PLease Check out the new " FIPA FOG MANAGEMENT COURSE" Presentation on the download page or click here: John's Presentation
If you have a problem reading the presentation please download the Microsoft Viewer located here: Microsoft Power Point Viewer
Here is a link to a guidance manual produced by EPA for biodiesel production facility construction and operations. It discusses strong waste discharges and local Pretreatment Programs among other environmental concerns.
Mark Mathis, Pretreatment Coordinator, Fort Pierce Utilities Authority
Department of Environmental Protection FIPA Update, Update for the FIPA meeting held on November 7, 2008.
The Department is still drafting revisions to Chapter 62-625, F.A.C., to incorporate the EPA streamlining changes and also to clarify some sections of the Rule. The Department’s goal is to complete these revisions by early next year.
The Department has noticed that some control authority inspection and sampling events are not being conducted in accordance with the pretreatment rule. Rule 62-625.500(2)(b)5, F.A.C., requires that inspections and sampling be conducted at least once every twelve months. If the time between inspections is longer than 12 months, the Department may take enforcement against the program. If there are circumstances beyond the control of the pretreatment program and an inspection is not conducted at least every twelve months, please contact the Department to discuss your situation.
As mentioned at the last FIPA meeting, the Department is revising the domestic wastewater treatment facility pretreatment permit conditions for programs that have multiple wastewater facilities. Only one domestic wastewater facility permit will include the pretreatment program implementation procedures and will reference the covered facilities (this is the control authority permit). The covered facility’s permit will include a condition that says their pretreatment program is covered in the control authority permit. This will alleviate confusion on when the local limit re-evaluations are to be conducted.
A question was raised at the FIPA meeting on how the control authority facility is chosen. There is not a standard procedure for identifying the facility. The facility may have been chosen due to its NPDES permit status if the program has other non-NPDES facilities. In some cases, a given facility was already permitted as the control authority prior to the Department receiving delegation of the pretreatment program from EPA. The control authority facility may also be the one that the industrial users were discharging to at the time a pretreatment program was initially required.
The Department would like to request that pretreatment programs not machine bind the pretreatment discharge monitoring reports (DMRs) to Sections 1 through 7 of the annual reports. The DMRs are sent to data entry personnel in a different location of the Department after review of the annual reports by the pretreatment staff. If the DMRs are machine bound to the annual reports, manually unbinding the DMRs can be quite difficult. Alternatively, if your program would like to electronically submit the pretreatment DMRs, please contact the Department to discuss how this is accomplished.
By:
Hsiang-Yu Chou-Hoofman
Florida wastewater company to produce biodiesel
Florida-based Freedom Environmental Services Inc., a wastewater services company currently working to develop a waste-to-biodiesel program, has announced it plans to purchase an unnamed biodiesel producer with operations in Florida and Pennsylvania.
According to FESI, the company it plans to acquire has an annual production capacity of 30 million gallons and controls more than 1,200 waste oil collection accounts. “The target company has already gone through all the challenges facing a start up with new technology and is now producing high quality fuel for the diesel market,” said Michael Borish, chairman and chief executive officer of FESI. “Additionally, through the ramp up process the company has grown its grease collection platform accounts, providing a dependable, low-cost feedstock supply for fuel production. The grease collection company is currently profitable as an independent operation.”
As well, FESI recently announced it has executed a contract with Dunkin’ Donuts franchisees in Florida to collect and dispose of grease from multiple sites. The company plans to use waste oil collected from those and other locations as feedstock for a biodiesel operation capable of producing up to 30 million gallons of biodiesel in 2009. A company spokesman could not be reached to specify the plant’s location or if the facility will be in addition to the facility it currently seeks to acquire.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - Space shuttle Endeavour's seven astronauts climbed aboard their spaceship on Friday for the start of a 15-day mission to remodel the International Space Station for an expanded crew.
Liftoff was scheduled for 7:55 p.m. EST/0055 GMT on Saturday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
NASA plans to double the size of the space station crew from three members to six next year. The shuttle carries two new sleeping compartments and a water recycling system that will enable the crew to purify urine and other wastewater for drinking.
"We did blind taste tests of the water," said NASA's Bob Bagdigian, the system's lead engineer. "Nobody had any strong objections. Other than a faint taste of iodine, it is just as refreshing as any other kind of water."
"I've got some in my fridge," he added. "It tastes fine to me."
Delivery of the $250 million wastewater recycling gear is among the primary goals of NASA's 124th shuttle mission. Meteorologists predicted a 70 percent chance the weather would be suitable for launch.
If the shuttle lifts off on time, it would arrive at the space station on Sunday. Astronauts will then spend 11 to 12 days making home improvements.
In addition to the sleep chambers and the water recycler, Endeavour carries the station's first refrigerator, new exercise gear, and perhaps most important for a growing crew -- a second toilet.
"With six people you really do need to have a two-bathroom house. It's a lot more convenient and a lot more efficient," said Endeavour astronaut Sandra Magnus, who will take over as a space station flight engineer from Greg Chamitoff.
Chamitoff has been aboard the outpost since the last shuttle flight in June.
SHUTTLE SUPPLIES DRYING UP
Reusing water will become essential once NASA retires its space shuttles, which produce water as a byproduct of their electrical systems. Rather than dumping the water overboard, NASA has been transferring it to the space station.
But the shuttle's days are numbered. Only 10 flights remain, including a final servicing call to the Hubble Space Telescope. NASA is preparing to end the program in 2010, after which Russian Soyuz spacecraft will be the only way to ferry crew to the space station.
"We can't be delivering water all the time for six crew," said space station flight director Ron Spencer. "Recycling is a must."
NASA expects to process about six gallons (23 liters) of water per day with the new device. The goal is to recover about 92 percent of the water from the crew's urine and moisture in the air.
The wastewater is processed using an extensive series of purification techniques, including distillation -- which is somewhat tricky in microgravity -- filtration, oxidation and ionization.
The final step is the addition of iodine to control microbial growth, Bagdigian said.
The device is intended to process a full day's worth of wastewater in less than 24 hours.
"Today's drinking water was yesterday's waste," Bagdigian said.
By Irene Klotz
P.S. Since I placed this article there was some problems with the equipment. 12/08
For fun check out the November 14th launch: (long video, can fast forward, good picture)
