AboutDavid L. Russell, PE Expertise I`m a Chemical,Civil and Environmental Engineer and have a number of projects in all phases of the environment.
I have worked in the chemical industry and am active in professional societies, and am currently on an industrial wastes committee for the Water Environment Federation, and have taught courses in remediation in the US and abroad.
I have written one book on Remediation of petroleum Contaminated Sites, and have a second book on PRACTICAL WASTEWATER TREATMENT to be published by John Wiley in September, 2006. I've also written over 30 articles on various elements of environmental problems and cleanup. Most Recently, I have addressed a NATO Scientific and Techical Conference on Ecoterrorism, and have worked with the same group on remediation of sites contaminated with Chemical Warfare Agent materials and othe materials as well. . I can answer q`s about Chemical and Environmental Engineering, land development, air pollution, water pollution, soil and water cleanup, combustion, international environmental problems, industrial processes chemical processes. Civil and Environmental and Chemical Engineering. Overall, I have over 35 years of experience in this area. Note: I do not answer homework questions
Experience I love work in the third world and developing areas
because it is challenging and one can get a sense of accomplishment.
Question A project that I haven't been involved with in over a year was to find a landfill to accept RCRA waste for ammonia contaminated salt cake. Several thought they could handle it, but no. Either they didn't understand the ammonia content (which is hard to believe as a small jar reeks of it) concerns, or are put off by the minor reactivity to moisture (fumes/sparks). For DOT purposes it must be labeled as water-reactive in transport.
Are you aware of breakthroughs/precedents in policy / techniques that would allow a cost-effective scrub of the ammonia from the salt cake?
The other issue I think was selenium, present in manganese rich product, which is typical of Chinese raw materials. Gotta love China...
- Aodhan -
(My billable hours are low lately, and if I can bring in some new intel, perhaps I can get involved again with this project, even if it's just making phone calls / reviewing new research.)
Answer Here are a couple of possible solutions. If you can raise the pH to over 8.3 you can recover the ammonia by aeration or mixing. The ammonia will partition out of the water at above pH 8.3 The salt cake can also be reacted with acid (I'd probably try and use a nitric wash) to form NH3NO3 which can be recovered economically. In addition you would get Al2(NO3)3 which is a valuable byproduct and can be recovered, or you can try and reduce the nitrate and make Al2N3 which can be used as an explosive primer or aluminum azide.
Let me know if that works.
