I recently toured an industrial waste site where the groundwater underneath is being remediated for perchlorate contamination as well as other contaminates. Perchlorate can be naturally occurring, but in this case it is from historic rocket fuel and explosives manufacturing. The groundwater is being remediated partially through the use of bioremediation (i.e. microbes).
Lots of chemicals on site for the remediation, like ferrous sulfate.
Hydrogen peroxide
Nutrient for the microbes.
Lots of nutrients for the microbes
The label on this container notes the dangers of the concentrated phosphoric acid, which it contains. It also notes that there is a $800 deposit on the container, so you definitely want to remember to return the container.
The main part of the site is a series of fluidized bed reaction tanks.
With centrifugal pumps to keep the fluids moving.
More chemical storage tanks
At industrial plants, pipes always need to be labeled.
The first two mailboxes are labeled “PAP Sample to Lab,” and the second two are labeled “Clean Bottle Return.” I actually have doubts that these are really being used for pick up of samples to go to the lab. In general, samples need to be refrigerated once taken, and they should not be left in a metal box to bake in the hot sun.
Finally, always remember to drive slowly
Hey Geeky Girl Engineer, I’m a Geeky Old Lady Engineer from NASA. I used to work on solid rocket motors and remember when the AP plant in Henderson, NV blew up. Thanks for the great pictures. I was wondering if I could use (potentially) the one with the tangle of power lines in a presentation. I’d cite you for photo credit, of course.
I enjoyed your blog. Keep up the great work!
PS walls are sheer, not shear. But being an engineer, it’s a logical mistake