PotashCorp.com

Isaac HardisonSeniorEnvironmental EngineeringNorth Carolina State University

Environmental AffairsInternship

Favorite Sport : Tennis

Favorite Food : Free Food

Ultimate non-professional dream: Dunk on a 10 foot basketball goal

More info about me

• DFP Area Process Flow Diagram (PFD) Design

• Process Flow Diagram Updates

• Stack testing filing

• Emission Point Drawing Updates

• Reorganizing Environmental Files in Environmental Affairs

• Stack Dimensions Conformation Project

• DFP pH Testing

• Phosphate Analyzer Evaluation

• Total Suspended Solids Analyzer Evaluation

And other tasks

Projects Overview

• Pamela Jestness (Air Quality Engineer) uses PFDs in Air Permit

• Helps understand process

• Shows location of Emission Points in process

DFP Area Process Flow Diagram Design

Click icon to add chart

Click icon to add chart

Click icon to add chart

DFP PFD With Emission Points

• pH is a permit parameter

• Must be maintained between 6-9

• Believed that higher concentrations of DFP will cause higher pH in water

• Any kind of acid in the water will lower pH

Defluorinated Feed Phosphate (DFP) pH Testing

• Calibrate pH monitor

• Take 500 mL of Tap Water, take initial pH

• Add DFP in 100mg increments

• Mix for 30 sec

• Record pH

• Repeat until 500 mg of DFP is in the water

Experimental setup

Defluorinated Feed Phosphate (DFP) pH Testing

06/19/15

pH

DFP (mg) / 500ml Test 1 Test 2

500ml H2O 07.14 7.20

+ 100mg DFP 1007.16 7.23

+100mg DFP 2007.19 7.25

+100mg DFP 3007.20 7.26

+100mg DFP 4007.22 7.30

+100mg DFP 5007.24 7.34

Results

Defluorinated Feed Phosphate (DFP) pH Testing

0 100 200 300 400 500 6007.10

7.15

7.20

7.25

7.30

7.35

7.40

Effect of DFP on Outfall Water

Total DFP (mg)

pH

Click icon to add chart

• If DFP dissolves in trench water or the oil-water separator tank the resulting water will have a higher pH

• Lime being dissolved raises pH

• Confirmed other tests results

Results

Defluorinated Feed Phosphate (DFP) pH Testing

• Evaluated a phosphate monitor that could be placed into various streamlines to indicate phosphorous levels

• Permit testing is done from daily composite samples

• Permit limits are 1.5 mg/L daily average and 5 mg/L daily max Total Phosphorus

• mg/L or part per million (ppm)

Phosphate Analyzer Evaluation

• Phosphax and Scantrax

• Phosphax does the test, Scantrax programs and shows results

• Advertised accuracy between .05 ppm – 15 ppm

• Can be programmed to read P2O5, PO4 and PO4-P (elemental P)

• This experiment we were reading PO4 from Phosphax

About the equipment

Phosphate Analyzer Evaluation

• Solutions were made to test the advertised range

• Diluted 50 ppm potassium phosphate (KH2PO4) with DI water

• Outfalls 005, 007 and 009 comparisons with equipment in EA Lab

• Lachat monitor is EA lab equipment

• Recoveries of equipment were tested

What was being tested

Phosphate Analyzer Evaluation

Click icon to add chartClick icon to add chart

Experimental setup

Phosphate Analyzer Evaluation

Results

Phosphate Analyzer Evaluation

1 2 3 4 5 60.00

0.10

0.20

0.30

0.40

0.50

0.60Phosphax

Lachat

PO4

(mg/

L)

0.0 2.0 4.0 6.0 8.0 10.0 12.0 14.00

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

f(x) = 0.994975711311589 xR² = 0.999915871496931

PO4 (mg/L)

Read

ing

(mg/

L)

Phosphax Recoveries Lachat Recoveries

Outfall 005 .25 - .15 -

Spike #1(1 ppm)

1.14 90.8% 1.03 89.8%

Spike #2(3 ppm)

2.92 92.9% 2.87 94.6%

Spike #3(5 ppm)

4.44 85.9% 4.55 90.3%

Recovery Testing (Verification of Laboratory analysis)

Excellent: 95-105%Good: 90-110%

Acceptable: 80-120%

Results

Phosphate Analyzer Evaluation

• TSS is a water quality measurement of any and all solids in water

• Permit Limit is 30 ppm monthly average and 60 ppm daily maximum

• Testing is currently done through Composite samples

• Looking for “early warnings” for Daily max prevention

• Solitax takes readings every 5 minutes and logs the information

• Took composite samples and logged data to compare with monitor and daily water reports

At 009 outfall

Total Suspended Solids (TSS) Analyzer Evaluation

Data collection at 009 outfall.

Total Suspended Solids (TSS) Analyzer Evaluation

Click icon to add chartClick icon to add chart

Lab Setup

Total Suspended Solids (TSS) Analyzer Evaluation

Results Monitor Reading vs. Grab Samples

Total Suspended Solids (TSS) Analyzer Evaluation

6/23/2015 6/25/2015 6/27/2015 6/29/2015 7/1/2015 7/3/2015 7/5/2015 7/7/2015 7/9/20150

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

6/24- 7/7

Solitax ReadingLab Test Results

Date

TSS

(mg/

L)

Typical daily readings

Total Suspended Solids (TSS) Analyzer Evaluation

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

166/21/15

Time

TSS

(mg/

L)

Midnight 6/21

Potential Algae Growth

Midnight 6/22

Comparison Between Solitax and EA lab Testing results

Total Suspended Solids (TSS) Analyzer Evaluation

6/15/2015 6/20/2015 6/25/2015 6/30/2015 7/5/2015 7/10/2015 7/15/20150.00

5.00

10.00

15.00

20.00

25.00

EA Lab and Solitax difference

SolitaxEA Lab

Date

TSS

(mg/

L)

• Lab techniques and procedures

• How to form experiments

• How analyzers work

• Water quality

• Stack testing details

• Working with Industrial Salesman

• Evaluations on equipment

What I learned/ new experiences

• EA Department

• IT Department

• Tech Services

• Area Supervisors

• HR Department

• Administration

Special Thanks!

Shouldn’t the guy who came up with Knock Knock jokes win a “no-bell” Prize?If you spill a cleaning product, did you make a mess?

Questions?

There’s more online:

PotashCorp.comVisit us online

Facebook.com/PotashCorpFind us on Facebook

Twitter.com/PotashCorpFollow us on Twitter

Thank you