Mobay may begin water treatment venture

Abstract

Mobay unveiled late last month a new wastewater treatment system at its Baytown, Tex., chemical complex that may well become the basis for a new business for the U.S. arm of the West German chemical giant, Bayer A.G. Although it is as yet undecided, according to a company spokesman, the new system developed by Bayer in West Germany will either be licensed or the company will go into the business of selling the hardware for the system. The process, called Bayer Tower Biology, is an above-ground biological aeration system that breaks down organics via aerobic digestion much faster than aeration ponds. Since the water is treated in above-ground tanks, the risk of groundwater contamination is reduced, the company says. In the process, wastewater from the company's Baytown complex flows through a primary clarification tower where lighter-than-water contaminants rise to the top and are taken off by mechanical skimmers. Heavier-than-water solids sink to the bottom and ...