E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Co., Inc.

Year Submitted: 2003

Process: Rubber polymerization

Industry: Chemical Manufacturing

Wastes Reduced: VanadiumCatalyst

Location: Beaumont TX

No. of employees: 900

Contact: Lynn S. Parker

Phone: (409) 727-9246

Description:

DuPont's Nordel(tm) hydrocarbon rubber polymerization process uses a vanadium catalyst. Residual catalyst collects in an aqueous stream which is generated as the polymer is manufactured. Prior to this project vanadium and other Total Suspended Solids (TSS) contributors were removed in settling basins before the process wastewater was discharged through the Plant's permitted outfall.

P2 Application:

Reduction of 25,000 pph of aqueous liquid waste that is currently disposed of in a deep well disposal system.

Environmental Benefits:

The project is one of several which allowed the plant to discontinue the use of earthen settling basins to remove vanadium and other constituents from process wastewater before discharge through the Plant's permitted outfall. This project lowered the quantity of vanadium discharged to the Neches River by approximately 50% (based on only one year's operating data and not considering the quantity of product made in the first full year versus the base year). Filter cake produced in the recovery facilities is recycled to our catalyst vendor rather than disposing of it by landfilling. They recover vanadium from this filter cake and it is reused to manufacture steel.

Details of Reductions

Additional Information :

The benefit is environmental; there are no net dollar savings to DuPont.

Source: TCEQ