Impacts on streams from the use of sulfur-based compounds for dechlorinating industrial effluents

We evaluate environmental impacts associated with sulfur-baseddechlorinating agents (sodium bisulfite and sodium thiosulfate)commonly used in industrial wastewater treatment by presentingdata from two examples for Department of Energy facilities inTennessee and Kentucky. One case involved a fish kil...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Water, air, and soil pollution air, and soil pollution, 2002-05, Vol.136 (1-4), p.255-268
Main Authors: RYON, Michael G, STEWART, Arthur J, KSZOS, Lynn A, PHIPPS, Terry L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Applied ecology
Applied sciences
Aquatic environment
Aquatic plants
Bacteria
Biological and medical sciences
Bisulfite
Chlorine
Continental surface waters
Dechlorination
Dissolution
Dissolved oxygen
Earth sciences
Earth, ocean, space
Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution
Engineering and environment geology. Geothermics
Environmental impact
Environmental monitoring
Exact sciences and technology
Fish
Fish kill
Fresh water environment
Freshwater
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Industrial effluents
Industrial wastewater
Industrial wastewater treatment
Natural water pollution
Pollution
Pollution, environment geology
Sodium
sodium bisulfite
Sodium thiosulfate
Sulfur
Toxicity
Waste water
Wastewater treatment
Water pollution
Water treatment
Water treatment and pollution
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Summary:We evaluate environmental impacts associated with sulfur-baseddechlorinating agents (sodium bisulfite and sodium thiosulfate)commonly used in industrial wastewater treatment by presentingdata from two examples for Department of Energy facilities inTennessee and Kentucky. One case involved a fish kill (> 24,000 fish) caused directly by sodium bisulfite; the second describes a near-miss situation resulting from over-dosing with sodium thiosulfate. Toxicity tests showed that overfeed situations withsodium thiosulfate or sodium bisulfite can depress pH and dissolved oxygen, causing mortality of fish. Bacteria also can metabolize some sulfur-based dechlorinating agents, thereby increasing the potential for reductions in pH and concentrationsof dissolved oxygen. Although removing toxic levels of chlorine is important when releasing chlorine-containing wastewaters to aquatic systems, waste-treatment plant operators should also beaware of significant impacts that can occur if sulfur-based dechlorinating agents are used to excess.
ISSN:0049-6979
1573-2932
DOI:10.1023/A:1015264509699