concrete filtration overview
TRANSCRIPT
Filtration of Polluted Waters by Pervious Concrete
Gregory M. Majersky, MSCE, President Liquid Asset
Development, LLC
Problems, not just issues
• ~10,000 years of mining around the world.
1. Acid mine drainage enters surface water.
2. The metal concentrations are more toxic than the low pH.
3. Metals have value as commodities.• Agricultural runoff contains soil,
microorganisms, phosphorous and nitrogen compounds.
Problems continued• Humanitarian needs are becoming dire, even in
the US. 1. Growing legal battles between the SW states and the Great Lakes Compact and Mississippi River states. 2. Growing armed conflict in Africa (Sudan, Egypt, Ethiopia), Central Asia and China/India (Anaruchel Pradesh).
• Desalinization pre-treatment requires:1. Screening of organisms and debris2. pH elevation to protect filter membranes
Introducing Pervious Concrete• Pervious concrete is simply concrete without
sand.• Pervious concrete has approximately a 15-25%
void structure allowing between 3 to 8 gallons of water per minute to pass through one square foot section of concrete [NRMCA, 2005].
• Proven 30 year track record in parking lots for removing brake dust, brake fluid and oil.
• High void space greatly reduces freeze damage.• High pH environment• Void space allows air to mix with water.
Research Results• Two filter sizes tested• 85 to 99 percent of iron removed• 60 to 70% of sodium removed• 74% of zinc, 65% of copper removed• Over 60% of sulfate removed or reduced• Phosphate removal 3-5x better than other,
more complex systems at 2008 CSU competition.
• Avg. increase in dissolved oxygen of 1.8 mg/L and avg. decrease in temp of 1 C.
Percent Total Species Concentrations Present in Filtrate
0.00
20.00
40.00
60.00
80.00
1 hour 2 hour 3 hour 4 hour 5 hour
Sample hour
% C
on
cen
trat
ion
Sulfate
Iron
Sodium
Zinc
Colorado State University Competition
Influent simulated Bangladesh flood waters.The filter is represented by UCD. Note the Total P
effluent concentrations. Each team had one minute to filter 40 L.
Category Points PossibleUCD CSU NMT Ttech UNM
Volume Discharged [L] 33 40 33 25 32Total N [mg/L] 171 153 152 161 153Total P [mg/L} 37 120 131 161 108Conductivity [mS/cm] 5 5 5 5 5pH (closest to 7.0) 11 7 7 7 7Turbidity [NTU] 122 55 26 191 22COD [mg/L] 5 5 5 5 5DO [mg/L] 6 9 9 6 9
Market Opportunities• Acid Mine Drainage, recovery of metals:• $200 million/yr in the US, $40 billion globally
based on:
Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection [Rathbun, 2004]
“the annual cost…for AMD remediation is projected at $23 million dollars a year and
the estimated state wide value of sludge from these systems to contain millions of dollars
in metals, yet is handled as waste.
Market Opportunities cont’d• Desalinization pre-treatment is 25% of the
total desalinization process.
1. $25 billion USD by 2010 and over $56 billion USD by 2015
2. http://www.the-infoshop.com/study/gwi47246-desalination.html
Markets continued...• Current treatment of agricultural runoff
involves large scale landscaping and a complex facility.
• Humanitarian applications:1. Improve quality of available water for consumption in severe cases.2. Where “potable” water is available, sufficient water for hygiene is not.3. Hygienic water treatment in disaster areas.
Business Discussions• Gherson Lehrman Group (glgroup.com,
Educator Level Consultant) • Working with the Northern Ireland Invest
representative, Margaret McMahon.• In contact with the Minister of Economic
Development for Isreal in London• Published thesis, ISBN 978-3-639-02618-4• OOSKA News Water Weekly Feb 17, 09, vol. 2,
Issue 7 (written by Rami Abdelrahman).• In contact with Peg Booth, publicist for John
Perkins (Confessions of an Economic Hit Man).
Business Discussions cont’d
• Received exposure at major China environmental/energy expo through CO. Export Office, http://www.greenchn.com/info/detail/19-398.html
• Manuscript submission is in final approval stages at 2009 Int’l Desal Congress in Dubai
Development Status
• 3rd party lab testing and a field trial is needed
• 3rd party lab experimental design and estimate have been negotiated with Hazen Labs.
• Field trial design and location has also been established through a local consulting company.
Company Structure• Colorado based LLC• CEO/President Gregory Michael Majersky
• CFO/Accountant Karen B. Frye
Senior Advisory Staff• Dr. Randall Tagg, Physics Chair, University
of Colorado Denver
Seeking...• Funding, ~$240,000 to start, up to 2.5 mil.• Funds cover salaries, R&D, marketing/travel (ex:
World Water Week in Stockholm, Int’l Desal Congress in Dubai).
• Investors and advisors with potential client contacts in the US and abroad (both well funded, reputable NGOs and foreign governments).
• Specific skill sets such as hydrology, inorganic and organic chemistry, consultant backgrounds. One potential staff member is in the wings.