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Exclusively available from CleanWay, FORAGER® Sponge is the ideal solution for the reduction of heavy metals from industrial effluents, landfill leachates, stormwater and other types of non-point source pollution where unattended gravity flow occurs.
FORAGER Sponge consists of a multitude of small, highly adsorbent half inch cubes, combined together in a conduit of suitable diameter with connecting fittings, or in elongated fishnet bags which serve as adsorption units that can be easily used within a conduit.
FORAGER Sponge cubes confined within a conduit offer little impedance to water flowing through the conduit, and will not become clogged by suspended solids. Conduit is sized for the volume of flow at each location.
The remediation of ground water using FORAGER® Sponge is described in EPA Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation Report EPA/540/R-94/522.
To the right is a typical example of a passive, gravity-flow installation for treating an industrial discharge, where a pivoted section of pipe with a downstream retaining grate holds a FORAGER Sponge adsorption unit. This installation is well suited for polishing an effluent stream to remove pollutants that have survived conventional upstream remediation treatments.
Because ambient water pressure is adequate to cause penetration of the confined bed of Sponge, such installations can be employed in remote or unattended locations, and even monitored by radio-transmitting sensors. The fishnet installations can be periodically retrieved and replaced with fresh units. In situ remediation of ground water is achievable by positioning fishnet containers of Sponge vertically at the gate of a barrier wall funnel system (see Figure 1).
How long do they last?
The operational lifetime of an adsorption unit depends on various factors such as unit size, cumulative flow volume, concentration of absorbable pollutants, and adsorption efficiency of the unit within a specific treatment system.
For example, a cubic foot of Type M FORAGER® Sponge can hold about 190 grams of lead at saturation. If the water to be treated contains 1 ppm of lead, the unit is achieving 100% lead removal and not absorbing anything else, one cubic foot of Sponge can treat 50,160 gallons of water. At an average flow rate of 1000 gal/week, one cubic foot will last almost a year.
Maintenance & Disposal Options
FORAGER® Sponge is a non-toxic, bio-degradable, non-hazardous product prior to being used. This product does not contain materials that require special handling or pose any threat to human health or the environment. After the sponge has adsorbed metal ions, the metal is bound to the sponge and will not be released without special chemical treatment. The metals are now in a solid waste form.
CleanWay Environmental Partners recommends that used sponge products be disposed of at an approved solid waste disposal facility. Disposal regulations vary greatly from state to state and even from one disposal facility to another.
- Saturated sponge may be disposed of by compaction into a small volume. If the sponge has been exposed to potentially toxic metals such as mercury or lead, an analysis may need to be performed. Consult your local waste disposal authority for details.
- Fishnet installations can be periodically retrieved and replaced with fresh units.
- Used sponge can also be blended into the feed stock of a plywood factory.
- In certain applications, pollutants can be desorbed and the sponge re-used.
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