How Green Is Your Plant?
Air Treatment & Hazardous Waste

Compressed air is one of the most common utilities in use today. Raw compressed air, however, contains high concentrations of contaminated gasses, dirty water and various lubricants. If allowed to enter a compressed air distribution system, these pollutants will slow down production, ruin processes and damage air operated equipment. To prevent these occurrences from causing unscheduled business interruptions, commonly referred to as “down time”, most facilities employ such downstream air purification devices as aftercoolers, filters and air dryers. The unavoidable by-product of such devices is a nasty brew of contaminate-laced condensate. Oily, contaminated condensate is considered a hazardous material and should be handled and disposed of as such.

Over the years, commercial and industrial sites have struggled with the proper disposal of this hazardous waste. Many have found that dumping condensate down the sewer, on to the ground, or into a lake, river or stream violates several environmental regulations and eventually results in significant penalties.

Section 309 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act provides for fines of not less than $2,500.00 per day to $25,000.00 per day, or jail time, or both for first-time violators. Such penalties can be assessed against the delinquent company and/or the person or persons responsible for plant operations and maintenance.

To ensure the proper removal and disposal of contaminated condensate, air compressor manufacturers like Quincy Compressor offer condensate purifiers, which use an environmentally responsible filtration process to remove contaminates. For example, Quincy’s Condensate Purifiers trap contaminates in a unique filter cartridge that can be easily disposed of in accordance with local regulations.

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