Envirogen, Inc. has been awarded a contract to supply the U.S. Army with a Fluidized Bed Reactor (FBR)system. The system will be used to treat groundwater containing the chemical perchlorate at the Longhorn Army Ammunition Plant in Karnack, Texas. The contract is administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - Tulsa District and funded by the U.S. Army's Operations Support Command.
Envirogen will design, build, supervise installation and start up for the FBR in conjunction with the groundwater treatment plant at the site. The system will be installed in the first quarter of 2001. Envirogen's FBR technology uses microorganisms attached to fluidized inert media within columnar reactors to degrade contaminants as groundwater is pumped through the system.
Perchlorate, a solid rocket fuel ingredient, is an important chemical within the defense industry. Perchlorate was first identified as a groundwater issue in 1997 when it was detected in wells near plant facilities where the compound was manufactured or used. Biological treatment is the most cost-effective technology for treating groundwater containing perchlorate.
Source: Envirogen