Archived
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Location
Lexington, Kentucky
Start Date
7-5-2026 9:30 AM
End Date
7-5-2026 10:00 AM
Description
Stantec recently supported commissioning a flue gas desulfurization (FGD) Wastewater Treatment System in accordance with the 2020 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Effluent Limitations Guidelines (ELG) Rule, which requires that coal fired power plants meet their more stringent requirements by December 31, 2025. With the addition of the 2024 EPA ELG Rule, coal fired power plants will now be expected to move to zero liquid discharge (ZLD) systems or permanently cease coal combustion by 2034. Due to this change, it is likely that coal fired power plants will be looking to design and install ZLD systems within the next decade. While the ZLD systems are more complex than the current wastewater treatment systems that now exist, the lessons learned from the current FGD projects will prove to be beneficial as the deadline for the 2024 Rule approaches. The paper will focus on design considerations, operating procedures, and opportunities to improve safety that were relevant to the commissioning process. By studying the circumstances that led to each of these learning moments, engineers and operators of all levels of experience can learn better ways to design and commission a FGD wastewater treatment system.
Document Type
Presentation
Archival?
Archival
Included in
Energy Systems Commons, Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment Commons, Environmental Monitoring Commons, Mining Engineering Commons, Oil, Gas, and Energy Commons, Structural Materials Commons, Sustainability Commons
Lessons Learned: Commissioning an FGD Wastewater Treatment System
Lexington, Kentucky
Stantec recently supported commissioning a flue gas desulfurization (FGD) Wastewater Treatment System in accordance with the 2020 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Effluent Limitations Guidelines (ELG) Rule, which requires that coal fired power plants meet their more stringent requirements by December 31, 2025. With the addition of the 2024 EPA ELG Rule, coal fired power plants will now be expected to move to zero liquid discharge (ZLD) systems or permanently cease coal combustion by 2034. Due to this change, it is likely that coal fired power plants will be looking to design and install ZLD systems within the next decade. While the ZLD systems are more complex than the current wastewater treatment systems that now exist, the lessons learned from the current FGD projects will prove to be beneficial as the deadline for the 2024 Rule approaches. The paper will focus on design considerations, operating procedures, and opportunities to improve safety that were relevant to the commissioning process. By studying the circumstances that led to each of these learning moments, engineers and operators of all levels of experience can learn better ways to design and commission a FGD wastewater treatment system.
