OrganoClay MCM-830P

Ecologix OrganoClay – MCM-830P is a modified clay mineral designed for use as a filter media in process and wastewater treatment. When used alone, OrganoClay removes oil at 700% the rate of activated carbon. When used as a pre-treatment for activated carbon in applications involving oil and grease removal, OrganoClay removes the oil and grease effectively, allowing the activated carbon to remove the soluble organic compounds more efficiently.

The MCM-830P Difference

The main difference between Ecologix OrganoClay – MCM-830P and other organoclays is that our media is 100% non-swelling modified clay and does not require blending with anthracite for porosity in a filter bed. This means that filter beds typically run 2-3x longer than filters using competitive (30/70 and 40/60 – clay/anthracite blends). In addition, because Ecologix OrganoClay – MCM-830P has a greater amount of “actives,” it may also remove contaminants present at lower levels better than competitive medias.

MCM-830P OrganoClay is a powerful, selective adsorbent that will recognize hydrocarbons and other pollutants – but not water. Designed for use in conventional liquid-phase filtration vessels, the granular modified clay attracts contaminants like a magnet and locks them in its molecular structure. MCM-830P Modified Clay Media is produced in a proprietary process by combining sodium montmorillonite clay with a cationic quaternary amine salt, which replaces adsorbed sodium by ion exchange. Resulting clay surfaces become organophilic.

Extensive application use and field testing of MCM-830P Modified Clay Media technology, verified by independent laboratories, has demonstrated removal of a wide range of contaminants to discharge levels which meet NPDES and other regulatory requirements.

OrganoClay MCM-830P Properties

Appearance Specific Gravity Bulk Density Granule Size Contact Time Void Volume
Gray to Tan granules 2.0 - 2.2 42 - 46 lbs/ft cubed 8/30 Mesh (US sleeve) 2 - 4 minutes (EBCT 3.3 - 6.6 min.) 35% - 45%

Water Treatment

When used for water treatment, organoclay is commonly utilized in the upstream sector of the petroleum industry for removing hydrocarbons from refinery process water, but is rarely used in the production of petroleum. Many other industries also use organoclay, including shipping and dockside servicing, car washes, and other businesses that deal with an oily wastewater stream. OrganoClays have also been tested for treating ground and surface water for other organic chemicals such as PCBs and pesticides.

Field testing and project implementation have consistently revealed that the combination of MCM-830P and granular activated carbon effectively removed hydrocarbons from produced water. Treated in field testing revealed specific findings:

  • Reduces Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons to non-detectable levels. Sampling reveals TPH below detectable limits after adsorption by MCM-830P.
  • Reduces Oil and Grease to non-detectable levels. Samples show Oil and Grease below detectable limits after adsorption by MCM-830P alone.
  • Reduced soluble hydrocarbons Benzene, Ethylbenzene, Toluene, and Xylene to barely detectable levels. In samples BTEX was barely detectable after adsorption by MCM-830P alone. BTEX was below detectable limits after the combination of MCM-830P and granular activated carbon.

In simple terms, MCM-830P eliminated hydrocarbon contamination from produced water during the test. Other testing has shown that these results are consistent across large-scale commercial applications.

Effective Water Treatment with Minimal Cost

Other laboratory testing of spent MCM-830P has shown that BTEX and other volatile hydrocarbons are adsorbed tightly enough for the spent product to pass the EPAs Toxicity Characteristic Leachate Procedure (TCLP) test and be disposed as a non-hazardous waste. The TCLP is used to identify the presence or absence of toxic chemicals that might be able to leach into groundwater after disposal. Being classified as a non-hazardous waste may allow the spent product to be landfilled, land farmed, or otherwise disposed in an economical and ecologically proper manner.

Organoclay Benefits/Usage

OrganoClay - A Cost Saving Filtration Media

When used alone, OrganoClay removes oil at 700% the rate of activated carbon and will reduce your operating costs by 50% or more. When used as a pre-treatment for activated carbon in applications involving oil and grease removal, OrganoClay removes the oil and grease effectively, allowing the activated carbon to remove the soluble organic compounds more efficiently.

OrganoClay Increases the Efficiency of the Treatment Process

The quarternary amine-treated clay pellets have the ability to capture 50 – 60% of their weight in oil, grease and other low solubility organic compounds. Used upstream from activated carbon or downstream of other oil removal processes, OrganoClay optimizes the overall system performance and reduces costs.

Stand Alone

OrganoClay outperforms anthracite, GAC, and all other filter media technologies in stand-alone applications for the removal of higher molecular weight hydrocarbons.

Post Treatment

OrganoClay may be applied downstream of oil/water separators, DAF systems, clarifiers, sand filters, and other physical/chemical separation systems.

Application

OrganoClay is designed for column operation. The media should be placed in appropriately sized fluid contactor vessels in the same manner as granular activated carbon (GAC). OrganoClay needs to be wetted and deaerated with clean water for a minimum of 1 hour prior to the introduction of contaminants in order to prevent fluid channeling within the media bed.

Pre-Treatment

OrganoClay may be used to pre-treat the influent of GAC filters, reverse osmosis units, ultra filtration units, and other related systems where less soluble, higher molecular weight hydrocarbons tend to cause plugging, fouling, and equipment contamination.

Dosage

The amount of OrganoClay required will vary depending on contaminant concentration and type, contact time, and fluid temperature. Generally, contaminants with lower concentrations and solubilities, longer contact times, and moderate fluid temperatures are preferred.

Storage and Handling

Store in a dry place. Avoid extreme temperatures. Avoid breathing dust.

Hydrocarbon Removal with OrganoClay

MCM-830P completely removes free hydrocarbons from wastewater and also removes dissolved hydrocarbons including benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene (BTEX). When used in conjunction with a polishing stage of granular activated carbon, Modified Clay Media removes dissolved and free hydrocarbons to levels well below current water quality standards.
Our MCM-830P OrganoClay product can be used to effectively remove oil and other hydrocarbons from water where traditional oil-water separators have had limited success. The product does not absorb hydrocarbons, but rather adsorbs them, which leaves no byproduct from the process. In the adsorbtion process, the quaternary amines create organic pillars between the clay platelets that increase the interlamellar distance and facilitate the formation of a hydrocarbon partition.

OrganoClay Performance

Sample Constituent Projected: Before Projected: After Result: % Reduction Source Type
Acenaphthene 5,580.0000 BDL 99.99% Creosote Plant
0.1500 0.0005 99.67% Wood Processing
Acenaphthylene 0.0067 ND 99.99% Wood Processing
Aluminum 0.100 0.0200 80.00% Chemical Plant
Ammonia Nitrogen 245.0000 21 91.43% Paper Mill 2
Anthracene 3.9580 ND 99.99% Carbon Black Plant
3,650.0000 BDL 99.99% Creosote Plant
0.0134 ND 99.99% Wood Processing
Arsenic 2.6200 0.1220 95.34% Oil Production
0.2130 0.0130 93.90% Creosote Plant
Benzene 9.8000 0.2300 97.65% Natural Gas Well
Benz (a) Anthracene 1,170.0000 BDL 99.99% Creosote Plant
0.0001 ND 99.99% Wood Processing
Benzo (b) Fluoranthene 0.0001 ND 99.99% Wood Processing
Benzo (a) Pyrene 0.0360 ND 99.99% Carbon Black Plant
Benzo (g,h,i) Perylene 0.0380 ND 99.99% Carbon Black Plant
BOD's 244 11 95.49% Firefighting Academy
1,100.0000 9 99.18% Laundry Service
211,000.0000 533 99.75% Paper Mill 3
113,400.0000 849 99.25% Creosote Plant
23,689.0000 2,133 91.00% Paper Mill 1
BTEX 1.0000 0.0270 97.30% Shipyard
20.4900.0000 ND 99.99% Firefighting Academy
Cadmium 0.0220 BDL 99.99% Laundry Service
4-Chloro-3-Methylphenol 26.0000 ND 99.99% Process Coolant
Chromium 0.0780 ND 99.99% Laundry Service
2.0200 0.0080 99.60% Creosote Plant
24.8000 4.3100 82.62% Braking Systems
Chrysene 10,7000.0000 BDL 99.99% Creosote Plant
0.0001 ND 99.99% Wood Processing
Cobalt 1.5200 0.0300 98.03% Chemical Plant
COD's 3,340.0000 113 96.62% Firefighting Academy
>23,000.0000 458.0000 98.01% Paper Mill 3
87,200.0000 949.0000 98.91% Paper Mill 2
Copper 4.0000 0.0220 99.45% Shipyard 1
0.2520 BDL 99.99% Laundry Service
1.5600 0.0530 96.60% Creosote Plant
1,1 Dichloroethane 0.0150 ND 99.99% Groundwater
0.0094 ND 99.99% Groundwater
1,2 Dichloroethene 1.5000 ND 99.99% Groundwater
1,4 Dioxane 726.5000 126 82.66% Plastics Mfr.
Ethylbenzene 1.6000 0.0073 99.54% Natural Gas Well
Fluoranthene 4.3930 ND 99.99% Carbon Black Plant
95,400.0000 BDL 99.99% Creosote Plant
0.0057 0.0001 97.44% Wood Processing
Fluorene 59,900.0000 BDL 99.99% Creosote Plant
0.0789 ND 99.99% Wood Processing
Gasoline Range Hydrocarbons 1.8800 ND 99.99% Process Coolant
Lead 2.0000 0.0110 99.45% Shipyard 1
4.1800 BDL 99.99% Laundry Service
Manganese 5.7500 0.4000 93.04% Chemical Plant
Mercury 0.0018 ND 99.99% Oil Production
2-Methylnaphthalene 6.1000 ND 99.99% Creosote Plant
Motor Oil 310 ND 99.99% Process Coolant
Naphthalene 1.0000 ND 99.99% Shipyard 1
21,400.0000 BDL 99.99% Creosote Plant
0.6830 0.0008 99.89% Wood Processing
Nickel 2.0000 0.1600 92.00% Shipyard 1
0.0200 ND 99.99% Oil Production
0.0840 BDL 99.99% Laundry Service
Oil and Grease 200 ND 99.99% Shipyard 1
488 ND 99.99% Tank Cleaning
289,000.0000 3.4600 99.99% Laundry Service
147,000.0000 3.4600 99.99% Paper Mill 3
68,800.0000 BDL 99.95% Creosote Plant
3,360.0000 1.6600 97.78% Paper Mill 1
2,050.0000 45.6000 99.99% Braking Systems
1.0000 ND 99.99% Wood Processing
PCP (Pentachlorophenol) 4,630.0000 BDL 99.99% Creosote Plant
2.4500 0.1300 94.69% Wood Processing
Phenanthrene 15,900 BDL 99.99% Creosote Plant
0.0888 0.0001 99.90% Wood Processing
Phenolics (recoverable) 2.0000 0.1550 92.25% Shipyard 1
Phosphourus 3.5000 0.2000 94.29% Chemical Plant
Pyrene 16.1570 ND 99.99% Carbon Black Plant
42,700.0000 BDL 99.99% Creosote Plant
0.0028 0.0001 96.19% Wood Processing
TCE (Trichloroethene) 0.1800 BDL 99.99% Landfill Groundwater
2.8000 ND 99.99% Groundwater
TCE (Trichloroethylene) 250.0000 2.2000 99.12% Pesticide Mfr.
TOC (Total Organic Compounds) 86,000.0000 1,370 98.41% Paper Mill 1
Toluene 26.0000 0.0200 99.92% Natural Gas Well
TPH (Total-Petroleum Hydrocarbons) 50.0000 ND 99.99% Firefighting Academy
Total Phosphorous 132.0000 3.2 97.58% Paper Mill 2
TSS's 93.0000 10 89.25% Firefighting Academy
500.0000 9 98.20% Laundry Service
27,400.0000 43 99.84% Paper Mill 2
57,250.0000 58 99.90% Creosote Plant
Vinyl Chloride 0.2600 ND 99.99% Groundwater
Xylene (m & p) 14.000 0.0076 99.95% Natural Gas Well
Xylene (o) 3.5000 0.0013 99.96% Natural Gas Well
Zinc 4.0000 0.7430 81.43% Shipyard 1
0.0460 0.0150 67.39% Oil Production
  BDL 99.99% Laundry Service

Product Specifications

Bulk Density 46 lbs./cu.ft.
Specific Gravity 1.5-2.5
pH Range 2-12
Temperature Range 33-180ºF
Flash Point +400ºF
Contact Time 3 minutes actual retention time 9 minutes EBCT (at 80% fill)
Typical Usage Recommendations
Typical Applications:
- Removal of Oil & Grease
- insoluble hydrocarbons from wastewater or ethylene glycols