Van Drie_Gerald_Letter re WPCP Facility PlanPage 1 of 3
Kevin Firnstahl -Info for Mayor and City Council
From: <GVanDrie@aol.com>
To: <Kfirnsta@cityofdubuque.org>
Date: 6/1/2008 6:22 PM
Subject: Info for Mayor and City Council
CC: <GVanDrie@aol.com>
Attachments: High Purity Oxygen004.pdf
Mr. Kevin Firnstahl, Assistant City Clerk:
Please forward the information of this email to Mayor Roy D. Buol and members of the city of Dubuque, City
Council, City Manager, Michael Van Milligen, Finance Director, Kenneth TeKippe and Pollution Plant General
Manager, Jonathan Brown on June 2, 2008.
The Honorable Mayor Roy D. Buol and members of the City Council
City of Dubuque
City Hall
50 West 13th Street
Dubuque, IA 52001-4864
Dear Mayor Roy Buol and City Council Members:
Inasmuch as the mayor and city council has indicated that they are in favor of discontinuing the
incineration of sludge, it is important to have more information to support this decisierl. When a cubic
foot of water is added into an incinerator it will expand to 2000 cubic feet or more as steam. This
steam assists with the spewing of the toxins of the sludge and the 5000 or more lbs. of polymer
chemical residue out of the stacks into the city every day.
An indication that the mayor and council may consider the use of building digesters needs to be
addressed. Why would one decided to place organic solids in an anaerobic microbe vessel with
enough volume to hold from 15 to 30 days output of a plant's sludge production and heat it and pump
circulate it for such a long period of time in order to reduce the organic solids amount when the same
amount can be reduce in about 4 hours time with the aerobic microbes in the activated sludge process
reactor? The argument will be made that it will generate power from the digester gas. As with the
ethanol financial analysis, what are the costs?
Five years ago I attempted to convince City Manager, Michael Van Milligen that with my efficient
mixing technology installed in the plant's aerobic reactors that it would be possible to shut down the
operation of their primary clarifiers so the incoming solids to the primary clarifiers would be given
biological treatment. If my recommendation had been followed the volume of sludge to be incinerated
and polymer used would have been greatly reduced and the operational costs of operating the primary
clarifiers would have been eliminated. He indicated to me that he was not going to make any changes
to how the city's pollution plant would be operated.
Since that meeting 5 years ago, the incinerated residue of 36,000,000 lbs. of chemical and
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pharmaceutical toxin loaded sludge and the incinerated residue of 10,000,0001bs. of polymer
chemicals used for dewatering sludge has been spewed into the air within the city of Dubuque.
We have found that it is possible to reduce the volume of solids by as high as 70 percent in 4 hours
time in the reactors. The percent of reduction depends on placing as high a volume of solids as
possible in the reactor.
The use of composting as a means of further organic solids reduction needs to be addressed. What
happens to its final product that now contains all of the toxins of the sludge and residue from the
polymer chemical? Is it going to be sold to unsuspecting home lawn and garden users or spread on
farm cropland as fertilizer?
The U.S. Congress is working on amending the Clean Water Act with the Right-to-Know Act. The
National Association of Clean Water Agencies, which represents publicly owned wastewater utilities,
is in full support of the bill. This is important to the city of Dubuque by reason of its water supply is
from the Mississippi River.
Loss of much of the commercial fertilizer and sludge spread on farm land is being found to end up in
steams and rivers in Iowa and then polluting the Mississippi River. A 24-January-2008 story in Edie
News titled, "Midwest farming changing Mississippi chemistry." States that "Researchers
investigating agricultural pollution in the American Midwest have said that the volume of chemicals
in the Mississippi is equivalent to another large river." Go to Google and then input Mississippi River
Pollution. The city of Dubuque can provide leadership by keeping the Mississippi as clean as possible
by setting an example of what can be done. Perhaps this effort will assist both upstream and
downstream pollution reduction.
Sludge and manure happens. In order to provide a workable and cost-effective means of disposing of
sludge produced by sewage treatment plants, we have developed the Van Drie Trenching Process
which uses trenches filled with sludge that is covered daily with the excavated soil. We have provided
you previously, information pertaining to this process. This option is the most viable option offered to
you for consideration. It is far less costly than those 6 options provide by the consultant's study and is
far more workable for every one to do.
Very little free water is contained in properly dewatered sludge. If one shovels dewatered sludge on
the ground it will be quickly noted of this fact. Adequately dewatered sludge will be about 80 percent
water. The water is mainly contained within the cell walls of the dead microbes. Considerable
research has been done in an attempt to rupture the cell walls by chemical or sonic equipment, but is
not yet very cost-effective. Go to Google and input-- wastewater cell rupture--and enter the sites that
refer to wastewater.
In case of concern about potential contamination of the water table, from sludge in trenches,
additional protection can be provided by placing a 6 mil plastic sheet at the bottom of the trenches at
very little cost.
I will attach a drawing hereto entitled The Van Drie High Purity Oxygen Process.
Plant Manager, Jonathan Brown was very well aware 8 years ago that with the Van Drie HPO Process
that it is possible that nitrogenous organic solids reduction can occur at the same time as the
carbonaceous organic solids reduction, instead of following thereafter. He was also aware, at that
time, that complete mixing can be accomplished from viewing dye color testing.
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The first step of action that can be completed within 6 months by the mayor and the city council, is to
lower the volume of sludge that needs to be incinerated by 50 percent by installing the Van Drie HPO
Process in the reactors at the Pollution Plant. The goal must be to obtain as high a count of active
microbes per unit of volume of the reactor tank and to stimulate them to be fast eaters. Whatever
option the mayor and city council chooses later, for sludge disposal, sludge volume reduction with
aerobic microbes will be appropriate for each option they choose.
4 mixer pairs in each of 2 reactor tank systems can be installed for a cost of less than $1.2 million
dollars.
The 2 patented Van Drie Technologies can be licensed at very low annual fees. We are aware that
almost 100 percent of the benefit of new technology should accrue to the public.
I will openly answer any questions or address any concerns that the mayor and city council members
and staff may have.
I received a degree from the University of Dubuque and my wife, Charmion Luense Van Drie,
received a 2-year degree in Elementary Education at the same time. The University of Dubuque staff
and students are impacted by incineration as well as elementary and high school staffs and students in
the city of Dubuque, and staff and students at Loras, and Clark Colleges.
My wife has contributed equally with me to the success of developing the Van Drie Technologies.
Gerhardt Van Drie, R.C.E.
Former Iowans
Get trade secrets for amazing burgers. Watch "Cooking with Tyler Florence" on AOL Food.
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The Van Drie High Purity Oxygen Process