GE P&W ABMet for Selenium Removal User Manual

GE Power & Water

Water & Process Technologies

*

ABMet

SIMPLE ONE-STEP SOLUTION WITH GUARANTEED PERFORMANCE

for Selenium Removal

Superior Reliability

Low Operating Cost

Manage Risk

Refocus on Core Business

Trusted Solution

GE in Your Corner

Simple is best

ABMet meets stringent effluent

selenium requirements as well as

most effluent BOD and suspended

solids requirements in one simple

step. No post-treatment required.

Guaranteed
performance is a must

ABMet systems are backed by a

performance guarantee that manages

the risk of non-compliance and allows

clients to focus on their core business.

Single Nutrient Addition

GE’s single nutrient is automatically
dosed into the common biofilter
feed line to maintain the ORP in the
biofilter within the optimal range
for maximum selenium removal.

Biofilter

As influent gravity flows downward
through the submerged biomatrix
(support media + biofilm), nitrate and
nitrite are reduced to nitrogen gas
first, then selenate and selenite are
reduced to particulate elemental
selenium. When a WASH sequence is
automatically performed, elemental
selenium is removed from the biofilter.

WASH Waste Removal

WASH waste solids are collected near
the top of the biofilter and flow by
gravity to a WASH waste storage tank,
pond, or solids handling system. Waste
is typically decanted and supernatant
recycled to the head of the system for
processing. Waste testing demonstrates
consistent non-hazardous classification
when using the USEPA TCLP test.

Low labor cost – Automatic operation,

remote monitoring and diagnostics with

GE’s Insight* and a one-step process

means that optimal performance

is achieved with minimum operator

resources (less than 1 FTE).

Low consumables cost – GE’s single

nutrient is an all-in-one

of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus

and micro-nutrients. One injection

point + one chemical system + one

consumable = low operating costs

Superior Reliability – Simple

gravity flow biofilter design and no

integration of multiple unit operations

means no downtime. In the power

industry, availability is critical.

ABMet can meet the industry’s

99.9% availability requirement.

source

Experience matters

From being a breakthrough technology

in the late 1990s to being the

technology of choice for the mining

and power industries today, selenium

removal is in the ABMet DNA.

Manage risk – Guaranteed effluent total

selenium concentration down to below

5 ppb-total selenium.Guaranteed effluent

BOD and TSS concentrations down to

30 and 35 ppm respectively without

the need for post-treatment.

Guaranteed performance down to

a water temperature of 5°C without

the need for pre-heating.

Focus on the core business – ABMet

has a proven track record getting

the job done, enabling our clients to

employ their resources more efficiently

in their core business activities.

Innovative
technology means…

Fast and guaranteed startup – GE’s

seed culture product consists of

specialized bacteria strains optimally

selected for treatment of selenium

laden waters. One-time seeding only.

Optimal performance – GE’s

innovative biofilter design along with

a carefully selected seed culture

and specifically formulated nutrient,

optimize the environment needed

for biological removal of selenium.

Influent from

Pretreatment System

To Pretreatment
System

Single Nutrient
Storage

Feed Tank

Nutrient
Pump Skid

WASH Waste supernatant

Biofilter

Feed Pump

Feed System

The feed system controls the process
flowrate to each biofilter and blends
the nutrient into the biofilter feed
stream via a static mixer before the
stream splits into each biofilter.

WASH Waste

Backwa sh
Supply

WASH Waste Tank

Effluent

Backwa sh
Pump

To Solids

Handling

Effluent Tank

Effluent To Discharge

Backwash System

The effluent tank stores effluent for
periodic backwashing of the biofilter
through the automatic DEGAS and
WASH sequences. DEGAS is a short
duration, periodic backwash for the
removal of gasses from the biomatrix.
WASH is a longer duration, periodic
backwash for the removal of gases and
solids, including elemental selenium.

Trust – With 17 years of biological

selenium removal development,

more than 10 operating plants

and several projects under

development, ABMet is a trusted

technology for selenium removal.

Selenium R E MOVAL solution – ABMet

biofilters are designed to capture

and remove selenium directly,

NOT transform it and transfer it to

downstream processes for removal.

GE is in your corner – GE

innovation and commitment to

performance is working for you.

What can ABMet remove?

ABMet removes nitrate and nitrite to
non-detect levels through a biological
denitrification process within the
biofilter resulting in the formation and
off-gassing of nitrogen gas. ABMet
also removes selenium by biologically
reducing selenate and selenite to
particulate elemental selenium which is
then removed via the WASH sequence.

In what types of applications

ABMet

can

The ABMet system has been demonstrated
in applications treating Flue-Gas
Desulfurization (FGD) wastewaters,
coal power plant ash landfill leachate,
coal mine waters, phosphate mine
waters, metal refinery wastewater,
and agricultural runoff waters.

be used?

What are the process
constraints?

Nitrate-N .........< 250 mg/l

Chloride ..........< 25,000 mg/l

TSS ...............< 250 mg/l

Temperature ......40 to 105ºF (5 to 40ºC)

pH ................6–9

What flow rates can be
treated with ABMet?

ABMet’s innovative modular design is
scalable and can be adapted to treat
any flow rate. Full scale systems have
been designed to treat flows from

3

25 to 1400 gpm (6 to 318 m

/h).