November 2015

Are You Getting Your Money’s Worth?

Dividends of Performance-Based Polymer Procurement Keller Schnier, PE

Acknowledgements

Maggie Macomber, PE – Charlotte WaterJackie Jarrell, PE – Charlotte WaterDavid Wagoner, PE – CDM Smith

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Presentation Take Aways

Key steps in the polymer selection program Importance of:

Proper polymer selection Planning the process Qualified participation Maintaining control of the process

Polymer selection determination Lowest cost polymer = best value? Relationship between performance and overall cost

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Importance of Proper Polymer Selection

Cost Control Equipment Operations Polymer - type Biosolids - end use/disposal

Quantity Dewatering performance

Quality Handling Odors

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Polymer Selection Goal

Produce the best biosolids product for the lowest cost Best product fits your program needs Lowest Cost

Polymer cost (selection and usage based) Operations and maintenance cost (operator and equipment) Reuse/disposal cost (performance based)

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Polymer Selection – Step-Wise Approach

Step 1 – Consider 3rd party Project/program manager Step 2 – Develop Customized Approach

Baseline criteria development Establish ground rules and polymer selection criteria Testing plan and schedule Vendor Solicitation/selection

Step 3 - Conduct Testing Selected vendors Bench-scale testing Full-scale testing Performance data development/handling

Step 4 - Bid document/Polymer Selection

Step 1 – 3rd Party Project Manager

Administers Polymer Trial program Time – coordination - responsiveness Manage the process and the vendors Single point of contact Multiple plants create challenges

Uniformity and consistency Control of all data

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Step 2 – Customized Approach

Baseline criteria development Historical performance Equipment capacities

Establish ground rules and polymer selection criteria Detailed testing plan and schedule Vendor selection

Advertise details Request submission of Notification of Interest Pre-submission meeting Selection of vendors for Trials

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Establishing Baseline Criteria

Goal - Set boundaries/criteria for equipment operation, polymer use and required performance

System review - conditions and limitations Polymer mixing Feed concentrations Feed capacity/ranges

Dewatering system performance and information Capacity of dewatering equipment Historic performance data Special concerns

Odors Fecal coliform reactivation or regrowth

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Plant Information and Data Summary SheetsFacility Name

Type of Device

Make/Model - Attach Specification

Number of units operational

Dewatering Feed, gpm

Current Daily average flow rate per unit 320

Operating Range Min/Max per unit 250 / 390

Dewatering Feed Solids, % solids

Average 2.7

Minimum 2.3

Maximum 3.3

Dewatered Solids, % Solids

Desired 22

Historical 18.5

Lower Limit 18

Filtrate/ Centrate/Supernatant Solids, mg/L TSS

Desired 100

Historical 150

Upper Limit 500

Operating schedule

days of the week 5

hours/day 24

Number of units normally operated 1

Polymer storage/mix/feed

NSF Standard 60 Certification required No

Dedicated to thickening or combined with dewatering Combined

Polymer delivery - drum, tote, bulk Bulk

Polymer mixing system type - batch, continuous Batch, DW/TK Combo

Batch tank mixer type

Mix tank volume & batches per day4500 g X 3/13 M-F &

1.5 S-S

Make-up water source; plant or potable Potable

Polymer feed system type Prog. Cavity Pump

Feed capacity range, gpm 10-35 gpm

Maximum polymer feed concentration 1.00%

Active polymer content, % 41

Neat Polymer Usage per day / year (gal) 310 / 80,600

Neat Polymer per batch (gal)

Current Polymer mix feed conc, % 0.70%

Polymer feed rate, gpm

Current Average 30

Design Min/Max 0 / 35

Maximum Polymer dosage to achieve cake solids and centrate/filtrate/supernatant specified, lb total polymer/dry ton solids 60

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SUBJECT: SOLICITATION OF INTEREST FOR POLYMER SUPPLY CONTRACT To Whom It May Concern: The ________is currently contacting polymer manufacturers that may be interested in supplying polymer for a twelve (12) month period. The polymer will be used in the sludge thickening and dewatering processes at the following facilities ______. Prequalification testing of polymer products will begin in _______. Interested Manufacturers are required to provide a Notification of Interest to:

Notifications will be accepted until ___________. All information listed in the Applicant Qualification must be submitted in the Notification. Incomplete or partial submittal of information will not be accepted. A prequalification testing protocol, containing manufacturer qualifications, existing feed equipment description, polymer type specification, sludge characteristics, and evaluation criteria, is attached to this letter for reference. Please read the prequalification testing protocols very carefully. The polymer supplied shall be suitable as a conditioner for:

anaerobically digested sludge prior to centrifuge or belt filter press dewatering, water treatment plant alum sludge prior to gravity thickening followed by belt filter press

dewatering and secondary sludge centrifuge and gravity belt thickening prior to anaerobic digestion.

The polymer supplied by the manufacturer shall be an anionic or cationic emulsion type. No gel, dry or liquid polymers will be accepted. The polymer shall be compatible with the City's existing equipment and treatment scheme and cause no impacts to effluent quality. The prequalification testing process includes: Bench-scale Laboratory Jar Testing: All manufacturers who express an interest will be given an appointment between ______________ to perform jar tests to screen their polymers. Each manufacturer may prequalify more than one product, but only one polymer will be chosen for full scale testing. Designated plant staff (or the city's representative) will be available to assist with jar testing in accordance with the polymer testing protocol. Full-scale Performance Testing: Manufacturers submitting products for full-scale testing will be given eight (8) to ten (10) hour appointments to demonstrate performance. Full-scale testing will be conducted during the months of ________________________. Manufacturers shall provide sufficient quantity of polymer to perform the full-scale tests using plant polymer feed systems on the designated thickening and/or dewatering equipment at no cost to the City. Minimum acceptable performance conditions are provided in the attached information. Manufacturers whose polymers have proven to be effective and acceptable based on achieving the minimum acceptable performance requirements during the full-scale performance tests will be invited to offer a sealed bid.

Vendor

Selection

Process

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Control the Number of VendorsSeek Strong Technical Experience

1. The manufacturer must be the manufacturer of the polymer(s) and owner of the equipment used in the manufacturing of polymer(s) from component ingredients. Proof of manufacturing and ownership of the equipment must be submitted.

2. The manufacturer must provide current listing of ISO certifications such as 9001 and 14001 and other relative certifications such as designation from the American Chemistry Council as a Responsible Care® industry to demonstrate its dedication to quality control and environmental stewardship.

3. The performance testing shall be conducted under the direction of a designated technical representative (TR) provided by the manufacturer at no cost to the City. Manufacturer shall list the name, address and contact information for the proposed TR. Upon award of contract, the designated TR must be responsible to quickly address the needs of CMU regarding polymer supply and quality, and provide polymer use technical assistance. Accordingly, the residence of the TR must be within a 50 mile radius of _____.

4. Manufacturers shall certify that they have sufficient (existing) manufacturing capacity for the polymer products offered to the City. A detailed list, describing manufacturing capacity and location and a list of existing commitments shall be provided. This information will be used by the City to determine the capability of the prospective polymer manufacturer to supply polymer products in quantities adequate to meet processing requirements of the City.

5. Manufacturers shall include a list of at least three (3) municipal customers, with current contact information, that are currently using or have used the proposed polymer product(s) within the last three (3) years. This information will be provided to CMU and its representative using the form provided in Exhibit 1.

6. Qualified manufacturers while on plant sites with polymers shall maintain product information for all polymers that will be considered for the bench-scale and full-scale tests. At a minimum, product information shall include polymer name, product number, a current material safety data sheet (MSDS) and product specification indicating % active polymer content.

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Other Key Items in the Solicitation

Full-Scale testing and sampling details Procedural approaches Performance data development

Polymer Performance Evaluation Calculations Calculations to be used

Full transparency Avoid questions/contested conditions later

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Full-Scale Test and Sampling Details1. Full-scale testing will be allowed by appointment only.

2. A meeting will be held individually with each manufacturer before initiation of full-scale testing to review the goals, conditions, and responsibilities for the testing.

3. A maximum of two (2) people from the polymer manufacturer will be allowed on-site during the test.

4. A minimum of eight (8) hours, and a maximum of ten (10) hours per day of testing. Under no circumstances shall tests be continued past 5:30 P.M.

5. Minimum of five (5) acceptable polymer dosages with at least 30 minutes of run time per dosage.

6. Maximum of eight (8) acceptable polymer dosages with at least 30 minutes of run time per dosage.

7. Five (5) defined doses (minimum requirements) to be run as close as possible to:

a. Lowest possible dosage (lbs/dry ton) to achieve performance goals, the next higher integer dosage (lbs/dry ton), and three (3) more dosages in 2 to 5 lbs/dry ton increments (total of 5 dosages);

b. Each of the defined doses will be run twice for a maximum of ten (10) sample sets, and a maximum of sixteen (16) sample sets.

8. Average of the five (5) best acceptable sample sets will be used for evaluation

9. Plant personnel will collect and composite samples for the 30 min run period for each dosage.

a. The first sample shall be collected 10 minutes after thickening/dewatering device startup;

b. Thereafter samples shall be collected every 10 minutes (3 samples in 30 minutes).

10. Plant personnel will analyze samples and split samples will be analyzed by CMUs state certified laboratory.

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Polymer Performance Evaluation Criteria

Solids Feed Rate, SF, (lb/d)

SF = 8.34 x QF x CF

Where: QF = sludge feed rate (gpm) CF = sludge feed concentration (mg/L)

Polymer Feed Rate, SP, (lb/d)

Sp = 8.34 x QP x CP Where:

QP = polymer feed rate (gpm) CP = polymer feed concentration (mg/L)

Polymer Feed Concentration (Neat), CP, (mg/L) CP = 120,090 x M / (VP+ VW)

Where:

M =Mass of neat polymer per test batch (lbs) VP =Volume of polymer per test batch (gallon) VW = Volume of water per test batch (gallon)

Polymer Usage, PU, (lb polymer/dry ton) PU = SP / (SF/2,000)

Solids Recovery, R (%)

R =100 x C x (F-B)/(F x (C-B)) Where: C =Total cake solids (%) F =Sludge feed solids (%) B =Centrate solids (%)

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Example Polymer Performance Calculation

Biosolids Production (avg): 10 dry ton/day (from polymer trials) Land Application Costs: $15/wet ton (current contract rate) Polymer Dose (avg): 20 lb/dry ton (from polymer trials) Polymer cost: $1.00/lb (from polymer bid) Dewatered Cake Solids (avg): 20% solids (from polymer trials) % recovery (avg): 98% (from polymer trials) Polymer cost per day = 5 dt/d x 20 lb/dt x $1.00/lb / 0.98 recovery = $102.04/day Land Application Costs = 5 dt/d x $15/wt / 0.20 % solids = $375/day Total Cost = $102.04 + $375 = $477.04/day

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Selection of Qualified Vendors

Pre-submittal meeting with interested Vendors Receive and review Letters of Interest Select 3 to 4 most qualified vendors

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Step 3 – Conduct Testing

Facility tours with Vendors Equipment review polymer measurement, mixing, and feed rate/control arrangements Q&A

Refine Testing Schedule Bench-Scale Testing Full-Scale Testing

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Bench-Scale Testing

Conducted at plant site - lab setting Vendor conducts, Owner/PM observes One vendor at a time

Sludge samples provided by Owner Owner keeps samples of polymers being considered for full-

scale trials Vendor chooses polymer to advance to full-scale trial

Projects and presents dosage rates for full-scale testing lb polymer/dry ton of solids Must fall within acceptable dosage range criteria

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Full-Scale Testing

Set dewatering machine operating conditions based on equipment operation ranges ~ mid range test all polymers under same conditions – level playing field

Sample collection, control and testing - by Owner Microwave % solids analyzer

Data management by Project Manager Performance criteria – pass/fail and range limitations

Maximum allowed polymer dosage minimum solids capture % or max TSS levels minimum/maximum cake solids

Performance data finalization

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Step 4 – Vender Bid Price Submittal and Polymer Selection Facility: WWTP Address: ITB 269-0131-010

Manufacturer Product Price Per Pound

A NC 101 $ 0.96

B K290FLX $ 1.185

C 8846FS $ 1.11

D SE 757 $ 0.84

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Vendor APolymer Data Product -

Polymer Sp Gr input 1.04

Polymer lb/gal 8.67 Polymer batch mixPolymer, gal Water, gal

Vendor X Polymer Feed Mix % (total), 0.78% 33.82 4500

Ferric, $ per gallon input $0.79

Ferric, lb/gal input 11.2

Sludge disposal, $ per wt ton input $15.00

Polymer Bid Price, $/lb input $0.96

Net Polymer Polymer Ferric Cake TotalFeed Feed Polymer Polymer Solids solids, lb/DT Ferric Feed Cost cost Disposal Cost

Sludge feed Poly Feed Sludge Feed Cake Centrate Centrate Solids, Solids, Feed, lb/DT Capture Lost produced,net solids lb per per DT per DT CostRate, gpm Rate, gpm Solids, % Solids, % Solids, % solids, lb/hr lb/hr DT/hr lb/hr feed solids 1=100% lb/hr DT/hr produced lb polymer net solids solids per DT per DT

18 min .05 max 60 max

251 20.5 2.36 18.57 0.0163 20.47 2964 1.482 79.71 53.78 0.994 17.89 1.473 54.11 0.169 $51.94 $38.61 $80.78 $171.33251 22.0 2.31 19.97 0.0168 21.10 2901 1.451 85.54 58.96 0.994 18.68 1.441 59.35 0.157 $56.97 $39.46 $75.11 $171.55

251 23.5 2.27 20.25 0.0154 19.34 2851 1.426 91.37 64.09 0.994 17.19 1.417 64.48 0.147 $61.90 $40.14 $74.07 $176.12251 24.5 2.31 20.44 0.0147 18.46 2901 1.451 95.26 65.66 0.994 16.39 1.442 66.04 0.141 $63.40 $39.43 $73.39 $176.21251 24.5 2.34 21.30 0.0198 24.87 2939 1.470 95.26 64.82 0.992 22.16 1.458 65.31 0.141 $62.70 $39.00 $70.42 $172.12251 23.5 2.34 21.77 0.0105 13.19 2939 1.470 91.37 62.18 0.996 11.78 1.464 62.43 0.147 $59.93 $38.86 $68.90 $167.69

251 22 2.30 20.08 0.0198 24.87 2889 1.444 85.54 59.22 0.992 22.04 1.433 59.68 0.157 $57.29 $39.68 $74.70 $171.67251 20.5 2.28 19.54 0.0175 21.98 2864 1.432 79.71 55.67 0.993 19.43 1.422 56.05 0.169 $53.80 $40.00 $76.77 $170.57251 20.0 2.28 18.46 0.0194 24.37 2864 1.432 77.76 54.31 0.993 21.38 1.421 54.72 0.173 $52.53 $40.02 $81.26 $173.81

251 19.5 2.35 17.26 0.0160 20.10 2952 1.476 75.82 51.37 0.994 17.38 1.467 51.68 0.177 $49.61 $38.77 $86.91 $175.29

Avg cost lowest 5 = $171.78

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Vendor D

Polymer Data Product -

Polymer Sp Gr input 1.03

Polymer lb/gal 8.59 Polymer batch mixPolymer, gal Water, gal

Vendor Y Polymer Feed Mix % (total), 0.770% 33.82 4500

Ferric, $ per gallon input $0.79

Ferric, lb/gal input 11.2

Sludge disposal, $ per wt ton input $15.00

Polymer Bid Price, $/lb input $0.840

Net Polymer Ferric Polymer Ferric Cake TotalFeed Feed Polymer Polymer Solids solids, lb/DT Feed Cost cost Disposal Cost

Sludge feed Poly Feed Sludge Feed Cake Centrate Centrate Solids, Solids, Feed, lb/DT Capture lost produced,net solids lb per per DT per DT CostRate, gpm Rate, gpm Solids, % Solids, % Solids, % solids, lb/hr lb/hr DT/hr lb/hr feed solids 1=100% lb/hr DT/hr produced lb polymer net solids solids per DT per DT

18 min .05 max 60 max250 26.5 2.27 19.6 0.0162 20.27 2840 1.420 102.04 71.87 0.994 17.93 1.411 72.32 7.9 $60.75 $40.31 $76.53 $177.60250 25 2.35 19.43 0.0125 15.64 2940 1.470 96.27 65.49 0.995 13.76 1.463 65.80 8.4 $55.27 $38.88 $77.20 $171.35250 23 2.29 19.42 0.013 16.26 2865 1.432 88.57 61.83 0.995 14.35 1.425 62.14 9.1 $52.20 $39.91 $77.24 $169.35250 21 2.24 18.17 0.014 17.51 2802 1.401 80.86 57.71 0.995 15.37 1.393 58.03 10.0 $48.75 $40.82 $82.55 $172.12250 20 2.3 17.1 0.0423 52.92 2877 1.439 77.01 53.53 0.984 45.92 1.416 54.40 10.5 $45.70 $40.18 $87.62 $173.49250 20.5 2.42 18.11 0.0125 15.64 3027 1.514 78.94 52.15 0.996 13.56 1.507 52.38 10.2 $44.00 $37.75 $82.83 $164.58250 21 2.34 18.47 0.0168 21.02 2927 1.464 80.86 55.25 0.994 18.37 1.454 55.60 10.0 $46.70 $39.11 $81.21 $167.02250 21.5 2.36 18.97 0.0158 19.77 2952 1.476 82.79 56.08 0.994 17.32 1.468 56.41 9.7 $47.39 $38.76 $79.07 $165.22250 22 2.28 18.6 0.0119 14.89 2852 1.426 84.71 59.40 0.995 13.07 1.420 59.67 9.5 $50.13 $40.07 $80.65 $170.84250 22.5 2.35 19.02 0.0119 14.89 2940 1.470 86.64 58.94 0.996 13.06 1.463 59.20 9.3 $49.73 $38.87 $78.86 $167.46

Avg cost lowest 5 = $167.02

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Performance Conditions + Polymer Price = Lowest Cost Outcome

Polymer Polymer Cake Polymer + Cake Polymer Bid, $/lb Cost, Disposal DisposalSolids, % lb/DT $/DT $/DT $/DT

Vendor A 19.3 56.4 0.96$ 54.51$ 77.72$ 132.23$ Vendor D 18.6 56.4 0.84$ 47.59$ 80.52$ 128.11$

Based on performance conditions, Vendor A could have won the contract with a bid of $0.875/lb

Performance data provides documentation of the expected performance….once selected polymer is used

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Summary

All polymer is not created equal purchase polymer based on $/lb polymer alone - risky

Polymer Trials can provide competitive, performance based polymer selection

Qualify polymer vendors with technical expertise Set clear instructions and guidelines Control the process

Trials protocol, sampling, testing, selection criteria Develop performance data for each polymer

consistent testing conditions for all Apply bid price to performance conditions for lowest cost

outcome

Questions

schnierkw@cdmsmith.com