Environmental Recycling Alternatives, Inc.

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Phones: 1 (828) 963 8735
e-mail: info@erarecycles.com

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Evaporation

EVAPORATION system is designed to efficiently evaporate waste waters and remove the settled solids buildup from the evaporator tank bottom. A submerged burner tube fires below the solution level, which achieves 95%+ energy efficiency. The hot gas contact with the liquid creates almost instantaneous vapor while the combustion gasses rapidly mix with the liquid for even heat distribution. The burner tube orifices are positioned below 180° F, allowing the tube to be continuously self purging.

Turbulence in the Evaporator tank prevents simultaneous evaporation and solids removal. The Evaporator must be turned off for a period of time to allow for settlement, prior to removal of solids from the Evaporator tank. A screw conveyor is mounted in the custom designed dehydrator bottom. Upon actuation, the screw conveyor transfers the solids laterally to an inclined conveyor or is pumped per application. The inclined conveyor extends upward above the evaporator solution level and deposits the sludge material.

Vapor Compression Distillation

VAPOR COMPRESSION DISTILLATION is a system that treats industrial process water and waste-water streams. The System combines the benefits of distillation with those of vapor compression to greatly lower the cost of distillation for removal of water or concentration of other ingredients. It can be used for a broad range of applications and provides substantial economic and operational benefits to the user. Depending on local energy cost and the volume of liquids being processed, energy costs can be less than a penny per gallon.

WHAT THE SYSTEM CAN DO FOR YOU

  • Manufacture a water that can be sewer discharged
  • Eliminate sewer surcharges
  • Recover assets from a waste stream
  • Reduce operation costs
  • Process 1,000 to 300,000 plus gallons per day
  • Build to suit your exact needs

SYSTEM BENEFITS

  • Low operating costs, no membranes or chemicals
  • Low energy costs
  • PLC controlled; runs unattended; user friendly
  • Minimize waste
  • Reduce disposal costs
  • Treat broad range of materials
  • Recovers process materials
  • Incorporates redundant safety controls
  • Use existing steam or electric heat sources
  • Closed loop system; no air emissions
  • Skid mounted, compact, small footprint
  • Simple to install, operate and maintain

Vapor Compression is a prepackaged closed loop distillation system designed to treat a wide variety of waste-water and process water streams through the use of advanced vapor compression/distillation technology.

Extremely low energy costs are achieved utilizing the process cycle where the treated water stream is vaporized, compressed and finally condensed to produce a high concentration of recoverable materials and distilled water. The low energy requirements are achieved by the efficient recycling of latent heat normally lost during the evaporation process.

THE PROCESS

1. The waste water entering the system is preheated, and gross solids removed.
2. The waste water is circulated through a specially designed plate and frame heat exchanger where the water is boiled into vapor. A mixture of water and vapor exit the heat exchanger and enter the separator.
3. The compressor draws the vapor from the separator and compresses it to about 5 psi, thereby increasing its temperature. The superheated vapor is then pumped into the condenser side of the heat exchanger where it is used to boil additional water in the evaporator side. As the hot vapor releases its latent heat, it condenses into distilled water, which is then discharged from the system.
4. As additional water is evaporated during the process, the remaining water becomes more concentrated. When the desired level of concentrate is reached, the concentrate is discharged, and more feed stock is added automatically to the system. The System treats industrial process and waste-water streams. It combines the benefits of distillation with those of vapor compression, the system has a wide range of applications and provides substantial economic and operational benefits to the user. Depending on local energy charges and the volume of liquids being processed, energy costs can be as low as ½ cent per gallon.

THE ADVANTAGES

  • Low operating costs, no membranes or chemicals;
  • Low energy costs; ½ to 2 cents per gallon;
  • PLC controlled; runs unattended; user friendly;
  • Reduces volumes up to 98%;
  • Reduces disposal costs;
  • Treats diverse streams;
  • Recovers process materials;
  • Incorporates redundant safety controls;
  • Utilizes either steam or electric heat sources;
  • Is a closed loop system; no air permits required;
  • Is skid mounted; compact and portable;
  • Is simple to install, operate and maintain.

WHAT IT CAN DO FOR YOU

  • Eliminate sewer accountability
  • Reduce BOD & COD
  • Recover lost assets
  • Reduce operating costs
  • Provide systems that process 1,000 to 300,000 gallons per day and more
  • Build to Suit to your exact needs
  • Add Automatic Brixometer for precise concentration of certain byproducts

Applications for Vapor Compression/Distillation

METAL WORKING

  • Machine Coolants
  • Paint Wash
  • Plating Rinse
  • Parts Wash
  • Tumbling Media Water
  • Chemical Solutions
  • Metal Finishing Wastewater
  • Water Soluble Oils
  • Cutting and Grinding Fluids
  • Rolling Mill Emulsions
  • Stamping and Drawing Compounds
  • Aqueous Parts Washer Solutions
  • Recovery of Alkaline Cleaners
  • Process, Wash and Rinse Water from Other Metal Working Operations

MUNICIPAL/ENVIRONMENTAL

  • Groundwater Remediation
  • Landfill Leachate treatment
  • Transit Authority Wash and Repair Facilities
  • Sewer Water Treatment

TEXTILE / FIBRE

  • Dye Rinse Treatment
  • Lubricant Recovery
  • Waste water Treatment
  • Process Water Recycling
  • PVA Recovery

OIL REFINING/RECYCLING

  • Waste water Treatment

TRANSPORTATION

  • Ship Bilge and Ballast Water
  • Rail Tank Car Rinse Water
  • Tank Truck Rinse Water
  • Steam Cleaning Operations
  • Vehicle Repair and Rebuild Shops

CHEMICAL PROCESSING

  • Chemical Recovery
  • Waste-water Treatment

FOOD PROCESSING

  • Sugar Waste water - recover the sugar for resale or reuse
  • Starch Waste water - recover the starch for resale or reuse
  • Animal Waste water - recover the fats for resale or reuse
  • Fowl Waste water
  • Vegetable Waste water

GENERAL INDUSTRIAL

  • Ink Wastes / Recovery
  • Surfactant Manufacturing
  • Compressor / Boiler Blowdown
  • Pharmaceutical Wash Water
  • Organic and Specialty Chemical Process Water
  • Industrial Laundries Wash Water
  • Utility Power Plants’ Oily Process Water
  • Electroplating Rinse Water
  • Glass Manufacturer Mold Release Oil and Water
  • Paint Manufacture Water Recycle
  • Produce hot distilled water for reuse - reducing energy usage

Solvent Recovery

Regenerative Solvent Recovery / Water Removal

If you have an air stream or waste water / solvent stream – and you want to recover or remove the solvent from your air emissions or your waste water stream, then we recommend

The fluidized bed system offers effective, low-cost extraction of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from air or other vapor streams. The system is designed for vapor treatment in conjunction with air discharges from industrial operations, such as the control of fugitive emissions and solvent recovery.

The treatment system will control VOC air pollutant discharges to all state and federal air emission standards, and fully comply with the Clean Air Act and its amendments in a cost-effective manner. The system consist of a series of trays containing polymeric adsorbent or other media, which flow downward through multiple trays and are conveyed into a microwave desorption chamber. The fluidized bed systems are designed for flow rates from 250 to 250,000 SCFM or higher. The system extracts VOCs from the air stream by passing them through trays of adsorbent. The air flows through the trays and fluidizes the adsorbent on the trays. The Dow Chemical Company manufactures the adsorbents used in the system and are synthetic polymeric resins known as Dowex Optipore™.

Applications

  • Wood Finishing
  • Surface Finishing
  • Painting
  • Chemical Processing
  • Semiconductor Manufacturing
  • Solvent Recovery
  • Landfill Methane Gas

Sludge Drying

SLUDGE DRYING is an economical method to dry waste products. The system design requires that a given amount of wet sludge be fed from the custom hopper into the drying chamber. This predetermined batch of sludge is then dried in a controlled time and temperature format to suit the waste product. Initially, maximum heat is applied to the sludge, raising the mass to the vaporization point of water as quickly as possible. The temperature is then reduced in increments to achieve the desired finished product. In this manner biosolids, food wastes and other organic products can be processed. The system assures maximum quality control and end product value.

Models are available to handle 30 cu. ft. to 90 cu. ft. Per batch, processing from 6 to 8 batches in a 24 hour period.

BENEFITS

  • Class “A” product is consistently produced from Biosolids
  • Product has widest potential use at highest value
  • Easy to operate
  • Process substantially reduces volume
  • Minimal space requirements
  • Can be used for Primary or Secondary sludge
  • Can defer plant expansions

Recycling Services

WASTE MINIMIZATION SYSTEMS AND SERVICES - ERA offers Systems and Services designed to reduce, recycle, and/or minimize a waste, whether it is a liquid, sludge or a solid or a combination. Vapor Compression Distillation is an extremely cost-effective (less than $.01 per gallon) mechanical process that will remove contaminants or concentrate them for reuse. Sludge Drying is a low cost mechanical process to remove waters from sludge to concentrate solids for lower disposal cost. Evaporation is a cost-effective process that offers destruction of liquid wastes. Densification Pelletizing can process high bulk materials into a pellet or briquette for volume reduction and/or potential reuse. Vortex Dehydration uses a cyclonic action with forced air to dehydrate water from sludges (30% or greater solids content).

WASTE-TO-ENERGY - ERA provides incineration of biomass (general trash), special and industrial waste (industrial byproducts from manufacturing, cleaning, processing and packaging), consumer commodities destruction (brand name commodities no longer suitable for consumer consumption or discontinued product) to protect brand name integrity, document destruction (sensitive corporate or institutional documents). Materials must be free of heavy metals and provide some Btu value to the destruction process to manufacture steam or electricity.

ORGANIC FERTILIZER - ERA will evaluate industrial byproducts for microbial reduction to carbon or nitrogen as well as micronutrients in the production of organic fertilizers. Materials may consist of organic sludges from waste water treatment, food wastes from preparation and packaging, industrial byproducts; containing copper, zinc, boron, calcium, iron, potassium, etc. In addition, rinse waters and wash waters are suitable for reuse in the microbial reduction process.

ALTERNATE FUELS - ERA can provide processing for industrial byproducts that can be made into an Engineered Fuel as Fuel Pellets or Fuel Blends used by boilers, industrial furnaces and utilities as a “renewable energy source” substitute for fossil fuels. Some byproducts that are suitable are rubber, waste wood, coated paper, films, wax coated cardboard, foams, and so on. Byproducts must have Btu value, be able to be physically modified or blended, and relatively free of burn emission characteristics like NOx, SOx and heavy metals. Most Plastics and Papers are recyclable by various means - those that are not, such as cross-linked plastic or mixed plastics or mixtures of paper, wood, film, and plastic can be reused as an Alternate Fuel.

ABSORBENTS - ERA can supply bulk solidification agents for non-hazardous liquids and sludges so they will pass the Paint Filter test when destined for landfill disposal.

RAW MATERIAL SUBSTITUTIONS - ERA will evaluate inorganic byproducts for construction product manufacture. Some industrial byproducts; such as clays, silicas, calcium carbonate, iron oxide, aluminum oxide are candidates for substitution.

WASTE EXCHANGE SERVICES - ERA will pro actively market byproducts, co-products or waste that other manufacturers may be able to utilize. Complete a Profile for your materials or send us a Product Specification Sheet or MSDS along with age, packaging, quantity, condition, contaminants and any other pertinent information.

DESTRUCTION SERVICES - ERA provides destruction services via incineration facilities for consumer commodities, R&D samples, industrial documents, sensitive materials and so forth.

UNIVERSAL WASTE RECYCLING

ERA provides recycling for materials classified the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as universal waste. These materials include Fluorescent Lamps, High Intensity Devices, Metal Halide Lamps, High Pressure Sodium, Batteries, Computer and Electronic components. ERA also recycles PCB & DEHP Ballast.

  Electronic Waste Recycling - anything with a circuit board can be recycled; often at no cost or value returned to the owner.

Dehydration and Pulverization

VORTEX DEHYDRATION utilizes forced air and a pre-heater injection system to deliver sludges into an agitated cyclone which develops a tornado atmosphere that atomizes liquids and pulverizes solids. The heavier solids will fall to the bottom of the cyclone and are discharged to a collection system. The finer atomized materials and air are filtered through a bag house. The hot air exiting the bag house is routed to the pre-heater to capture the heat generated in the cyclone by the friction and pressure in the process. This results in a 90+% reduction or elimination of moisture. Production capacity is directly related to solids content of the sludge. Capacity is generally 5-10 tons per hour. The ideal application of this service is for a sludge that is 30+% solids up to 200 tons per day for a single unit. Some dehydrated solids may be reused as fuel, feeds, fertilizer, raw material substitutes and more.

WHAT THE SERVICE CAN DO FOR YOU

  • Can recover reusable or salable materials
  • Virtually eliminate water
  • Pasteurize biologically active ingredients

SYSTEM BENEFITS

  • Low processing costs
  • Minimize waste
  • Reduce disposal costs
  • Treats broad range of materials
  • Recovers process materials
  • Use existing waste heat, steam or electric heat sources
  • Compact, small footprint

POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS

  • Meat processors
  • Cheese processors
  • Poultry processors
  • Filter cake
  • Swine and Cattle manure
  • Municipal sewage sludge (Biosolids)
  • Dairy waste
  • Pulp and Paper makers
  • Citrus processing

What We Do!

Founded in 1997, ERA has been helping clients recycle a broad range of chemicals and industrial byproducts. Environmental Recycling Alternatives, Inc. (ERA) is a company focused on helping industry  recycle various commodities and oddities. We offer a broad range of services and recycling alternatives to accommodate the most demanding clients. We utilize multi-year expertise in the many disciplines of recycling; years of experience in the plastics, paper, metals, chemicals, and electronics recycling. In addition, we take a Chemistry approach to every material we evaluate for recycling and reuse.

Segregation, separation is the primary key to enabling any industry to achieve Zero Waste, Reuse, and Recycling. This requires a commitment from the top down in any organization. Initially, as with anything worthwhile, some difficulties must be overcome; those come about in changing the habits of personnel and management thinking. The easy part is to Decide you and your organization want to minimize your “footprint” on the environment. It can seem and be very complicated and very arduous, at first. It can actually cost more than disposal in the beginning. In the long term, it can have a direct affect on the bottom line, on the balance sheet.

As an example, when recycling E-Waste, (electronic waste) began just a few years ago to eliminate heavy metals from being disposed in landfills; it was costing industry and institutions a tidy sum. Today, the pendulum has swung and now E-Waste is recycled on a much broader basis and can return value to the companies that recycle. Like anything, in the recycling arenas, it is a matter of economies of scale, and transportation costs still play a major role in all enterprises; manufacturing or recycling.

There are some simple things that must be known when it comes to recycling;

  • Chemistry of a byproduct, waste, surplus, off-spec material
  • Quantity available; it is best if a full truckload, railcar, can be accumulated
  • Packaging of the byproduct must be practical to facilitate shipping and recycling
  • Physical description, will indicate if the material can be handled for recycling
  • Storage capacity at the plant offers the ability to accumulate for recycling

The more readily recyclable materials are those known commodities like plastic, paper, metal, unused chemicals, surplus goods, and consumer commodities. It is the oddities that ERA also assists industry in recycling.

For example, a calcium carbonate sludge (20-25% moisture) from a pharmaceutical intermediate manufacturer is now being used as an ingredient in a construction product. A paper processing plant makes a 1-4% starch waste water, that after processing through a Vapor Compression Distillation system; yields distilled hot water for reuse in the plant and a 40% starch concentrate suitable for animal feed. A similar application is under evaluation for a food processor for a 4-9% sugar waste water; which yields a 50% sugar concentrate and a hot distilled water for reuse. While another evaluation is underway for a textile plant that also produces as starch water waste.

One of the Oddity alternatives for reuse is to utilize a blend of wastes and byproducts as an Alternate Fuel. This can be done with materials whose main chemistry is organic; thus it does not end up decomposing in a landfill; but is readily used in a Waste-To-Energy application or is processed into an Alternate Fuel as a substitute for fossil fuels. This should not be confused with Biomass Waste-To-Energy plants that take plethora of materials that require extensive pollution control equipment, must be supplemented with fossil fuels to enable these biomass plants to burn what is typically too low in Btu value to sustain burn.

It is Environmental Recycling Alternatives belief that the US disposes as much Btu’s in landfills as is imported into the United States from the Mideast. Note, this is not a documented fact. ERA strives to be a part of the “Green” movement that is prevalent in the US today, while being practical. It appears that too many green supporters end up taking an extremist view of how things should be done without understanding the science, chemistry, and total impact. Understanding chemistry is our first approach to recycling.

 

Recycling Byproducts, Wastes &, Materials

 

The following is partial list of some materaisl that can be recycled.
Chemicals
Papers
Plastics
Metals
Sensitive Documents
Off-Spec Products
Returned Items
Consumer Commodities
Waste Waters
Food Waste & Byproducts
Sludges
Coatings

Inks, Pigments & Dyes

Paints

Glues and adhesives

Absorbents - mats, pads, pigs

Filters

Mixed oils, oily debris

Pharmaceutical intermediates

Consumer goods, returned goods, out of date goods, off-spec materials

Resins

Personnel Protective Equipment - like Tyvek (TM) suits, sleeve covers, booties, hair nets, hard hat covers     

Polyols

Glycols

Rags

Polyethylene and Silicone coated paper

Virgin, unopened, unused chemicals

Super Sacks

Wipes

Gloves 

Mixed plastics

Styrofoam packaging

Shrink wrap, stretch wrap

Polyethylene film from packaging

 
 
 

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