Document NNJL9jE6BvNOOGo26L5ZBxwb

Ml RCV. X ''9S to: subject: INTEROFFICE COMMUNICATION Westlake, Louisiana August 5, 1969 Mr. K. R. Gerhart - Saddle Brook Environmental Health Report Continental VCM Plant, July 1969 Enclosed is a list of the environmental health activities at the Vinyl Chloride Monomer Plant during July 1969. Status of Active Budgeted Items V-l Revision to Plant Effluent System. Water Waste Disposal System. The remaining major items were placed on order. These included the stripper, agitator, control valves and desuperheater. The drawings of the pits were com pleted, a bid package was prepared, and the pit(s) installation is out for bids. Piping drawings of the stripping system will be started in August. The critical path item is still the neutralization tank with delivery still scheduled for mid-November. C-500 Vent Stack Extension. Delays in the wood shipment were experienced due to I ate' submittal of vendor prints. Upon review of vendor drawings, it was determined that the stack base was inadequately designed. This is currently being resolved with the vendor and should allow delivery of other wood sections by the end of August. V-4 Tank Car Vent Recovery System. Major vessels were installed. Delays in piping construction are being experienced due to lack of plant personnel who are pre paring for the upcoming plant turnaround. V-8 Low Pressure Condensate Recovery System. Process engineering design has been completed. The process writeup will be completed in August. CCR 000060485 Mr. K. R. Gerhart Page 2 Current Developments The .biodegradation of ethylene dichloride was successfully demon strated in the laboratory. Plant effluent samples in buffered solutions, as well as agitated clam shell solution, showed biodegradation. This has been successfully accomplished with acclimated seeds which will biodegrade EDC. Data are being tabulated and have formed the basis of the proposed secondary waste water treatment system. Preliminary engineering and sizing of the secondary system was com pleted. The basic design provides a five-day basin separated into three sections; an equalization and neutralization section, an aeration-biological degradation sec tion, and the outfall section. A preliminary report was issued and formed the basis for planning and estimating on this project for next year's budget (see attachment). This system was reviewed by R. C. Allred of Ponca City who agreed with the design basis. Planning Section personnel were on the site to coordinate activities with the VCM Plant personnel for inclusion of the secondary system in next year's budget. A surveying team was also in Lake Charles for detailed site lay out and elevations. The toxicity tests for fish in water contaminated with ethylene dichloride show that the mean toxicity level is between 200 and 400 ppm/ Further testing will be conducted using actual plant effluent. Monsanto Biodize Company was given a contract to analyze the plant effluent and to prepare an estimate for a commercial plant to reduce the level of contaminants in the plant effluent to an acceptable level. This will give us a com parative cost for evaluating the economics of our proposed system. It will also confirm the technical feasibility of biologically degrading EDC. the State. The State Stream Control questionnaire was answered and returned to LNV-MC cc: DKP RHG pmvHT ELL Each w/attachment L. N. Vernon OCR. 000060496 V-1 Revision to Plant Effluent system. Water Waste Disposal System. C-500 Vent Stack Extension. V-4 Tank Car Vent Recovery V-8 Low Pressure Condensate Recovery. Effluent Analysis Preliminary Sizing Secondary System. - Toxicity Tests EDC Air Sampling Analysis. Chlorine Vent System. Environmental Health Activities--VCM Plant CCR 0 0 0 0 6 0 4 8 7