THE USE OF ELECTRON BEAMS FOR WASTE TREATMENT...THE USE OF ELETRON EAMS FOR WASTE TREATMENT Page 3...

THE USE OF

ELECTRON BEAMS

FOR WASTE

TREATMENT

7/25/2017 A discussion on the use of electron beams for the treatment of industrial wastewater, sludge, and flue gases

Waste treatment is a growing problem in the modern

world. Electron beam accelerations can be used to treat

this waste in an efficient way. This report discusses the

best industries to target with this treatment as well as

the challenges they are facing.

THE USE OF ELECTRON BEAMS FOR WASTE TREATMENT

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A D I S C U S S I O N O N T H E U S E O F E L E C T R O N B E A M S F O R

T H E T R E A T M E N T O F I N D U S T R I A L W A S T E W A T E R ,

S L U D G E , A N D F L U E G A S E S

INTRODUCTION The purpose of this report is to discuss the feasibility of electron beams being used to treat industrial

wastewater, sludge, flue gases. It will also discuss the industries that are the best to target with this

technology and the challenges they are facing in terms of waste treatment. It will also identify the key

players in each industry and waste sector and includes industrial opinions that have been collected in the

research process. The key players in electron accelerator manufacturers have also been identified and

discussed with relevance to the project. Finally, there is an in depth look at the policies and regulations

facing the waste treatment industries in the UK and EU regarding the amount and types of waste they

produce.

Historical Examples

There are a few examples of plants using this technology to treat wastewater, sludge, and flue gases in the

past as well as plants that are still in operation. These pilot plants have provided concrete evidence for the

effectiveness of e-beam treatment. In some cases, they have also provided figures for the running and

installation costs which provided some of the best arguments for implementing this technology.

The Miami Electron Beam Research Facility

A plant, previous an abandoned wastewater sludge treatment plant, opened in 1988 funded by the US

Environmental Protection Agency and the National Science Foundation. Its aim was to test the effectiveness

of using electron beams to remove bacteria and contaminants from wastewater. In its running period, the

plant achieved a removal efficiency of over 99% for some organic compounds with most compounds

achieving removal efficiencies over 77%. The highest dose administered to achieve these figures was 950

krad, with some efficiencies being achieved with doses as low as around 50 krad [1]. The success of this

plant in proving the effectiveness of the technology as well as the vast amount of data on specific chemicals

tested makes this example of the most important in relation to this project.


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Pilot Plant at Taegu Dyeing Industrial Complex

Electron beam manufacturers EB-Tech underwent research into the electron beam treatment of various

types of wastewater produced by a textile plant in Taegu, South Korea. This company also created and

installed a wastewater treatment plant in a papermill that resulted in a water reuse level of 80% [2]. In the

textile waters treatment plant a 1 MeV electron accelerator was built to treat up to 1000m3 /day in

combination with biological treatments. It was extremely successful in improving decolorization as well as

the destruction of organic impurities in water. Estimations of cost were also created from the operation of

this plant with an estimated $4 million set up cost with a further $1 million/year operation cost. [2]

Brazilian Plant for the Treatment of Wastewater and Drinking Water

In 1991 a plant was set up in Brazil to study the use of electron beams to treat domestic and industrial

water in order to tackle to drastic shortage of usable drinking water. It was designed to treat up to 3m3/h

and used a 1.5MeV electron beam accelerator [3]. It was successful in proving that this technology is a good

alternative to the methods currently used in Brazil as it was successful at reducing contaminants and

proved to be cost competitive as well.

WASTEWATER Wastewater streams often contain a lot of different types of contaminant, including organic compounds

which can be difficult to treat using current methods of treatment. As many effluent streams contain many

different organic compounds, finding treatment processes that are versatile enough to treat everything is

key. Another issue with wastewater is the Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and Biochemical Oxygen

Demand (BOD) levels. These both measure the number of organic compounds within a waste stream as

they are a measure of the amount of oxygen needed to treat the organic compounds present. These levels

are often used as a measure of the effectiveness of a wastewater plant and decreasing these levels is key in

any treatment process.

Investigations into the best industries to target with the new, innovative technology were carried out. From

initial conversations with industry experts three industries were singled out; the textile industry, the

pharmaceutical industry, the oil and gas industry. Research was undertaken into the specific challenges that

each industry is facing and how these can be improved with e-beam technology. The key players in each

industry were also determined and contacts were made.

Target Industries

Textile Industry

The textile production industry produces a lot of wastewater and sludge that must be treated before being

reused or discharged into the environment. The main challenge this industry is facing when it comes to

treating wastewater is the need for a more efficient and economical process. This is due to plants needing

to stay competitive in suffering economies around the world. It has been shown in the studies in South

Korea and Miami (discussed earlier) that using electron beams can raise the efficiency of the process. This is


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because most of the electrons in the beam are absorbed by the water (therefore treating it) and aren’t

being wasted. This efficiency and very low upkeep costs lead to e-beam treatment being more economical

and cheaper than the current techniques. The initial start-up costs of buying and installing the accelerator

and relevant infrastructure is high but the low upkeep costs mean that an investment in this technology

could result in saving within the first five years. The low upkeep costs result from the fact that the electron

accelerators have very low maintenance costs once they are installed. The yearly costs are also deceased

when e-beam technology is implemented with biological/chemical treatment as the amount of chemicals

bought each year is reduced.

The effluents produced by this industry are very complex as there is a large variety of dyes, additives, and

derivatives that change seasonally due to fashion trends and demands. This means that the industry is

desperate for an extremely versatile process that can treat them. These effluents include complex organic

compounds and coloured wastewater which it has been proven that e-beam technology is very effective at

treating. As this technology is effective for so many types of effluent and requires the same set-up for all of

them it is a very versatile treatment and perfect for the textile industry.

There are also a lot of limitations to current processes as they were originally designed for other industries

and had to be adapted to work in the textile industry. The versatility of the e-beam means that it can be

made specifically for the textile industry, catering to any specific needs it has. This will reduce costs

otherwise spent on adapting other technologies.

In recent years there has been increase in regulations on the effluents produced by the textile industry. This

means that a process that produces no toxic waste of gases is essential. There is no combustion involved

therefore E-beam technology only produces small amounts of ozone which can either be released into the

atmosphere or reduced via catalytic destruction. The combination of this technology and some

biochemical treatments results in waste that passes all current regulations.

There is also a need for the treatment process to be as time effective as possible to cut cost and to increase

efficiency. An advantage of e-beam treat is the extremely high rate at it can be implemented, cutting the

time of processing.

Even though this industry might be one of the best suited to this technology, it has been concluded that it

isn’t the best industry to target as a break through market. This is due to most of this industry being made

up of Indian based companies which, it has been established, are in general more interested in the

cheapest wastewater treatment solution [5]. As e-beam treatment has large initial set-up costs it is unlikely

it will be an attractive option to these companies. There is also a large textile industry in China, where the

treatment is more likely to be implemented. The Chinese textile market has been investing more money

into their treatment processes in recent years and like to embrace new and innovative solutions. However,

this split mentality, and a lack of large European infrastructure, leads to this industry not being the best and

most secure industry to target initially.

Pharmaceuticals Industry

Another big source of wastewater is the pharmaceutical industry as water is used in a lot of pharmaceutical

processes which leads to it being contaminated with bacteria and other types of effluents. Sludge is also

produced in this process so it is important that the waste treatment process installed is versatile enough to


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treat both types of waste. As discussed in this report e-beams are capable of treating sludge as well as

wastewater and so when combined with some biological solutions create a complete treatment process.

A major challenge in the pharmaceutical industry is the need to increase industry productivity, due to the

losses low productivity causes. In most cases e-beam technology has a much higher treatment rate than

current technologies as well as an increased efficiency. This means that rapid increases in industry

productivity can be achieved in the treatment of pharmaceutical waters.

Once again reducing cost is an important issue in this industry as it is important to remain competitive and

save money where possible. As discussed previously the use of e-beams, whilst an investment, reduces the

cost of the water treatment production after 5 years.

As in most industries, there is the growing challenge of regulations and policies on pharmaceutical waste

being tightened. Governments and members of the public are becoming more concerned about medical

waste and how it’s being treated and disposed of so this must be considered when implementing a new

treatment process. As discussed before e-beam wastewater treatment produces no toxic gases or harmful

waste, this means it is a perfect treatment for this industry as it will relieve the regulatory pressures.

Current plants are reporting limitations on the effectiveness of current methods due to the high COD levels

and large amounts of sludge production. In pilot plants, it was shown that e-beam water treatment was

very efficient at removing CODs and that no sludge was produced by the process. Any sludge produced in

other stages of the process can also be treated using the electron beam technology as well.

Industry analysis has revealed that currently only 43% of companies in the pharmaceutical industry are

willing to consider new treating companies and processes as shown in figure 1. This data also suggests that

the biggest reasons for choosing to switch companies is better client servicing and state-of-the-art

technology [6]. Whist there is no guarantee of better client services -beam technology can definitely be

classed as state of the art technology.

Very recently in Europe there has been an increased amount of investment in the treatment of

pharmaceutical waters. This suggests that there is a much bigger active presence in the search for new

techniques. This large amount of money being invested in this area means that Pharmaceutical

wastewaters are a good target market for e-beam treatment technology.

Don't Know No Yes 0 10 20 30 40 50

Better client servicing

State-of-the-art technology

Not satisfied with currentsuppliers

Other

Figure 1: Would you consider a new entrant to the market? If yes, why? [6]


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Oil and Gas Industry

The process of obtaining water and gas uses a lot of process water that must be cleaned of oil,

hydrocarbons and other waste before being discharged into the environment. This treatment is especially

necessary due to increased public and governmental pressures about oceans being polluted with oily

waters in recent years. The waters from this industry have proven to be especially difficult to treat due to

very small oil particles suspended in water. It has been shown that electron beam water treatment is

efficient at removing oil, including small oil particles, from wastewater. Combining this with other

biochemical methods can ensure that no oil remains in the water increasing public confidence in the

company.

This industry is currently looking for ways to reuse more water as raw water prices are rising considerably

and they are facing large external pressure to reduce their footprint. Treating wastewater with electron

beams creates water that is of a standard high enough for reuse in the industry. By reducing cost, the

company can remain competitive which is extremely important as prices in this industry are currently

extremely volatile. This means that cost reduction is the main challenge being faced by this industry. The

upkeep of current processes is both expensive and time consuming so the relatively low maintenance of

the e-beam process will be extremely attractive to the oil and gas industry.

Key Players and Important Contacts in Industrial Wastewater

AquaEnviro: AquaEnviro are a consultancy firm based in the UK that specialize in wastewater treatment.

They work with both established and novel technologies and willing to discuss and foster new ideas. The

company is also the organiser of the European Waste Water Management Conference, the UKs leading

event covering the management and treatment of wastewater. The technical themes of the 2017

conference include innovation.

Contact: Paul Lavender, has expressed interest.

Email: [email protected]

WRc: Another consultancy firm specializing in innovation across many sectors, including waste and water.

Organisers of Innovation Day, a conferencing promoting innovative ideas in the water, environment waste

and gas sectors.

Contact: Leo Carswell


Future Water Association: Business support organization for companies working in the water sector. It has

a strong focus on innovation in the water industry and runs a “water dragons” competition for companies

to pitch and innovative ideas. The KTN is a member of this association and therefore should have good

contacts.

SLUDGE Often a product of wastewater treatment sludge is also produced by industries and it too must be treated

before being disposed of. Sludge often has many types of bacteria and organic compounds present which

are hard to treat. Often the pollutants present in sludge vary greatly so making sure the treatment process

mailto:[email protected]



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is versatile is vital. The COD and BOD levels are also a major challenge when looking at sludge treatment,

perhaps even more so than in wastewater.

Research into industries that are currently facing issues with their sludge treatment was carried out in

order to find the best industry targets for e-beam sludge treatment. The industries that were researched in

depth are the metal processing industry, the personal care/cosmetics industry, and again the

pharmaceutical industry. The metal processing industry has been singled out as the best entry industry at

this point in time. When looking at sludge treatment in the pharmaceutical industry most of the challenges

discussed above for wastewater are relevant. The key players discussed in the previous section are relevant

when looking at sludge treatment as well.

Target Industries

Personal Care/Cosmetic Industry

The waste produced by the cosmetics industry is often very high in organic compounds and has very high

COD levels, this means that a very thorough treatment is required to treat it completely. The high efficiency

and treatment rate of e-beam treatment is perfect for this type of waste as it’s high efficiency and

treatment rate mean that sludge can be treated better faster. The current processes being used by the

cosmetics industry use extremely high amounts of energy so there is an urgent need for new, efficient

processes. However, companies often have a disinterest in their waste treatment techniques depute the

energy and cost savings an efficient process could create.

As well as these issues, the industry is also facing stricter regulations and harsher penalties for breaking

these regulations. So, at some point in the future more investment in this area will be needed.

Metal Processing Industry

For the metal industry dumping waste is no longer an option due to land becoming scarce and external

pressures. This means there is a great need for treatment processes as more and more companies are

starting to treat their sludge. They are mostly looking for more advanced technology with economically

feasible options to fit their needs. Especially in the UK, this industry is in trouble, it is desperately looking

for ways to cut cost and energy usage in all areas of the industry. There has been call from this industry for

the government to loosen the regulations of pollution and effluents produced by metal processing [7]. This

suggests that they are not coping with the amount of waste they are producing and the cost of treating it.

These issues have al lead to the industry focusing on reusing as much water and waste as possible to cut

costs and reduce the amount of waste being released from their plants. A document called Vision 2030 for

UK Metal Industry has been written to summarise the issues facing the industry and the solutions

proposed. This article has a strong focus on innovation driving the improvement of the industry and how

embracing new technologies can make the UK metal market competitive. It also draws on the idea of

greener waste treatment and water reuse [8].

The metal processing industry is perfect to target for e-beam sludge treatment as it currently looking for

new innovative and efficient sludge treatment processes. E-beam technology seems like the perfect

solution to challenges that metal industry is facing.


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Key Players and Important Contacts in Industrial Sludge

Most of the consultancy companies mentioned above are well versed in sludge as well as it isa by-product

of wastewater treatment.

The International Atomic Energy Agency: The IAEA has done a lot of research and has a great interest in

the use of e-beams for all forms of waste treatment not just sludge.

Important sludge contact: Sunil Sabharwal


Key Players in Metal Processing Industry

Vision 2030, discussed above, was created by a number of associations, networks and companies in the

metal processing industry. Below are some of the most relevant and key players in terms of waste

treatment (for full list see reference 8).

EEF UK Steel: Network of UK Steel companies driving innovation in steel industry. It doesn’t have a massive

focus on waste treatment but it is looking into innovation in wastewater and covers most other areas of the

industry so would be a good place to start.

Metal Forum UK: Metal forum UK are the main writer of the vision 2030 document and are a forum of the

10 leading organisations in the UK metal industry.

FLUE GASES Electron beams can also be used to treat pollutants present in flue gases such as CO2, NOx, and SO2. Electron

beam treatment turns these harmful gases into other less polluting by-products like ozone. By treating SO2

and NOx with this technology ammonium sulphate and ammonium nitrate is produced which can be sold on

for fertilizer use.

The first part of research into this area determined the industrial areas that produce these polluting gases

and that might be willing to adopted electron beam treatment solutions. The main industry targets are the

waste incineration industry and the thermal power industry. Any industry that uses thermal power is worth

looking into for this project as well as industries that produce large quantities of volatile organic

compounds (VOCs). An industry that is very interested in this technology is the sector of ship transport due

to the emissions from ship diesel engines [9].

Industries to Target

Waste Incineration Industry

The waste incineration industry is currently facing tighter regulation on the amount of NOx and ammonia

that they produce. This means they are looking for new, innovative treatment ideas to preferably “bolt on”



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to current techniques to improve the efficiency and ideally the cost of the process. When combing electron

beam technology with current chemical and biological techniques a big improvement in efficiency can be

seen. It also reduces upkeep costs as less money is spent on the materials required for the biological and

chemical processes.

Public awareness of the cleanliness of the waste incineration process is growing. This means that, as well as

the regulatory pressure to treat its flue gases, it is also experiencing increasing pressure from local

members of the public. Whilst the use of electron beams will improve the cleanliness of the process, there

is a negative public feeling towards radiation and it’s uses in industry. This means that it will be important

to educate the public about the safeness of the process and how electron beams will benefit the process.

In the waste incineration industry odour removal is a priority when It comes to treating its flue gases. This

means that any form of new treatment must be able to do this in order to be considered by this industry. In

pilot e-beam flue gas treatment plants it has been shown that the technology is capable of removing odour.

Finally, the industry Is currently facing the issue where when they treat one pollution source they produce

another. They are very wary of this as it adds to cost and reduces the efficiency of the process. By

implementing electron beam technology, the issue of secondary waste is removed. As discussed above the

by-products of this treatment are non-polluting and some even have further uses such as fertilisers.

Volatile Organic Compound Producing Industries

VOCs are organic compounds that easily become gases and vapours. There is a number of different ways

they can be produced and many different industries produce them. The biggest producers include the

vehicle manufacturing industry, the furniture manufacturing industry, and the electronics industry [10]. The

main challenge facing these industries is the regulations on the production of VOCs are becoming stricter,

which means that treatment techniques have to improve to keep up. This means that these companies are

currently looking for new innovative treatment technologies.

Key Players and Important Contacts in Flue Gases

More research has to be undertaken in order to find more key players and contacts but a few good contacts

have been made.

Institute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology, Warsaw: Institute has done a lot of research into the use

of electron beams for waste treatment, especially flue gases.

Main contact: Dr Zbigniew Zimek


Director of Institute (engaged in international cooperation in the field): Andrzej Chmielewski

MANUFACTURERS OF ACCELERATORS EBTEech: Korean manufacturers of accelerators and radiation systems that built the accelerators in the

Korean plants mentioned about. As they have carried out research before they are good contacts for

information as well as manufacturers.

IBA Industrial: They are a company specialising in industrial accelerators, with a main focus on the medical

physics industry and radiation sterilisation. IBA are a very company with a lot of infrastructure and research



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has shown that they are have expressed interest in the field before. As they build accelerators for purpose

they are a suitable company for the electron beam treatment.

Varian: Varian are manufacturers of accelerators for proton therapy based in California. This is another

large company that often designs and builds accelerators for specific applications.

MEVEX: MEVEX and a Canada based company that build accelerators designed for specific industrial

applications.

High Voltage Engineering Europa (HVE): HVE are a company based in The Netherlands that build particle

accelerator systems for science and industry. They produce electron accelerators of up to 6 MeV based on

their HVEE Singletron accelerator system. A company with the same name based in Massachusetts built the

accelerator used in the Miami treatment plant but it is unclear whether they are connected.

POLICIES AND REGULATIONS Government and regulatory bodies across the world are becoming stricter as the importance of reducing

pollution increases. This means that understanding the legislation in place is important. As sludge is often a

by-product of water treatment the policies and regulations applied to it are often grouped with waster

policy. Flue gases have their own complex set of policies and regulations to understand. This section

discusses the main policies in place in the UK and Europe.

The Water Framework Directive

The main policy that applies to wastewater and sludge productive is the EU Water Framework Directive

which aims to improve all water bodies in EU member states [11]. The criteria for judging the ‘good status’

of water bodies includes the chemical quality. This criteria specifies maximum concentrations for specific

water pollutants in any water body. This directive, however, is not enforced by the UK where most of the

policy is enforced by the environment agency.

The UK Environment Agency

The Environment agency are the main regulatory agency looking at all forms of waste treatment in the UK.

They monitor the UK water ways and fine companies and organisations that exceeds the limits in place. In

recent years these fines have become quite high and are being enforced more strictly, which is causing a lot

of industrial challenges as discussed above. The UK climate change act covers the emissions of CO2 and

other pollutants.

EU Regulations on Gaseous Pollutants

The EU has a number of restriction on gaseous pollutants as part of the Air Quality Standards. These apply

to the amount of pollutants in ambient air. Below table 1 summarises the restrictions on pollutants relevant

to this report. In the UK, there is a different maximum ozone exposure level of 0.2ppm and the world

health organisation recommends 0.05-0.06ppm.


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Pollutant Concentration Averaging Period

Sulphur Dioxide (SO2) 350 µg/m3 1 hour

125 µg/m3 24 hours

Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) 200 µg/m3 1 hour

40 µg/m3 1 year

Ozone (O3) 120 µg/m3 Maximum daily 8 hour mean

Carbon Monoxide (CO) 10 mg/m3 Maximum daily 8 hour mean

Table 1: Table summarising the allowed concentrations of each pollutant with the averaging period [12].

CONCLUSION As it can be seen from this report, e-beam treatment is a viable solution for treating wastewater, sludge

and flue gases. The feasibility of this process was discussed by first looking into the past electron beam

treatment plants and analysing the results produced by these facilities. Then the best industries to target

for each waste type were decided and research into the challenges being faced was undertaken.

Manufacturers of electron accelerators were evaluated for their suitability for the process. Finally, an

insight into the policy and regulations being faced by waste treatment companies has been produced.

REFERENCES [1] Kurucz, C., Waite, T. and Cooper, W. (1995). The Miami Electron Beam Research Facility: a large scale

wastewater treatment application. Radiation Physics and Chemistry, 45(2), pp.299-308.

[2] Han, B., Kim, J. and Kim, Y. (n.d.). Liquid Waste Treatment Plant with e-Beam. [online] Available at:

http://www.iaea.org/inis/collection/NCLCollectionStore/_Public/36/116/36116303.pdf [Accessed 7 Aug.

2017].

[3] Sampa, M., Borrely, S., Silva, B., Vieira, J., Rela, P., Calvo, W., Nieto, R., Duarte, C., Perez, H., Somessari,

E. and Lugão, A. (1995). The use of electron beam accelerator for the treatment of drinking water and

wastewater in Brazil. Radiation Physics and Chemistry, 46(4-6), pp.1143-1146.

[4] Drumond Chequer, F., de Oliveira, G., Anastacio Ferraz, E., Carvalho, J., Boldrin Zanoni, M. and de

Oliveir, D. (2017). Textile Dyes: Dyeing Process and Environmental Impact. [online] Available at:

https://www.intechopen.com/books/eco-friendly-textile-dyeing-and-finishing/textile-dyes-dyeing-process-

and-environmental-impact [Accessed 7 Aug. 2017].


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[5] Phone Conversation with Charlotte Thompson. (2017)

[6] Waterworld.com. (2017). Pharmaceuticals Industry: Water & Wastewater Treatment. [online] Available

at: http://www.waterworld.com/articles/iww/print/volume-6/issue-1/features/pharmaceuticals-industry-

water-amp-wastewater-treatment.html [Accessed 2 Aug. 2017].

[7] Bowler, T. (2017). Britain's steel industry: What's going wrong? - BBC News. [online] BBC News.

Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-34581945 [Accessed 7 Aug. 2017].

[8] Metals Forum (2017). [online] Available at:

http://www.alfed.org.uk/files/Press%20Articles/MIS%20printed%20report%202015.pdf [Accessed 7 Aug.

2017].

[9] Zimek, Z. (2017). E-Beam Treatment of Flue Gases, Wastewater, and Sludge. [email].

[10] Wang, H., Nie, L., Li, J., Wang, Y., Wang, G., Wang, J. and Hao, Z. (2017). Characterization and

assessment of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emissions from typical industries.

[11] The Water Framework Directive

[12] Ec.europa.eu. (2017). Standards - Air Quality - Environment - European Commission. [online] Available

at: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/air/quality/standards.htm [Accessed 7 Aug. 2017].

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