form scale in the system. An LSI of 2 or greater LSI of 3.6, Fe 2.5 parts per million [ppm]) are displayed
indicates that the system is highly scaling. The dynamic in Figure 14. At this point in the testing, all three
conditions stated in Table 4 were used to calculate the polymers have less than 10% threshold inhibition. This
LSI (9). This can be seen in Equation 1. implies that any carbonate scale control is because of a
combination of crystal growth modification and disper-
LSI = pH – pHs Eq. 1 sancy mechanisms. The images clearly show that the
metallic heat transfer surfaces in the PMA-AQ system
Where: are completely covered in scale, while in the PMA-S
pH and pHs = the bulk water pH and the pH at satura- system, most, but not all surfaces are covered in scale.
tion (pHs)
This indicates that the PMA-S system is a better crystal
The pH at saturation can be calculated using the growth modifier than the PMA-AQ system since
Equation 2. neither polymer is an effective dispersant. In contrast,
the metallic heat transfer surfaces in the HMC system
pHs = A + B – log10 [Ca+2] – log10[Total Alkalinity] Eq. 2 are completely free of scale except for in the low-flow
zones at the end of each tube. This can be attributed to
Where: the superior crystal growth modification and dispersancy
A and B are constants related to temperature and properties of HMC. Therefore, under dynamic condi-
dissolved solids content of the water (see Table A.1 and tions that simulate an evaporative cooling system, HMC
Table A.2 in appendix of Reference 10). is far superior to PMA-AQ or PMA-S for calcium
[Ca+2] = the total calcium as CaCO3 in mg/L carbonate scale control. The performance of most poly-
[Total Alkalinity] = the total alkalinity or M alkalinity mers is negatively affected by the presence of even 0.5
as CaCO3 in mg/L to 1 ppm of iron (Fe). At 5.5 CoC, the system had 2.75
ppm Fe. The performance of the HMC at a LSI of 3.5
The LSI values for data points in Figure 12 were calcu- (greater than 3,000 times the carbonate saturation limit)
lated using Equations 1 and 2. The carbonate inhibition and in the presence of up to 2.75 ppm Fe was extraordi-
data are re-plotted in Figure 13 versus LSI rather than nary and remarkable.
CoC. The data indicate that both PMA-AQ and PMA-S
tend to drop below 90% inhibition at a calculated LSI of
approximately 2.8. In contrast, HMC tends to fall below
90% inhibition at a calculated LSI of approximately 3.3.

Figure 14: Scale buildup of PMA-AQ (left), PMA-S (middle), and HMC (right) at 5.5 CoC (LSI 3.6) under dynamic testing
conditions.
Stability With Oxidizing Biocides rendering the polymer more hydrophobic than previously
To keep microbiological growth from occurring, water thought. Solvent-based polymaleic materials are even
treaters typically add mg/L levels of halogens into their more hydrophobic because of the incorporation of an
water treatment program. Unfortunately, these halogens aromatic group into the polymer. It is postulated that
can have adverse effects on the polymer-scale control this increase in hydrophobicity results in better threshold
performance. To ensure that the performance of the inhibition and crystal growth modification.
HMC, PMA-AQ , and PMA-S are not altered by the
addition of halogens, a static test was completed with the Using these observations, hydrophobically modi-
presence of 1 mg/L chlorine. Our experiments (data not fied copolymers were designed and synthesized, and
shown) indicate that the addition of 1 mg/L of chlorine their scale inhibition performance was evaluated.
did not adversely affect the threshold inhibition perfor- Hydrophobically modified copolymers are designed to
mance of these polymers. have higher molecular weight and much lower residual
monomer levels than the polymaleics. The superior
Formulations performance of hydrophobically modified copolymers
A typical water treatment formulation will contain a over the polymaleic materials has been demonstrated for
blend of polymers. Traditionally, formulations contain a carbonate scale control, including threshold inhibition,
polymer to mitigate phosphate scale and a polymer such crystal growth modification and dispersancy.
as polymaleic to minimize carbonate scale. The polymer
used for phosphate scale also delivers dispersancy perfor- The hydrophobically modified copolymers are stable in
mance. As phosphates are being regulated out, new the presence of oxidizing biocides. They also can control
formulations do not need to contain a polymer to miti- carbonate scale deposition up to a calculated LSI of 3.5
gate phosphate scale. Thus, a hydrophobically modified or higher. Hydrophobically modified copolymers allow
copolymer that is superior to PMAs for carbonate scale water treaters to have superior performance and lower
but also gives dispersancy performance will simplify the formulation costs.
formulation. Furthermore, by using a single hydroph-
obically modified copolymer to replace the traditional Acknowledgments
polymer blends mentioned above, the formulator can The authors would like to thank the following individuals for
maximize performance while minimizing costs. their contributions to this article: Dr. Eric Twum and Dr.
Tom Pagano for the NMR data; Mr. Frank Cambria for
Conclusions the SEM pictures; Mr. Brant Richmond for the applications
NMR data indicate that the aqueous-based polymaleic testing; Mr. Matthew Vanderhoof for details on calcium
materials have substantial amounts of decarboxylation. carbonate crystal structures; and Mr. Dan Ghere for the
This results in the introduction of methylene units, GPC data.

References Klin Rodrigues, Ph.D., is a principal

1. Young, R.; Lovell, P. (2011). Introduction to Polymers, 3rd ed., CRC scientist in the Polymer PPR Group at
Press, Boca Raton, FL, Chapter 1, pp. 12-13.
Nouryon. He has been with Alco
2. Dominique, J.; Tobler, J.D. (2016). “Effect of pH on Amorphous Calci-
um Carbonate Structure and Transformation”, Crystal Growth & Design, Chemical/AkzoNobel/Nouryon for more
16, pp. 4500-4508.
than 23 years. Dr. Rodrigues has
3. Ogino, S.S. (1987). “The Formation and Transformation Mechanism of
Calcium Carbonate in Water”. Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, Vol 51, authored 30 technical papers and holds
pp. 2757-2767. more than 75 U.S. patents. He holds a
4. Denzinger, W.; Hartmann, H.; Goeckel, U.; Richter, F.; Winkler, E.; doctorate in polymer science and a master’s degree in chemical
Raubenheimer, H.-J. (April 4, 1989). “Polymaleic Acid, Its Preparation,
and its Use”, U.S. Patent No. 4,818,795. engineering from the University of Akron. He earned his
5. Yamaguchi, S.; Shioji, S.; Shorbu, I.; Yoshio, F.; Fujiwara, T. (Aug. 4, bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the Indian
1989). “Process for Producing Acid-Type Maleic Acid Polymer and Wa-
ter-Treating Agent and Detergent Additive Containing said Polymer”, Institute of Technology Bombay (India). Dr. Rodrigues can
U.S. Patent No. 5,135,677.
be contacted at klin.rodrigues@nouryon.com.
6. Rodrigues, K.; Eknoian, M.; Crossman, M. (June 20, 2006). “Hydroph-
obically Modified Solution Polymers and their Use in Surface-Protecting Jan Sanders is a senior researcher in the
Formulations”, U.S. Patent No. 7,063.895.
Polymer PPR Group at Nouryon. She
7. Standish, M. (Oct. 29-Nov.1, 2014). “Ground Up: Designing New Poly-
mers for Independent Water Treatment Companies”, presented at 2014 earned a B.A. in chemistry from the
AWT Convention, Fort Worth, TX. University of Tennessee–Chattanooga in
8. GuiCai, Z.; JiJiang, G.; MingQin, S.; BinLin, P.; Tao, M.; ZhaoZheng, 1999. Ms. Sanders joined Alco
S. (February 2007). “Investigation of Scale Ininhibition Mechanisms
Based on the Effect of Scale Inhibitor on Calcium Carbonate Crystal Chemical/AkzoNobel/Nouryon in 1998
Forms”, Science in China Series B: Chemistry 50(1), pp. 114-120. and is an expert on applications methods
9. Boffardi, B.P. (1986). Fundamentals of Cooling Water Treatment, Calgon, for scale control in oil field and water
Pittsburgh, PA, pp. 72-75.
treatment. She has four U.S. patents and has co-authored
several publications. Ms. Sanders may be reached at jannifer.
Glossary of Abbreviations sanders@nouryon.com.
Ca: calcium
CaCO3: calcium carbonate This article is based on a paper presented at the 2018 AWT Annual
Conference, which was conducted Sept. 26–29, 2018, in Orlando,
CH: methine Florida.
CH 2: methylene © 2019 Akzo Nobel Surface Chemistry LLC
CH3: methyl
CPVC: chlorinated polyvinyl chloride
CoC: cycles of concentration
Fe: Iron
HMC: hydrophobically modified copolymers
Li: lithium
LSI: Langelier Saturation Index
Mg: magnesium
mg/L: milligrams per liter
mL: milliliter
Mw: weight average molecular weight
Mn: number average molecular weight
NMR: nuclear magnetic resonance
OH: hydroxyl
PMAs: polymaleics
PMA: polymaleic acid
PMA-AQ: Polymaleic synthesized in an aqueous system
PMA-S: Polymaleic synthesized in a solvent system
PD: polydispersity
ppm: parts per million
SEM: scanning electron microscope

Industry Notes
ResinTech’s Peter Meyers Awarded the

IWC Merit Award at the International
Water Conference H2O
contributions to the ion exchange industry, the field
of water treatment, and ResinTech over his impressive
career. His long list of lectures and white papers demon-
strates his commitment to inspiring the next generation of
water technology engineers.”
H SO
U.S.2Water
4
Supports the Grassy Waters
Everglades Preserve in West Palm
Beach, Florida
In September 2018, the Grassy Waters Everglades
Left to right: ResinTech representatives Joel Tiss, Michael Gottlieb, Peter
Meyers, and Frank DeSilva. Preserve expanded its habitat garden with the help of
U.S. Water and area manager Justin Treece. Treece and
ResinTech, Inc. is pleased to announce that its senior other local volunteers planted trees native to the area and
technical director, Peter Meyers, is the 2018 recipient the everglades in the Preserve’s growing habitat garden.
of the IWC Merit Award. The International Water Treece, who’s has been in the water treatment industry
Conference® presents the Annual Merit Award to honor for 11 years and frequents the preserve with this family,
an inspiring individual in the field of industrial water understands the importance of protecting freshwater
technology—a person who has continually demonstrated resources like Grassy Waters. The Preserve is an expansive
outstanding leadership and made significant contribu- wetlands ecosystem that serves as the freshwater supply
tions to water-related technology or the advancement of for the city of West Palm Beach, South Palm Beach, and
its application. Palm Beach Island. The trees, purchased with the help of
U.S. Water, will help attract wildlife to the preserve that
IWC Award presenter Trisha Scroggin, from Burns will continue to sustain this important ecosystem.
& McDonnell, introduced the award by saying, “Peter
Meyers has presented papers or discussions more than Dr. Michael Topka Joins Spectra Colors
21 times over 30 years here at the IWC, and with every Corporation
single paper or presentation, he pushes passion and Michael Topka, Ph.D., has joined Spectra Colors
excellence.” Corporation as an analytic chemist. His background in
dyes and years in research will be an asset for new product
Meyers took the opportunity to emphasize the impor- development and research. Spectra is very proud to be
tance of engaging the next generation in improving water serving our customers for 30 years with high quality of
technologies, saying, “Change is going to happen whether service, products, and color matching. For more informa-
we want it to or not. Change has to happen to the IWC, tion, visit http://spectracolors.com.
and I hope we stay relevant.” Meyers continued, “We can’t
keep doing the same thing over and over. We have to try Tiarco Adds Capacity at Dalton Plant
new things, and if those new things don’t work, we have Tiarco Chemical boosted capacity at its Dalton chemical
to put them aside and try something else.” production facility in a multi-million-dollar expansion that
will be fully operational by the second quarter of 2018.
ResinTech CEO Jeffrey Gottlieb summarized the feelings
of Meyer’s co-workers and industry peers, stating, “We The chemical site increased its footprint by about 40
are incredibly proud of Peter for his many significant percent, from about 70,000 square feet to about 100,000

Industry Notes continued
square feet, said Kevin Nolan, vice president and general Tiarco will expand its facilities at Greenville, South
manager at Tiarco Chemical. Construction of the new Carolina, and Ipoh, Malaysia. He said both also focus on
unit began in the first quarter of 2017. component chemistries.
The site produces a variety of components used in the Grundfos to Clean and Recycle Its Own
manufacture of latex additives, grease and lubricant Wastewater
additives, water treatment additives, and contract and No contaminated sewage will make it into nature when
toll manufacturing. Within the latex industry, the site the new wastewater treatment plant opens at Grundfos
is focused heavily on antioxidants, accelerators, and wax in Bjerringbro, Denmark. The system collects and cleans
emulsions. wastewater from the paint plant, making the water clean
enough for another round of production.
He added there were three primary drivers for the expan-
sion—improving efficiencies of operation, adding a level The closed-loop facility is part of Grundfos’ goal to cut
of automation and control to production, and increasing 50 percent of its water consumption by 2025 compared
capacity. to 2008. It is also one of the company’s efforts to solve
global water challenges.
The Dalton chemical plant runs three key manufacturing
processes for Tiarco that will be increased with the “Sustainability is an integral part of all our products
expansion. The first and largest is reactive chemistry. and services. Naturally, this also applies to our factories.
The new plant shows how our technology can make a
“We’re a true manufacturing chemical company where we positive difference, and that we take responsibility for
design, scale up, produce, and sell molecules. In this case, our production leaving the smallest possible footprint
the ones for the latex industries are accelerators basically on the environment. It is one of the ways we contribute
for curing latex,” Nolan said. to sustainable development goal 6,” says Stéphane
Simonetta, group executive vice president of operations,
The other two manufacturing processes are production of referring to the UN’s global target to ensure sustainable
aqueous dispersions and emulsion capabilities. water solutions.
The expansion gave the company the chance to design and The plant, underway for the past two years, is expected
build equipment where those manufacturing processes are to save 10,000 m3 of water per year—equivalent to the
in full control for both safety and controlled repeatability, anuual consumption of 100 ordinary Danish households.
said Nolan. Innovative methods make it possible.
While Tiarco is not adding a large amount of base chem- “The processing plant is packed with our newest tech-
istry in the latex market, “we are setting up the manufac- nologies. Using digital sensors, microfiltration, smart
turing capability to add to our current portfolio, as well as dosing, and of course of our pumps, we can treat water
leave room for new chemistries in the future,” Nolan said. for painting processes to a level where it can be recycled.
The plant is a live-working showcase of how waste-
“The current expansion will improve our ability to deliver water can be turned into value,” explains Anders Lund
solutions to meet our waterborne customers’ future needs. Hansen, senior manufacturing director.
Latex is one of our core strengths, not only for Tiarco, but
also for the entire family of Textile Rubber & Chemical The new water treatment plant opened officially on Friday
Companies. We intend to maintain a leadership position 30 November at Grundfos in Bjerringbro and featured
in the latex market on technology and application solu- speeches from Group President Mads Nipper, Stéphane
tions,” said Nolan. Simonetta, and Anders Lund Hansen, among others.
The expansion at the Dalton facility comes before two

additional major developments over the next two years.

Industry Notes continued
Advantage Controls Promotes Jeff O’Neal, 43, joined the company in 1997 as an inside
O’Neal to President sales representative and quickly rose to multiple manage-
Advantage Controls, a Muskogee ment positions including regional sales manager, vice
(Okla.)-based manufacturer of president of sales, and most recently, vice president of
industrial water treatment operations.
equipment, announced this week
the promotion of Jeff O’Neal to O’Neal received a bachelor of business administration in
the position of company presi- management from the University of Oklahoma, where
dent. He will be responsible for he graduated with distinction. He is currently a board
overseeing all aspects of the member with the Eastern Workforce Board and serves as
company’s daily operations and vice chairman of the Greater Muskogee Manufacturers
long-term strategic planning. Alliance. He is also a certified Lean Implementer and
the recipient of a Governor’s Commendation for work-
“Jeff is a gifted individual with proven leadership skills. force development.
My expectation and belief is that he will take Advantage
Controls far beyond where we are, and the time has
come for me to get out of the way!” said Dan Morris,
Advantage Controls CEO.
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Association News
AWT Benchmarking Survey Drop by Drop: Articles on Industrial

AWT will once again be conducting a financial Water Treatment, by James McDonald,
operations study. Participation in this survey is very CWT
important, as the data can: Drop by Drop is a compilation of technical articles on
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Provide our industry with current statistics. boilers, cooling towers, closed loops, wastewater,
pretreatment, chemistry, calculations, equipment, and
Identify developing trends (e.g., sales mix or customer testing. Like a bucket can be filled “drop by drop,”
mix). each stand-alone article will add to the reader’s knowl-
edge base in an easy-to-read format that gets to the
Help members understand the risks and opportunities practical heart of the matter. With a wide breadth of
associated with potential highs and lows that have topics covered, both novices and seasoned veterans will
been experienced. find something of interest in this 485-page book. This
valuable publication is available for purchase through the
AWT has hired Industry Insights, an independent AWT bookstore at www.awt.org.
research firm that specializes in confidential surveys,
to manage this study. This professional survey firm 2019 AWT Training Seminars
will never divulge individual company responses to any The AWT 2019 Training Seminars will help you refine
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Be sure to complete the survey to receive: matter the stage in one’s career, these programs provide
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individual company’s responses. cooling and boiler water treatment. Don’t miss out on the
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3. Complimentary access to the study’s Searchable best practices, or fill in any learning gaps. For more infor-
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4. A complimentary STEM kit that you can use at

your local school.
To ensure that you receive all of the benefits of participa-

tion, please complete the survey upon receipt.

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POWERING
POTENTIAL
T.U.T.O.R. Technical Updates, Tips, or Reviews
Water Essentials
How to Select the Right Metering for a Treatment Process
By Laith Charles, Pulsafeeder SPO
Metering pumps are the conduit between good chem- Diaphragm Pumps
istry and a controlled process. There are limitless appli- The rubber meets the road in the head of a diaphragm
cations for chemical metering equipment, ranging from pump. The core components of a diaphragm pump are
agriculture and car washes to water treatment for boilers, the suction valve, discharge valve, and reciprocating
cooling towers, and wastewater. While the fundamen- diaphragm. Other than the drive mechanism—solenoid or
tals of selecting the right metering pump are common motor driven—the principals of diaphragm pumps are the
throughout all applications, some application-specific same. Fundamentally, all diaphragm pumps have a suction
considerations can be overlooked. This article is intended and a discharge stroke, which is shown in Figure 1.
as a reference to pump fundamentals as well as some
application-specific tips to serve as a useful refresher for Figure 1: Stroke styles of a diaphragm pump: suction (left)
some and an educational reference for others. and discharge (right).
Before we begin, here is one important reminder for

the expert or the beginner: always remember to take
the appropriate safety precautions when working with
metering equipment. Wear personal protective equip-
ment (PPE) when handling chemicals, while in loud
equipment rooms, and when working on electrical equip-
ment. Now, let us look at the essentials for successfully
using a chemical metering pump for water treatment
applications.
Core Metering Technologies

A plethora of different technologies are available when it
comes to choosing a chemical feed pump. Pump technol-
ogies include: diaphragm, peristaltic, piston, progressive
cavity, gear, hose, and more. Alternatives to meteringThe suction stroke is when the diaphragm retracts back-
pumps are also worth mentioning, such as a venture andwards from the forward position, increasing the distance
pot feeder, and solid feeders, such as a brominator. between the surface of the diaphragm and the inner
wall of the head. This increases the volume inside the
It is important to know pump head and causes
all options and their “The suction stroke is when the diaphragm a decrease in pressure,
respective strengths which creates a vacuum
retracts backwards from the forward
and weaknesses. With because of the Ideal
this knowledge, one can position.” Gas Law, as shown in
make sure to choose Equation 1.
the right equipment the
first time to balance cost, performance, and reliability. Ideal Gas Law: P1V1 = P2V2 Equation 1
Nonetheless, the scope of this article will be limited to
metering pumps, specifically diaphragm and peristaltic. This vacuum, or negative pressure, creates suction, which

T.U.T.O.R. continued
applies inward pressure that pulls down on the discharge flexible piece of tubing. Positive displacement is created
valve, creating a seal as the check ball seats firmly in as the rollers inside the head contact the tubing, creating
the seat. Conversely, a pinch point, and rotate
the vacuum also pulls around, causing suction
up on the suction valve
“The volume displaced from a single head on the suction side and
and lifts the check ball revolution in a peristaltic pump is fixed positive output pressure
from its respective seat, on the discharge side.
based on the size of the tube.”
allowing the negative The pinch points in a
pressure to be equalized peristaltic pump are the
by the higher pressure in the suction line. “seals” in the pump and the rotation of the pinch points
that causes a volume change, creating the suction and
The discharge stroke is when the diaphragm moves discharge pressure, allowing the pump to operate.
forward or decreases the distance between the surface
of the diaphragm and the inner wall of the head. This The volume displaced from a single head revolution in
increases the pressure in the head as volume decreases. a peristaltic pump is fixed based on the size of the tube.
As the pressure builds, the force pushes outward evenly. Output can be varied by adjusting the speed or rota-
This pressure pushes down on the suction valve, firmly tions per minute of the pump head. Because the suction
seating the check ball. The same pressure also pushes up and discharge stroke occurs simultaneously, one would
on the discharge valve and allows the higher-pressure assume the output of a peristaltic pump to be more
fluid in the head to diffuse into the discharge line. consistent; however, the pump operation will create
varying fluid acceleration and some pressure swings as
Diaphragm pumps only feed into the process during the each roller goes by the discharge valve. Figure 2 illus-
discharge stroke. During the suction stroke, there is no trates how a peristaltic pump works.
output. This causes a unique pulsating output. Adjusting
the output of a diaphragm pump is done by either Figure 2: Cross section of a peristaltic pump that illustrates
adjusting the stroke length, which changes the volume in how it works.
the head displaced during every stroke, or by changing
the speed of the pump stroke.
Peristaltic Pump
Another staple in the metering pump world is the peri-
staltic pump. The function of the pump is similar— both
dose repeatable and accurate quantities of chemical. Even
so, the contrasting pump topologies operate quite differ-
ently. A peristaltic pump’s head consists of a suction and
discharge side. The “wetted” liquid end of the pump is a

Comparison of Technologies
Table 1 provides a comparison on how diaphragm and peristaltic pumps work.
Table 1: Comparison of diaphragm and peristaltic pumps.
Diaphragm Peristaltic
Controls Adjustable stroke, length, and speed Adjustable speed

Chemical compatibility Wide variety of liquid end materials Limited to tube compatibility
Discharge pressure Able to operate beyond 300 psi Limited to less than 125 psi
Suction lift 5 ft 24 ft
Output Up to 132 gph Limited to 100 gpd
Maintenance Lower maintenance Higher maintenance
Other notes • Excellent repeatability • Output drifts with tube age
• Check balls do not perform well with chemical • Excellent self-priming performance
slurry • Performs better with chemical slurry
Table notes: Numerical data in table above is only reflective of equipment made by Pulsafeeder. Other manufacturers and specialized equipment ratings may differ. This reference in
the table is intended as a guide to give examples of the general characteristics of diaphragm and peristaltic chemical feed pumps.
psi = pounds per square inch
ft = feet
gpd = gallons per day
gph = gallons per hour
Table 1 outlines some of the differences between typical the ability of a pump to lift fluid up to the pump head, a
diaphragm and peristaltic pumps. Some of these differ- peristaltic pump performs better.
ences cause one pump to excel over another in a given
application. From a chemical compatibility standpoint, Site Survey
you typically have better coverage on a diaphragm pump Knowing a little about these two styles of pump, their
when working with chemicals that are more aggressive. respective strengths and weaknesses help during the next
Dialing in the head material, the elastomers and the part of the selection process— the site survey. No one
check balls enable one to find a combination that works pump is right for all applications. Engineers must tailor
well with the chemistry being injected. a lot of equipment selection based on the site’s unique
needs. There can be several unique aspects affecting
Conversely, peristaltic pumps have a narrower compat- pump selection: the treatment process, the chemical,
ible range. The output capability on pressure, flow, liquid and power or input/output (I/O) requirements at the
end-life, and accuracy are all better with the diaphragm installation.
technology; however, the “self-priming” nature of a peri-
staltic pump makes it a favorite for many. Additionally, Environment
it offers heightened performance with small-suspended The first factor to observe is the environment. Will the
solids. Suspended solids will sit on the valves inside a equipment be outside in direct sunlight or inside in a
typical diaphragm pump and interfere with the check nice climate-controlled room? Other environmental
balls seating, which prevents the pump from func- factors worth noting would be any extreme humidity
tioning. Lastly, when it comes to suction-lift capacity or and/or altitude conditions, as these can sometimes affect

equipment performance. A pump selected for an outside suction-life requirement of the pump. Any time a
agricultural application versus a pump used for a water diaphragm pump is installed in a suction-lift application,
conditioning plant would have drastically different envi- use a foot valve to help in priming the pump and main-
ronmental considerations. taining prime. Keep the foot valve upright. In certain
applications, you may need to install a pump in a flooded
Location suction situation to handle high viscosity or off-gas-
Next, getting an idea on the location of the equipment is sing fluid. Ensure the head orientation is correct when
important. Even if you are only taking over an account, mounting a diaphragm pump because head rotation is
sometimes keeping equipment exactly where it was could sometimes required.
be setting you up for failure. Keep in mind the limita-
tions of the equipment. Avoid unnecessarily long suction Lastly, if ever there is a sensitive fixed asset at a facility,
and discharge runs. If you can store chemical close to the factor in a “What if…?” risk analysis. Unfortunately,
point of injection, then do so. Also, ensure the point of double-containment is often implemented after a chem-
injection makes sense in the process to maximize chemical spill. Do not wait! If you do wait, then you might lose
ical dispersion. an account or face an unexpected liability because of this
oversight. Figure 3 shows schematics of four mounting
Another important consideration is the pump’s location options for a pump and its chemical solution tank.
relative to the chemical. Do not exceed the maximum
Figure 3: Various mounting configurations possible for chemical dosing pumps.

Other Factors that the selected pump can handle that throughput.
Besides the chemistry, you want to know exactly where Oversizing a pump is often useful as process demands
the pumps are being plugged in and if there are any can change and cause a spike in the chemical demand.
other electrical interface cabling factors that should Sizing a pump at 70% gives reasonable turn up and turn
be considered. Many times, pumps are plugged into a down to adjust to process changes.
wall-mounted controller that is only a few feet from the
pumps. In these applications, simply ensuring that the Pressure requirements. All pumps have a maximum
pigtail plug is the same form factor as the one on the pressure rating. One needs to ensure the process pressure
pump is often enough; however, certain applications and additional stack-up pressure are below a pump’s pres-
use custom programmable logic controllers (PLC) that sure rating. Again, oversizing and building in cushion can
require conduit wiring. protect against being painted into a corner where you might
need a new pump. Keep in mind, long discharge tubing
Be sure to know the voltages and phases of the power you runs will increase the pressure seen by the pump. Fluid is
need to run the equipment. In addition, equipment some- heavy and sometimes viscous, and moving it, especially up,
times needs power where there is none. There may not be creates additional work for your dosing equipment.
an outlet or controller to simply plug a 115VAC plug into.
Here, one needs to get creative and implement a complete Electrical I/O. Equipment needs power, and there are
power solution with a gas generator or even solar setup many different kinds of power supplies. Become familiar
complete with batteries to provide equipment power. with AC/DC (not the band) and the different volt-
ages, amps, and phases needed to power the equipment
Pump Selection and respective safety ratings. Beyond power, know the
Knowing the fundamentals of metering equipment can control inputs needs, 4-20 milliamps (mA), pulse inputs,
help immensely when designing and implementing a and stop signals.
chemical solution for a process. When you are in tune
with the underlying mechanics of metering equipment, Fluid considerations. Pumps used in potable water
troubleshooting often becomes a mental brainstorming applications would need an NSF-61 rating. (Note: The NSF
exercise to figure out the root cause of a given issue. International is a standards developing organization that
develops guidelines for the performance of equipment in water
Let us take a step back for a minute and revisit the treatment and other areas.) When working with high-vis-
basics. Our first stop when dialing in the right pump for cosity fluids or oxidizers, a specialized liquid end might
an application is as follows: be needed. Certain applications and/or processes involve
• Chemical compatibility a pump skid complete with calibration columns, pulsation
• Pump output dampeners, pressure relief, backpressure valves, and more.
• Pressure requirements
• Electrical I/O Often, multiple pumps match the requirements of a
• Fluid considerations specific installation. In these instances, one can have the
luxury of choosing equipment based on personal prefer-
Chemical compatibility. When working with chem- ences. While many equipment decisions happen subcon-
icals, it is paramount to ensure that everything that sciously, as one grows more and more familiar with the
touches the chemical is chemical resistant. Everything needs of each process, sometimes slowing down and
from the containment tank, up through the foot valve, taking a more “blank slate” approach can reveal a small
suction tubing, pump head, discharge tubing, and oversight where the “go-to” or default equipment choice
injector must be able to withstand the chemical coursing would not have done the job.
through it. If you are not sure, confirm with the chem-
ical supplier and the pump manufacturer. Pump Degassing
Metering equipment feed a plethora of different chem-
Pump output. Sizing a pump is also pivotal. If the icals. A common agent to dose into a process is an
location has a 5 gph of chemical demand, then confirm oxidant. This group of chemicals is widely used as a

disinfection agent. While there are several different Frequently Overlooked

oxidants available, it is important to respond appropri- Here are some prevailing themes of often-overlooked
ately to dose them accurately. considerations that include anything from suction tubing
on the discharge side to a chemical compatibility over-
As examples, sodium hypochlorite, chlorine, and sight. The following is a list of areas to watch out for that
bromine can be difficult to feed accurately. Many of these can contribute to successful operation of diaphragm and
chemicals, depending on conditions, are unstable in their peristaltic pumps:
liquid state. The chemicals want to oxidize and turn into
a gas. Gases in nature behave dramatically different from Foot valve orientation. A foot valve needs to be upright.
liquids. Gases are quite compressible versus their liquid A check ball inside foot valves helps diaphragm pumps
counterpart. This important behavioral trait makes it prime and maintain prime. A foot valve on its side will
difficult for a standard diaphragm pump to purge gas in not serve its function and will hurt pump performance.
the pump head against pressure.
Pump head orientation. A diaphragm pump head
A degas head is designed specifically for oxidants. This should be vertical, the suction valve on the bottom, and
feature allows for safe gas-chemical venting back to the discharge valve on the top (or side for a degas head).
the containment tank. If mounting a pump by
Once any built up gas “A continuously operating metering pump its feet, rotate the head
is purged, the venting accordingly along with
mechanism seals and can stroke over 100 million times a year.” the weep valve on the
allows the primed pump adapter plate.
to resume normal operation.
Long vertical discharge runs. A cooling tower on a roof
The correct installation of the return line is to secure with feed equipment in the basement compounds the
the line back in the chemical containment tank above pressure seen by the pump. Avoid long vertical discharge
the liquid level. Submerging the return line contributes runs when possible and only oversize pump pressure
some backpressure on the venting mechanism and can output when unavoidable.
cause performance issues. Additionally, long suction and
discharge tubing runs can compound this phenomenon. Flooded suction required. High fluid specific gravity,
Sometimes supplemental inline gas vents are required to viscosity, or certain oxidizers will only behave well in
maintain performance. flooded suction. Suction lift ratings must be prorated for
these difficult chemicals, but sometimes, flooded suction
Maintenance is the only installation method that will work.
A continuously operating metering pump can stroke over
100 million times a year. Even a metering pump that Backpressure adds consistency. Backpressure can
turns on for one hour every other day still comfortably prevent variations in pump output and reduce the risk
strokes more than 1 million times in a year. The demand of syphoning. Use backpressure in a flooded suction
on a pump head is high. As a result, maintenance is huge and when process pressure is inconsistent for optimal
when it comes to keeping pump performance at its best. performance.
KOP, or “Keep on Pumping” kits, are recommended Do not rob Peter to pay Paul. If a pump goes down,
annually. New check balls, seats, diaphragm, tubes, and scrounging up parts to get the pump working is an art.
seals all contribute to a pump’s accuracy and perfor- Be careful taking one pump’s component and using it on
mance. Often, pumps are used indefinitely until they another pump. Mixing these components is a slippery
simply stop working; however, building in preventative slope to accidentally mixing chemicals with incompatible
maintenance schedules can normalize equipment costs materials.
for a process and reduce the chance of down time.

Degassing considerations. Oxidizers must be handled Sometimes the best pump is simply the one that is there
appropriately, so pump degassing is a wise practice when in the plant and works. However, one may not always
working with these chemicals. have pump equipment that fits your typical equipment
selection. Be aware of the dosing equipment needs in
Conclusion each process and factor in considerations for the process
Regardless of whether one has been working with variables like output, pressure, and compatibility. Scope
metering equipment for 30 years or 30 days, no one is out your installation conditions, and minimize unneces-
perfect. If not done already, one will eventually make a sary chemical tubing runs. Make sure your equipment can
mistake in choosing the proper equipment for a process or interface with any other existing system when applicable
just installing the equipment incorrectly. Some mistakes and be aware of any unique environmental conditions that
could lead to not feeding any chemicals for a month, while might lead to special equipment considerations.
others might cause a full tote of chemicals to be dumped
Laith Charles is the Pacific Northwest
preemptively into a process within a few days. regional manager for Pulsafeeder. At
Pulsafeeder, he has worked in the
It is difficult to predict every case in some applications engineering department, with a focus on
that could adversely affect metering equipment. Everyone product development for both controllers
develops a set of “go-to” equipment and even has a typical and pumps. Mr. Charles holds a B.S. in
installation setup. This can help drive consistency in electrical engineering from the
various site visits. One may have a pump you are comfort- University of Central Florida. He may
able with, know how to rebuild, and maybe already have be contacted at LCharles@idexcorp.com.
spare parts lying around in case of an emergency.

Now in our
FOURTH GENERATION
and more committed than ever
to supporting the industrial
water treatment market.
› DEEPEST INVENTORY of a wide variety of products for
boiler and cooling towers
› EXTENSIVE CERTIFICATE OF ANALYSIS completed in-house

and on every lot produced
› QUICKEST SHIPMENT — usually same day order is placed
› CUSTOMER SERVICE and support that you can trust
› TOP BRAND QUALITY at a generic label price
MOVING FROM A 1921 ESTABLISHMENT INTO A 21ST CENTURY AMERICAN MANUFACTURING COMPANY
See our expanded NorthQuest offering at www.NorthQuest.US

Making a Splash
Mike Standish
Radical Polymers
Chattanooga, Tennessee
What prompted you to start amount of time, I have developed relationships that are
volunteering with AWT? so much deeper than a network or contact list. It is pretty
I started my water treatment career in 1986 as a co-op powerful to be able to have a group of “go to” people when
student. Soon after graduating college, I began attending you have a question you don’t know the answer to or an
AWT meetings as an additive supplier. What impressed opportunity that you aren’t sure how to approach in the
me at the time is how willing the membership was to best way. It is even more powerful to be called on and
help me as a young person with very little experience or trusted for advice when someone in your “network” values
knowledge. I cannot overemphasize this quality of the your opinion. Volunteering within AWT absolutely has
membership. I believe this trait is special and unique provided those connections for me throughout my career.
within AWT and is at the core of the purpose of the
association. So, this being a part of the DNA of AWT, it Why would you encourage others to
had to become a part of my DNA as I grew in my expe- become a volunteer?
rience and could begin to contribute to other members I truly don’t think the answer here is about obligation
and the overall needs of the organization. or “you need to give back.” For me, it is really not about
that. It is more about being part of the AWT commu-
What has been the most rewarding nity. Collectively, the membership of AWT is a greater
thing about volunteering? resource than any single company entity, whether large
Everyone knows “it is better to give than to receive.” and global or small and local. I would encourage anyone
Certainly, it is rewarding to be able to help the organiza- to tap into that resource, develop strong bonds with
tion or another member directly. However, it is definitely your colleagues, learn from the collective knowledge
never a one-way street. I have always found instant grati- and experience, and yes, contribute with his or her own
fication when volunteering within AWT. At a minimum, expertise and ideas.
I always learn something during these opportunities to
volunteer. It might be learning about a business chal- Tell us about a current project you or
lenge facing the membership, becoming aware of a new your committee is working on?
regulation, or having to do a bit of technical research One of the primary objectives within the Business
to be able to answer a question. Additionally, there is Resources Committee is to develop a strong platform
a tremendous amount of camaraderie and fellowship of useful topics for the Business Owners Meeting. In
within the committees. Contributing, learning, and the last couple of years, this meeting has grown from an
developing friendships are all pretty compelling rewards idea within the committee to an additional day at the
for being involved in AWT. annual convention. In February, we will hold our first
standalone Business Owners Meeting in New Orleans.
How has volunteering improved your The committee is very excited about this opportunity to
professional career? contribute business-focused support to the membership.
“Networking” is a pretty overused term nowadays, but I We believe providing on point information and training
think that has to be my answer here. This being said, I for current business issues facing the membership is a
would also add to that the component of developing trust vital component to helping member companies grow their
within the networking relationships. Like most everyone I businesses. We encourage anyone to become involved,
know who has been involved in AWT for any appreciable contribute ideas, and join us in New Orleans.

CWT Spotlight
Chandler Mancusco, CWT

Technical Coordinator
Plymouth Technology, Inc.
How did you prepare for the test? What was the most difficult aspect of
The AWT Technical Reference and Training Manual was the exam?
my lifeline. I spent countless hours reviewing it cover For me, the most difficult aspect of the exam was simply
to cover. As a younger water treatment professional, the volume of material that one must master in order to
I felt that it was important to do my best to translate pass it. It was intimidating, and to accommodate this,
the knowledge that I was gaining from the TRTM to I did not try to cram anything into my head because I
the field, so I did this at every opportunity I had, and knew I wouldn’t be able to get away with doing that for
it forced me to learn the information in a way that was an exam of this magnitude. Instead, I carefully studied
majorly beneficial for the purpose of taking the exam. smaller sections of material just about every day, and
I would not move forward to new material until I was
What are the advantages of having the confident that I understood everything from the previous
CWT designation? section to avoid convolution.
By far the most significant benefit that I have expe-
rienced from achieving my CWT was that it sort of What advice would you give those
opened the door to establish contact with some of the thinking about taking the exam?
best water treatment experts in the industry. I know that The exam is difficult, and it takes a lot of time to prepare
I have so much more to learn about this industry and for it, but the benefits of taking it are innumerable. You
water treatment, so the feeling that I can continue to will be a better water treater, you will find yourself more
learn from my colleagues and use resources that I didn’t centered in the industry, and I am confident all CWTs
have in the past is really exciting to me. would agree that it was well worth going the distance.
Congratulations to Our Newest CWTs

Please join us in congratulating the latest individuals to become CWTs
(October 15, 2018–January 15, 2019)
Tim Minamyer, CWT Paul McKennon, CWT Matt Fogle, CWT

Aqua-Serv Engineers, Inc. Aqua-Serv Engineers, Inc. Aqua-Serv Engineers, Inc.

Ask the Experts
The discussion below occurred on AWT’s online

community, the Exchange. Be sure to join to be part
of the conversation!
Copper Deposits in a High-Pressure Boiler

Question 1 low ammonia or amine dosing. With a system like this,
Curious to hear thoughts on copper deposition in a boiler if you are using the AVT(O) chemistry approach, it
system running at 850 psi. They have 3 admiralty brass becomes more difficult to control.
FW heaters and 1 admiralty brass condenser. Significant
deposits have been found in the boiler feedwater valves in Answer 4
the steam header, deposits in the steam drum and mud How is your oxygen control? Where is the makeup
drum. Numerous tube failures have occurred, however we coming in and what percent makeup do you have. Where
believe that is FAC related. They operate the feedwater are you feeding the oxygen scavenger? Do you export
pH between 8.8 and 9.2 and condensate pH between 8.5 steam at varying rates, or is the system reasonably steady?
and 9.2. I’m assuming pH attack on the admiralty brass Better not be on AVT-O unless a completely steel system!
as I can’t find anything else to point at it. Copper levels
tested in the 53-100 ppb levels. What should the pH Response 1
be at for this type of system? Can ammonia be an issue Thank you everyone for all your help on this. DEHA is
considering different polymers being used currently in the being fed to the DA as the AVT-O and a triblend SLT is
system? Thanks in advance for the help. being fed prior to the 3 brass feedwater heaters (no idea
why, not my account…yet).
Answer 1
Your pH’s in the feedwater are too high. They should not I’m looking at this like pH is the major factor, need to do
exceed 8.5. What is causing your high pH’s? Where and a DO test on the DA.
what are you feeding for your chemistries? Copper will
cause localized galvanic corrosion, which, under certain Recent high-purity feedwater analysis showed 26 ppb of
stresses, can crack a tube. Recommend you have a metal- zinc and 14 ppb of copper. Any thoughts on what levels
lurgist examine the tube and the failures, especially if these need to be at for concern? Iron was nd.
you are assuming FAC.
Answer 5
Answer 2 Those are elevated. Copper is usually several times
My experience is with higher pressure boilers where a higher than zinc in brass. While there is such a thing as
pH for mixed metallurgies of 8.8–9.2 is recommended, dezincification, over time everything on surface comes
with an ammonia concentration of < 0.40 ppm. Excessive off the surface of brass in feedwater. So if you see that
oxygen can cause severe copper corrosion (something to much zinc, average copper transport is probably higher
consider). Also as mentioned a root cause analysis should than indicated by that one test. Some of the copper also
be performed to confirm tube failure mechanism. can plate on boiler feed pumps and first heater after the
deaerator during service but you can get a slug of a bunch
Answer 3 more copper transport when it redissolves with oxygen-
On these lower pressure generating boiler systems, you ated water on startup. Control of air in leakage, DO, and
will often find copper and copper alloys in the system. ammonia can be critical.
Failures of the copper are mainly due to overdosing the
amine (or ammonia) in the presence of excess dissolved Look at ASME guide for limits of copper as a function
oxygen. Most can be prevented with adequate oxygen of pressure.
scavenger (in this case, a non-solids DO scavenger) and

Capital Eyes
How Can Congress

Get Things Done in
2019?
By Janet Kopenhaver
In my last column, I provided a recap of the November of this century, surpassing $4 billion in 2016. And
election, including the fact that starting in 2019, we it is sure to continue increasing each year. Through
will again have a divided government, with the White the mid-year of 2018, fundraising averages were $7.5
House and Senate held by Republicans and the House million for an incumbent senator seeking reelection and
by Democrats. However, I added that this might $1.3 million for a House member seeking another term.
actually result in some substantial legislation being
passed because both the White House and the House Media – Voters are tending more and more to ignore
Democrats want to prove to voters that they can get or reject information that calls into question their own
things done to set the stage for the 2020 presidential ideological views of the world. Instead they are relying
elections. But it will not be easy, as partisan politics is exclusively on newspapers, websites, and cable news
so pervasive nowadays. networks with a tone that reinforces their pre-existing
perception of what is important, who is respectable, and
Here are problem areas that, if fixed by Congress, what constitutes “fake news.”
would alleviate gridlock in the Capitol.
Consider this statistic: A national survey last summer
Gerrymandering – The redistricting process and thus found that 57 percent of the Fox News audience iden-
the lack of competitive seats gets a lot of the blame for tifies as Republican, and only about one in five of its
the dysfunction in Congress. The result of gerryman- viewers said they voted for Hillary Clinton. On the
dering is that a disproportionate majority of Americans other hand, 60 percent of CNN viewers and 64 percent
live in politically homogenous communities. of MSNBC viewers identify as leaning or solidly
Democratic.
Consider this statistic: In 2010, one of every four
districts (or 109) were considered somewhat competitive Mingling – It is very difficult to create and establish a
between the parties. Eight years and one nationwide functional and collaborative legislature when half the
redistricting later, this number shrunk to only about members have no personal interaction with the other
18 percent (or 77 seats). In other words, in five of six half. The congressional schedule (along with fundraising
districts, securing one party’s nomination is tantamount mentioned above) is a big problem. Legislators usually fly
to winning an election in November. in on Monday night or Tuesday morning in time for the
week’s first vote and head to the airport right after a last
Fundraising – Another major problem is the amount roll call, which is most often on Thursday.
of time legislators need to spend on fundraising, leaving
little time for actually legislating and cultivating rela- In addition, fewer and fewer politicians find homes
tionships with their colleagues across the aisle. There in the Washington area and move their families here.
is also the problem of candidates’ beliefs that in order That has resulted in the virtual disappearance of the
to get donations, they must resort to the most partisan bipartisan family barbeques that helped define member
language possible to build up their base. culture in the 1970s, when going home on weekends
was difficult due to Monday morning and Friday after-
Consider this statistic: the total spent on all congres- noon votes.
sional contests has surged 73 percent since the start Continued on p. 71

Financial Matters
Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Supercharges Exemption

Portability
The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) completely rewrites the portability provision, the executor of the estate of
sections of the tax code for individuals and businesses. the first spouse to die can elect to have the “deceased
Under the TCJA, the federal gift and estate tax exemp- spousal unused exclusion” (DSUE) transferred to the
tion doubles from $5 million to $10 million, indexed for estate of the surviving spouse.
inflation to $11.18 million in 2018.
How DSUE works
Somewhat lost in the clamor is the fact that the new law A good way to explain the DSUE is to look at a hypo-
preserves the “portability” provision for married couples. thetical example. Let’s say that Kevin and Debbie, who
Portability allows your estate to elect to permit your have two children, each own $5 million individually and
surviving spouse to use any of your available estate tax $10 million jointly with rights of survivorship, for a total
exemption that is unused at your death. of $20 million. Under their wills, all assets pass first to
the surviving spouse and then to the children.
The long and winding road
In addition to the unlimited marital deduction that shel- If Debbie dies in early 2018, the $5 million in assets she
ters asset transfers between spouses from federal estate leaves to Kevin is exempt from estate tax because of the
tax, the $11.18 million gift and estate tax exemption unlimited marital deduction. Thus, her entire $11.18
covers asset transfers to other heirs, such as your chil- million exemption is unused. However, if the election
dren and grandchildren. (See the sidebar “Don’t skip the is made upon her death, Kevin’s estate can later use
generation-skipping transfer tax.”) the $11.18 million of the DSUE from Debbie, plus the
exemption for the year in which Kevin dies, to shelter
It doesn’t seem possible, but at the turn of the century, the remaining $8.8 million from tax, with plenty to
the exemption was a mere $675,000 before being hiked to spare for some appreciation in value.
$1 million. Subsequently, the Economic Growth and Tax
Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 gradually increased the What would have happened without the portability
exemption to $3.5 million, while reducing the top estate provision? For simplicity, let’s say that Kevin dies later
tax rate from 55% to 35%, among other changes. in 2018. Without being able to benefit from the unused
portion of Debbie’s exemption, the $11.18 million
After a one-year estate tax moratorium in 2010, the Tax exemption for Kevin in 2018 leaves the $8.8 million
Relief Act (TRA) of 2010 reinstated the estate tax with subject to estate tax. At the 40% rate, the federal estate
a generous $5 million exemption, indexed for inflation, tax bill would amount to a whopping $3.52 million.
and a top 35% tax rate. The American Taxpayer Relief
Act (ATRA) of 2012 made these changes permanent, Although techniques such as a traditional bypass trust
with the exception of increasing the top rate to 40%. may be used to avoid or reduce estate tax liability, this
example demonstrates the potential impact of the porta-
Along the way, the unified gift and estate tax exemption bility election. It also emphasizes the need for advance
was severed and then reunified, as they remain under planning.
current law. Thus, any amounts used to cover lifetime
gifts erode the remaining estate tax shelter. Other points of interest
Be aware that this discussion factors in only federal
Most important, for the first time, the TRA autho- estate taxes. State estate taxes may also have a significant
rized portability of the estate tax exemption, which impact, particularly in some states where the estate tax
was then permanently preserved by ATRA. Under exemption isn’t tied to the federal exemption.

Financial Matters continued Capital Eyes continued
Also, keep in mind that, absent further legislation, the Masochism – Members have been told by their constit-
exemption amount is slated to revert to pre-2018 levels uents for so long that they do terrible work in a terrible
after 2025. Portability continues, although for those place. Many then win their seats by poking fun at the
whose estates will no longer be fully sheltered, additional very place where they want to work. This leads to more
planning should be considered. and more of them taking actions that overtly disrespect
the institution, reinforcing the voters’ expectations and
Furthermore, portability isn’t always the best option. All deservedly driving the reputation of Congress lower
relevant factors should be considered, including nontax and lower.
reasons that might affect the distribution of assets under
a will or living trust. For instance, a person may want to Consider this statistic: Gallup’s monthly measurement
divide assets in other ways if matters are complicated by of congressional approval has not cracked above 40
a divorce, a second marriage, or unusual circumstances. percent since early 2005 and has been in the teens in all
Your estate tax advisor can help you decide if portability but one month of this year.
is right for your estate plan.
So, what do we need to have a successful and produc-
tive Congress? A place where money is not an obses-
Don’t skip the generation-skipping
sion, where mapmaking does not determine election
transfer tax
results, where media outlets are less partisan in their
If you leave assets to your grandchildren or even reporting, where members of Congress socialize more
younger heirs, either through your will or living with each other, and where institutional masochism is
trust, the transfer is subject to the generation-skip- replaced with some self-respect. Certainly a very high
ping transfer (GST) tax. This is separate from regular lift, but our country’s future depends on it.
federal estate tax.
Janet Kopenhaver is president of Eye on Washington and
Fortunately, your estate is protected by the GST tax serves as the AWT Washington representative. She can be
exemption. This exemption, which is the same figure reached at (703) 528-7822 or janetk@eyeonwashington.com.
as the estate tax exemption, is indexed to $11.18
million in 2018 under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. The
GST tax rate is 40%.
But there’s a potential pitfall for individuals. Unlike

the estate tax exemption, there’s no portability with
the GST tax exemption. Each estate stands on its own.
To avoid problems, ensure that the GST tax exemption
is properly allocated when making transfers to heirs
two or more generations below you.
© 2018 Thomson Reuters

Business Notes
Make Your New Year’s Goals Stick!

By Steve McClatchy, President, Alleer Training & Consulting
How did you do last year with your New Year’s resolu- commitments, you have given yourself a lot more work
tions? Are you celebrating with jubilation from accom- to do. Each time something comes up, you will now
plishing all of them? Did you follow through on your have to reference these commitments to make sure you
promises to yourself to improve your life, relationships, don’t double book yourself. You will have to defend
wealth, health, and happiness? No? Well, don’t be too them against other tasks or appointments that want the
hard on yourself; lots of people will make the same same time slot. You will now have to work everything
resolutions this year that they made last year, and the else around completing this specific task at this specific
year before. time. This appointment will influence what you can do,
where you can be and who you can be with before it and
It usually goes something like this. You resolve to lose after it. Do you see all the extra work that is involved
weight, write a book, get a new job, go to graduate in putting an appointment on your calendar? Because
school, etc. You might even write it down on your to-do of the extra work involved in scheduling them, working
list. But by the time the Girl Scouts show up to sell their around them, and defending them repeatedly, we
cookies in February, the resolution is forgotten. reserve appointments on the calendar for what is most
important. If you are going to go through all of this, it
So why do so many fail and so few succeed at achieving better be important!
their goals and resolutions? The key to your success or
failure is found in a little difference between your to-do There is another problem we face when it comes to
list and your calendar. The most successful people don’t improvement in our lives: our maintenance items.
let their planning stop with their to-do list. They take Maintenance items include your morning routine, eating
out their calendar and make sure they have their most three meals a day, dishes, trash, laundry, bills, haircuts,
important priorities scheduled and defended. grocery shopping, car maintenance, house maintenance,
taxes, sleeping, voice mails, emails, reports, expenses,
If someone were to ask if you were available this budgets, meetings, presentations and everything in life
Thursday for a meeting, the first thing you would do is that would eventually be brought to your attention if
check your calendar. If your calendar says you’re busy you didn’t do it. The problem with maintenance items
on Thursday, you would decline the invitation and steer is that life creates them every day. There is never a time
your meeting toward another day. Notice that you did when they are complete because they repeat. We don’t
not check your to-do list for Thursday, you checked check off the task of putting gas in the car. Every mile
your calendar. This little difference in the way you treat you drive means that task is going to repeat soon. This is
tasks and appointments can be vitally important to your what happens with all your maintenance items.
success or failure in achieving your goals and resolutions.
If there is always a maintenance item to do, then you
These two tools that most people use to help their brain could spend all of your time doing them, and catching
manage daily life—the to-do list and the calendar—do up would always be just out of reach. You can always find
not serve the same purpose. Your to-do list contains something that needs to be maintained, cleaned, fixed,
a list of tasks that are time flexible, to which you have fed, paid, filled up, or emptied out. If you can fill all
not assigned specific times to complete. Your calendar, your time with maintenance, then there is no time in life
on the other hand, contains a list of tasks that are for goals and improvement! Wait, let me say that again.
time specific, to which you have assigned specific There is no time in life for goals!
times to complete. As a result of these time-specific

Business Notes continued
To have goals in your life, you have to “make time.” The Achieving goals and resolutions is possible, and a lot of
question isn’t, “is there time for goals?” The question is, people are successful with them each year. Each year in
“how far are you willing to be behind on your mainte- the United States, over 100,000 people graduate with
nance items to have goals in your life?” “Making time” an MBA degree, over 300,000 books are published,
is an expression we use to describe the process of putting over 500,000 people run marathons, and over 6 million
the commitment on our calendar, defending it, working people take piano lessons. You can search these and
around it, and deciding to put off our maintenance items other statistics online very quickly for inspiration.
because of it. That is the process we call “making time.”
Don’t just dream of a goal, add it to a to-do list, and
This is the key to success with your New Year’s resolu- leave it to chance. Take the final step needed to make it
tions, your goals in your business, your personal life, and a reality! Use your calendar as a weapon to move your
anything that you want to accomplish. What in your life forward. Make this your year for progress, growth,
life is worth planning, scheduling, defending, and being improvement, and happiness. Make this your year for
behind on your maintenance items because of it? What results!
step can you take today to make your life better, reduce
your stress, move your business forward, or improve Steve McClatchy is the president of Alleer Training &
your important relationships? Is it exercise, creating Consulting and the author of the award-winning New York
a budget, finding a mentor, scheduling a date night, Times bestseller Decide: Work Smarter, Reduce Your
benchmarking the competition, fixing a broken system Stress and Lead by Example. Steve provides keynotes and
at work, networking, or enrolling in a training class? If workshops on the topics of Leadership, Time Management,
these things are not scheduled and defended, they will Consultative Selling, and New Business Development. If
not happen. you would like to learn more about the ways Alleer can be a
resource to your organization, visit www.Alleer.com, email
There are some things in life that you remember for a Steve@Alleer.com, or call (800) 860-1171.
year, five years, a decade, or even a lifetime. Goals and
resolutions fall into this category. How long will you
remember getting a degree or advanced degree, learning
a new musical instrument, documenting your family tree,
getting a new job, presenting at a big industry conven-
tion, or writing an article that gets published? These
things are much more memorable than your commute to
work, paying your bills, taking out the trash, picking up
your dry cleaning, or submitting your monthly report.
When you look at the results that come from moving
things forward, achieving your goals, learning new
things, or gaining more experience, you will see that
these things are worth defending. They are worth all the
trouble and extra work that comes from placing them on
your calendar and committing to them.
When you see how these accomplishments and

improvements contribute to your self-esteem, confi-
dence, and outlook on life, you’ll see that these things
are worth defending and not leaving to chance. Make
a list of your loftiest goals for life or what you want to
change for tomorrow. Then take one small piece off
your to-do list and put it on your calendar today so you
can make it happen.

Advertising Index
57 Albemarle Corporation 55 Mid South Chemical Company
31 AMSA, Inc. 38 Myron L Company
33 AquaPhoenix Scientific Inc. 65 North Metal & Chemical Company
7 Bio-Source, Inc. 2 Pulsafeeder, Inc.
21 Brenntag North America 37 QualiChem, Inc.
24 Browne Laboratories, Inc. 5 Sanipur US LLC
64 Chem-Met Company 74 Scranton Associates, Inc.
15 Environmental Safety Technologies, Inc. 76 Special Pathogens Laboratory
25 H2trOnics 53 Tintometer
41 IDEXX 19 Walchem, IWAKI America Inc.
52 LMI Pumps 75 Water Science Technologies

TOGETHER
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PROSPER
WST BIRMINGHAM HEADQUARTERS
1701 Vanderbilt Road, Birmingham, AL 35234
866.284.9244 ∙ info@wstsp.com ∙ www.wstsp.com
THE 877.775.7284
LEGIONELLA
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EXPERTS
Join the fight to end Legionnaires’ disease.

It can be prevented. Test to protect before cases occur!

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Volume 26 Number 1

1300 Piccard Drive, Suite LL 14 • Rockville, MD 20850 Winter 2019

What Are Practical Approaches to Improve RO Technology?

CUSTOMIZATION PULSALINK TOROIDAL SENSOR COOLING TOWER

Learn more at pulsatron.com/MVEX or call 941-575-3880.

Winter 2019 Volume 26 Number 1

10 What Are Practical Approaches to Improve RO Technology? 4 Calendar of Events

26 Part 1: Keys to Successful IX Resin Storage 54 Association News

3 the Analyst Volume 26 Number 1

2019 AWT Board of Directors

The Analyst Staff

The Analyst is published quarterly as the official publication of the Association

Point of Use Filters

Providing all the right tools

Join the Sanipur All-Star Team

At AWT, we define ourselves • The water treatment community will continue

6 the Analyst Volume 26 Number 1

www.biosourceinc.com Integrity in Life.

P.O. Box 2386 * Dacula, GA 30019 * 770 / 978-1443 * ( FAX ) 770-978-4165

If you are like me, your life orbits Educational Program

Keynote Address Annual Reception and Awards Dinner

8 the Analyst Volume 26 Number 1

Sign up today at www.awt.org

9 the Analyst Volume 26 Number 1

11 the Analyst Volume 26 Number 1

Figure 1: Illustration of the CCRO approach.

12 the Analyst Volume 26 Number 1

13 the Analyst Volume 26 Number 1

Table 1: Multistage RO versus CCRO, long-term performance.

Multi‐Stage Closed Circuit Value

Array (per train) 3:1 (28 Membranes) 10 (40 Membranes)

Process Steady‐State Dynamic

Specific Power Consumption (kWh/kgal) 1.75 1.67 5% Reduction in Energy Required

Flux Distribution (gfd, avg) (6.5 ‐ 20.5) (13.9 ‐ 18.0)

14 the Analyst Volume 26 Number 1

In contrast, the CCRO system has four membranes in its

16 the Analyst Volume 26 Number 1

For a traditional RO, operating at 82% versus 90%

17 the Analyst Volume 26 Number 1

18 the Analyst Volume 26 Number 1

Figure 4: CCRO performance.

Figure 5: RO concentrate from Case Study 5. Case Study 6: Reusing Municipal

In 2016, Padre Dam Municipal Water District

20 the Analyst Volume 26 Number 1

Biocides & Disinfectants

Companies that treat water to ensure a safe and

Figure 6: CCRO performance when treating a municipal wastewater.

22 the Analyst Volume 26 Number 1

Figure 7: Feed, concentrate, and permeate TOC values in CCRO.

23 the Analyst Volume 26 Number 1

24 the Analyst Volume 26 Number 1

817-251-7184 sales@h2tronics.com www.h2tronics.com

Learn more and request a demo at

27 the Analyst Volume 26 Number 1

Resin Shelf Life

Table 1: Guideline on acceptable resin storage length.

Changes as Resin Ages

28 the Analyst Volume 26 Number 1

29 the Analyst Volume 26 Number 1

30 the Analyst Volume 26 Number 1

storing the resin in an inert nitrogen atmosphere and

Many nonoxidizing biocides damage IX resin or are Figure 1: Macroporous resin.

In any event, storing resin in a way that retards