Hodgdon Powder Company, Hodgdon, Kansas

Biodegradation of Gunpowder Effluent

Problem Statement

Hodgdon Powder Company manufactures specialty gunpowder at its Pyrodex Plant near Herington, Kansas. Gunpowder production was jeopardized by the inability to dispose of wastewater containing high levels of perchlorate and nitrate. A process was needed to reduce perchlorate in the wastewater to less than 100 parts-per-billion (ppb) to comply with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) guidelines.

 

Objectives:

  • Demonstrate the feasibility of treating wastewater from gunpowder manufacture using the patented ARA biodegradation process
  • Design, engineer, install, and startup a system capable of treating up to 5000 gallons per day of wastewater containing:
    • Up to 5000 mg/L perchlorate
    • Up to 20,000 mg/L nitrate
    • High suspended and dissolved solids
  • The treatment system should be low-cost, robust, and simple to operate

Results and Benefits

Eight months after treatability tests were initiated, the full-scale treatment system was inoculated and began operation. The system has successfully treated the highly-contaminated wastewater at the Pyrodex Plant since May 2003, which enabled uninterrupted gunpowder production and expansion of manufacturing operations. Treatment cost is approximately $2 per kilogram of perchlorate destroyed and the treated water can now be safely discharged to a local municipal wastewater treatment plant. In 2005, the Kansas Water Environment Association (KWEA) recognized the Pyrodex wastewater treatment plant for Operating Excellence in the category of Industrial Wastewater Pretreatment.