Contact Information: For more information about Roux's Engineered Natural Systems, please contact: Walt Eifert Director of the Engineered Natural Systems Group Telephone: 304-274-0156 E-mail: Email Contact Media Contact: Al Lewis Environmental Marketing & Communications Inc. Tel: 212-496-1940 E-mail: Email Contact
Alcoa Develops Sustainable 'Engineered Natural Systems' to Reduce Discharges and Contaminant Levels at Its Aluminum Facilities
Roux Associates Provides Professional Expertise
| Source: Roux Associates
ISLANDIA, NY -- (MARKET WIRE) -- October 25, 2006 -- Ewire -- Alcoa, named one of the most
sustainable corporations by the World Economic Forum and one of the top
"green" companies in the world by Business Week and The Climate Group, is
actively developing, evaluating, and implementing natural sustainable
technologies to reduce the environmental footprint at its aluminum
smelting, refining, and production facilities.
The innovative technologies, called Engineered Natural Systems, use a
variety of plants, soils, and microbes to reduce the volume of discharged
stormwater and process water as well as the concentrations of pollutants in
the discharged water. These passive "green" technologies are helping Alcoa
to achieve environmental goals stated in its "2020 Strategic Framework for
Sustainability," which calls for the company to reduce process water usage
by 70% from 2000 to 2010 and achieve zero water discharge by 2020 (see
http://www.alcoa.com for more details).
Alcoa retained the Engineered Natural Systems Group of ENR 200
environmental management and consulting firm, Roux Associates Inc., to
provide professional expertise during the research, development, design,
and installation of these natural systems at three of Alcoa's facilities --
in Mt. Holly, Lafayette, and Iceland.
"Roux was hired not only because of our experience in this area, but also
because of our ability to work with Alcoa in coming up with innovative
approaches," said Walt Eifert, Principal Hydrologist of Roux Associates and
Director of its Engineered Natural Systems Group. "We were willing and able
to work closely with Alcoa to push these technologies further than ever
before."
Highlights of project successes at Alcoa's Mt. Holly and Lafayette
facilities follow.
Constructed Treatment Wetlands at Smelter Facility in Mt. Holly, South
Carolina. A pilot-scale constructed treatment wetlands system in
conjunction with the development of a natural, sustainable, phytotechnology
sprayfield at Alcoa's smelter facility in Mt. Holly succeeded to reduce
process water discharges to a local publicly owned treatment works (POTW)
by 60-70%. The cost to achieve this result was at least 50% less than
conventional approaches, according to Alcoa.
Due to the success of the project, the development team was bestowed with
Alcoa's coveted Environmental Health and Safety Achievement Award. The
project was selected for the award by an independent panel of experts from
renowned international organizations, including the World Environment
Center, the Conference Board, the Center of Study for Corporate
Sustainability in Argentina, and the Center for Environmental Education and
Communications in China.
Alcoa plans to expand the constructed treatment wetlands and sprayfield at
Mt. Holly to further reduce stormwater and process water discharges at the
entire site. The company also transferred knowledge it gained at Mt. Holly
to construct a similar Engineered Natural System at its new smelting
operations in Iceland. The Iceland smelter will begin operations in 2007.
Natural Media Filtration at Lafayette, Indiana. The challenge at Alcoa's
Lafayette Engineered Products Plant was different: remove PCBs from
stormwater efficiently and at low cost. The sustainable solution selected
to treat the water was an Engineered Natural System called natural media
filtration.
Using natural leaves and mushroom compost, Alcoa built a pilot filtration
system that enabled the Lafayette facility to reduce PCB levels in its
stormwater by a factor of 10,000, from 1 part per million to less than 100
parts per trillion. According to Alcoa, this is the first demonstrated
compost technology for PCB removal.
The Lafayette plant was able to achieve very stringent limits for PCB
levels that were specified in its new operating permit. With the natural
media filtration system, the facility now consistently achieves non-detect
levels for PCBs using USEPA testing methods.
Total suspended solids in stormwater and aluminum levels in process water
were also reduced by the natural media filtration technology.
Capital investment costs for the natural media filtration system at
Lafayette were 60% less than a conventional sand filter carbon and membrane
filtration system, according to Alcoa. Savings in operations and
maintenance costs were more than 70%. The technology development team for
the natural media filtration system was awarded the prestigious Alcoa
Environmental Health and Safety Achievement Award for sustainable water
treatment of PCBs.
Partnership with Roux Associates. "We were excited to prove the
cost-effectiveness of natural systems to Alcoa," said Roux's principal,
Walt Eifert. "Engineered Natural Systems are not applicable for all
discharge problems, but they can be extremely effective and inexpensive
under the right conditions."
Roux and Alcoa are currently developing a full-scale ENS system to handle
process wastewater generated at Mt. Holly. The system will be fully
operational in 2007.
Roux Associates is an ENR 200 environmental consulting and management firm
specializing in integrated sustainability solutions, site investigations
and remediation, hazardous waste management, Brownfield redevelopment, air
quality and facility engineering services, litigation support,
environmental insurance support, compliance services, and indoor air
quality.
For more information about Roux Associates, visit www.rouxinc.com.
Roux's wholly owned subsidiary company, DOMANI Sustainability Consulting,
LLC., specializes in other strategic sustainability services, such as
energy efficiency and process improvement, green building/LEED and
sustainable sites services, carbon/greenhouse gas reduction services,
strategy development, corporate social responsibility programs, and brand
planning. For more information about DOMANI, visit www.domani.com.
To view a "Quick Facts" prepared by Roux Associates about Engineered
Natural Systems, Constructed Treatment Wetlands, Phytoremediation, and
Natural Media Filtration, go to:
http://www.rouxinc.com/quick_facts/QF102506.htm.
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