Environmental Services

Universal Dynamics addresses hazardous waste, wastewater and air emission problems in the aluminum, chemical, paper, and petroleum industries by offering comprehensive environmental management and design engineering services. Our engineers have substantial industrial plant experience from both the consulting and operations perspectives and provide our customers with effective solutions to environmental and safety requirements at the lowest overall cost.

Wherever possible, we focus on solutions involving recovery and reuse in an effort to gain some economic return from otherwise expensive environmental projects. The following two examples demonstrate this philosophy:

The UD mercury recovery process, know as REMERC™, was developed for the extraction of mercury from a solids matrix while simultaneously recovering high purity elemental mercury for reuse or sale.
UD engineers developed an innovative process design to produce commercial grade hydrochloric acid without the use of hydrogen gas to assist a customer recover waste chlorine from a magnesium production process. UD engineers developed a design that uses natural gas as both the fuel for the combustion process and as the source of the hydrogen atom. There are only 3 or 4 other hydrochloric acid plants in the world that use natural gas.

Universal Dynamics provides a full range of engineering services for environmental projects, including compliance, conceptual engineering, detail design, procurement, construction management, startup and troubleshooting. We provide these services individually or as turnkey packages:

Compliance - This service includes implementing programs and studies required by environmental regulations (i.e., RCRA/MTCA - permits and closures, RCRA/CERCLA/MTCA-corrective actions, RI/FSs, CAA-RMP requirements, etc).
Conceptual Engineering - This activity includes problem definition, identifying and evaluating reliable alternatives. Generally, conceptual engineering ends with the preparation of an engineering report and budget cost estimate suitable for management review and project approval.
Detail Design - This task includes preparation of a complete set of design drawings, equipment and installation specifications, a construction bid package manual and O&M manual.
Procurement - This service includes developing a supplier list, soliciting and evaluating bids, issuing purchase orders, approving invoices, expediting, etc.
Construction Management - This activity includes oversight and coordination of contractors, and inspection and testing to document that materials used and the installation are consistent with the design specifications.
Startup Assistance - This service includes training operators and providing operator assistance until the facility is functioning properly.
Troubleshooting - This activity includes defining and correcting operating or maintenance problems for existing facilities.

Universal Dynamics has been instrumental in the design and implementation of many successful environmental projects for industrial customers. We specialize in the following environmental services:

Wastewater Treatment

Universal Dynamics has designed and installed a 15,000 gpm treatment system for effluent from diaphragm cell chlorine plants. The treatment system includes neutralization of pH excursions above and below pH-7, and sodium bisulfite reduction of chlorine spikes resulting from leaks and spills throughout the plant. We have also developed and evaluated alternative treatment processes for effluent from another diaphragm cell chlorine plant containing widely varying pH, chlorine and hypochlorite concentrations. Other projects included the design and installation of an intake water chlorination system to prevent the growth of clams in the water piping and equipment at a chlorine plant and maximizing the reuse of process water for four paper machines at a pulp mill with an internal water reuse program that reduced water consumption by 30 percent. Our services also include waste water permitting: NPDES, SPCC Plans, OPA 90.

Hazardous Waste Projects

The EPA's LDR regulations require thermal extraction of mercury from listed hazardous waste before land disposal. In an effort to develop a more efficient and cost effective alternative to thermal extraction, Universal joined forces with a customer and developed a chemical extraction process, REMERC, for removing mercury from a solids matrix. Universal Dynamics has already completed the design and installation of REMERC systems for listed waste from mercury cell chlorine plants and is currently working on overseas as well as local projects involving both site characterization and cleanup.

Air Emissions Control

Universal Dynamics has designed chlorine scrubbers for several customers using both countercurrent and crossflow packed towers with recirculated caustic. Typically, these units have been provided with hypochlorite treatment systems as part of the scrubber package. We have designed bisulfite, metal hydroxide and catalytic hypo treatment systems. We have designed a HCL plant to convert tail gas chlorine into commercial grade hydrochloric acid; the design is unique in that it utilizes natural gas as fuel rather than hydrogen. Related mechanical projects have included the design and installation of major ductwork and baghouse modifications to expand an aluminum smelter dry gas scrubber system. These modifications eliminated the need to use wet scrubbers during maintenance down times on the baghouse preventing the discharge of contaminated scrubber water. Our services include air emission permitting, i.e., PSD, Title 5, MACT, RMP.

Related Literature

Articles/Papers

Use of Advanced Controls in Environmental Remediation (PDF)
The "REMERC" Process for Treatment of K106 Mercury Mud (PDF)
Integrated Contingency Plan (HTML) (PDF)