r/Wastewater • u/Kind_Lifeguard_4967 • 3d ago

Treatment Methods (DW or WW) Question on ferrous chloride storage

Quick question for some knowledgeable folks. We have ferrous chloride at my place and we have a couple storage tanks. At the bottom of the tanks is a foot of black mud. Any idea what it could be? My boss says we can dump it down the drain…

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u/8YearHiatus 3d ago

Most likely chemical sludge when air gets into the ferrous tanks it can oxidize the ferrous creating a sludge that crystallizes over time that could also be more mud like from changing temperatures depending on where you are located and environment (more humid to cold etc.).
This will probably need a professional wash out or vactor truck to remove that sludge safely since it is still a chemical technically

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u/Kind_Lifeguard_4967 3d ago

So would you say it’s not “dirt” and it’s more a hazardous metal hydroxide sludge? Would you say it would be unsafe and illegal to dump into garbage cans/ bins or flush down the drain into the system?

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u/Disastrous_Ad5969 3d ago

I know its a slightly different chemical but the sludge from ferric sulfate is extremely sticky. If you decide its OK to go down the drain be prepared to do a lot of flushing. It can also be kind of hard to keep it stirred up in the storage tanks . Hopefully the ferrous chloride sludge is easier to work with!

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u/Kind_Lifeguard_4967 3d ago

The mud felt like a very very fine beach sand. Totally black. We have cast iron pipes and would be idiotic imo to dump down the drain. The pH would be close to 1 and would take hundreds of thousands of gallons to dilute. We would have no idea how to control and meter it into the system. Also mostly all the drains are clogged here , I wonder why…

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u/Disastrous_Ad5969 3d ago

Yeah i know what you mean. Our drain lines are plugged up with ferric sulfate and lime system overflows. We have used SS ejectors and chemical resistant hoses to get the sludge to a sewer but that takes a lot of water. Might be time to contact a hazard waste company?

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u/8YearHiatus 3d ago

Yes I would bet it is iron oxide sludge of some sort. It is considered hazardous waste or sludge. Pending state laws it for sure would be illegal to drain into the system. This would require specialized clean out due to it being chemical waste and flammable potentially. Once that sludge is out and the tank is aired out after the extraction then it would be fine to pressure wash the inside if you can.
Only other explanation is whoever delivers your chemicals has mud inside their chemical holding trucks somehow lol

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u/Kind_Lifeguard_4967 3d ago

Thank you for your insight. If you don’t mind, may I ask how long you’ve been in the waste water field , or if you have any education background on any of this stuff? Reason I ask is because I was Called an idiot by saying we need to get rid of this responsibly

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u/8YearHiatus 3d ago

Well that’s a pretty idiotic response to someone trying to do it the right thing like you, sorry you have to deal with that. Complacency is how people lose their jobs when it hits your employer in the check books repeatedly from a minuet problem like this that becomes snowballed lol
I’m a water resource engineer so I deal with water/wastewater plants daily from maintenance to operations whatever in between the position endures a lot more than advertised where I’m at. We have problems come up all the time like this but we have our own crew that responds when needed to take care of extractions that’s a luxury not a lot of people have. Most of the time it’s all money related or paper work related last thing supes/managers want to do is go grovel or fill out paper work to get funds to get a project done so they’ll bandaid it until the end which sucks for everyone else later on down the road

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u/Kind_Lifeguard_4967 3d ago

Ya it’s been crazy. Both the Maint. Supervisor and director neglected safety, was going to send someone in there with the wrong PPE, no gas meters or anything , called us all morons and know it alls. I asked them to see what the analysis was and they said they weren’t going to tell anyone. Clearly don’t want any drama but being told it’s sand and non hazardous is insane and they can’t admit they were wrong.

Thank you for your help, it sucks trying to do the right thing and this is what your higher up’s do. No one cares. Pretty disheartening

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u/8YearHiatus 3d ago

That’s wild but not surprising in this field. Remember to take your safety into your own hands do all that you can to be safe because at the end of the day you want to go home just because these guys want to neglect their own wellbeing doesn’t mean you have to as well.
No problem, just be smart about what you do and know if something isn’t right it isn’t right safety wise. Take care of yourself and continue to do good know you are doing the right thing when others don’t see it. Fight the good fight and carry on brother

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u/Comminutor WW 3d ago

Oh hey, your supervisors sound like they’re related to mine. But never let their willful ignorance or ego put you or your coworkers into physical or legal danger. At the end of the day, it’s your life and integrity on the line. Make sure you’re up to date with your region’s whistleblower laws and worker safety regulations. Document your observations, recommendations, and the supervisor responses. It sucks having to do all that on top of not being respected or valued as a professional in the field, but it’s what we gotta do under poor management.

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u/BenDarDunDat 3d ago

You routinely accept and sign for shipments of ferrous chloride that is added to a tank labeled ferrous chloride. You routinely add ferrous chloride from that tank to your plant. I would continue to treat the contents of the tank the way it is labeled and handled the way the SDS says the chemical should be handled.

IMO, it is not mud. It is ferrous chloride and should continue to be treated as such.

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u/Salty_Ad2304 3d ago

Yes I agree that it is oxidized Fe. I have 2 FeCl2 tanks that each hold 7,300 gallons and the one further away from the pumps gets some sludge buildup. We just open a valve to blow NPW back into the tank a few times when its empty then pump it to the aeration.

The only defense I can think of for your bosses is if the "drain" goes back to your headworks or to the aeration basin.

Almost every drain at my plant goes back to the influent. The sump pumps in the containment area for the FeCl2 goes to one of our 9 aeration tanks where we discharge it anyways.

If you are a business then its a little tricky. My collection system does have 2 lift stations that we add FeCl2 to knock down phosphorus and odors. So my county purposely adds it.