Tesco Uses Antimicrobial Media in Stormwater Treatment System
Creating
a stormwater treatment system for one of the world’s largest retail companies on
an 88-acre site in Riverside, CA, was a formidable task. When you consider that
the facility includes a giant food processing plant, a major truck distribution
center, a dry warehouse, and a 130,000-square-foot corporate headquarters, the
environmental challenges only mount.
Tesco
PLC, a UK–based food manufacturer with more than 400,000 employees, chose this
Riverside location as its major West Coast distribution center and US corporate
headquarters as a part of a plan to develop the company’s first US chain of
grocery stores. The site is a 1,000-acre property, part of Meridian, an LNR
Property Corporation master-planned business park, located on the western
portion of the former March Air Force Base. Tesco currently has more than 3,000
stores worldwide and plans to open 150 “Fresh & Easy” stores on America’s
West Coast.
Project
Goals
Adam
Corral, a civil engineer with Kimley-Horn and Associates, was involved in
overseeing the stormwater treatment installation. “Our project goal was to
install a system that would clean up stormwater runoff before it left the
project site,” he says. “Due to the large parking areas and the food processing
facility, we had to come up with a solution to treat everything: trash, debris,
oil, grease, gasoline, and bacteria.”
 |
 |
| Dirty stormwater runoff prior to flowing the filtration media (top) and after flowing through the media |
Corral
says that the stormwater treatment system, designed by the Riverside branch of
Hydrophix Inc., a stormwater compliance consultancy and distributor of
environmental products, is essentially a giant vault with screen inserts that
allow water to pass through; make contact with a filtration media; and allow for
the removal of hydrocarbons, bacteria, and other
pollutants.
“Initially,
we looked at a number of media filtration systems, searching for one that had a
track record for treating bacteria. The March Powers Authority, the local land
use and permitting governmental body, has jurisdiction over the project and
required a stormwater treatment solution that effectively addressed the bacteria
issue, as well as the hydrocarbons present in parking
lots.”
After
the project team evaluated various best management practices for treating
bacteria and hydrocarbons within stormwater runoff, they decided to use AbTech
Industries’ Smart Sponge Plus technology as a part of a larger treatment
train.
In
describing the system design, Corral says, “The ‘treatment train’ starts with
the first flush, which is diverted into a detention basin to step down the flow
rate. Initially, the project site’s treatment flow rate was 16 cfs [cubic feet
per second]. The detention basin stepped down the flow rate to 4 cfs, which was
more manageable and increased the effectiveness of the treatment process. The
next part of the train is a hydrodynamic separator, located between the
detention basin and the Smart Sponge Plus filtration material. The separator
helps clean the water and removes most of the suspended solids before they reach
the filtration media. By creating this train, we believe the Smart Sponge Plus
is even more effective at treating the bacterial component of the stormwater
runoff.”
Antimicrobial
Filtration Media
AbTech,
an environmental technologies firm headquartered in Scottsdale, AZ, holds the
patent on the Smart Sponge Plus, a non-toxic, fully recyclable filtration system
that destroys bacteria upon contact. Rodolfo Manzone, Ph.D., AbTech’s executive
vice president and chief technology officer, explains that the filtration system
employs an antimicrobial agent, chemically bound to the polymer filtration
material, which deactivates health-threatening microorganisms without releasing
harmful chemicals or leaching.
The
technology is currently used in communities and industries in more than 13,000
US locations. Independent field testing has validated the effectiveness of the
Smart Sponge Plus in multiple locations with a variety of microorganisms found
in stormwater runoff.
 |
| The system is filled with the filtration media housed in an expanded stainless steel mesh cage. |
“Unlike
other antimicrobials that act by poisoning harmful microorganisms, Smart Sponge
Plus technology is based on the antimicrobial agent’s interaction with the
microorganism’s cell membrane,” Manzone says. “It acts by rupturing cell
membranes—preventing potentially harmful microorganisms from functioning,
developing, or reproducing. Because no chemical or physical change occurs in the
antimicrobial agent, the filtration system maintains long-term
effectiveness.”
Chemically
Selective to Hydrocarbons
As
well as having an antimicrobial agent to block bacteria and other harmful
microorganisms from contaminating waterways, Smart Sponge technology is based on
a combination of polymer technologies chemically selective to
hydrocarbons.
The
company has spent more than seven years and $16 million developing Smart Sponge
technology. “The fact that Smart Sponge fully encapsulates oil on contact
results in a substantially more effective system,” says Glenn Rink, AbTech’s
president and CEO. “It is called ‘smart’ because after it absorbs hydrocarbons,
such as oil and grease, it will not release them under any amount of pressure.
Field and laboratory tests have confirmed the Smart Sponge’s capability to
absorb, depending upon the type of contaminant, several times its own weight and
to remove up to 95% of the hydrocarbons present in stormwater runoff. Once
pollutants are absorbed, the Smart Sponge transforms them into a stable solid
for easy, cost-effective retrieval and for disposal or recycling. The Smart
Sponge has a BTU value of over 10,000, so it is a great fuel
source.”
“AbTech
calls the Riverside system SWAT, which stands for Storm Water Antimicrobial
Treatment,” says Corral. “It’s a full turnkey solution aimed at removing
bacteria and hydrocarbons from stormwater runoff. The flexibility of the
media—it resembles popcorn and is as flexible as packing material—enabled us to
create a modular system that was engineered to fit the multiple needs of this
huge facility.”
Tesco’s
SWAT system measures 14 by 14 by 7 feet and was installed on the grounds of the
88-acre facility. “The system is filled with about 7,000 pounds of the Smart
Sponge Plus filtration media contained in a stainless steel cage. It was
designed using a collection basin for pre-treatment of trash, debris, and
suspended sediment,” Corral says, adding that this is the largest scale
installation of its kind.
Testing
Results
Test
results published in June 2008 revealed that individual samples were taken from
the introduction point of the water and immediately after discharge from the
SWAT. Samples were taken at two-minute intervals for a period of 90 minutes. The
samples were processed and analyzed according to standard sampling and
quality-control procedures.
After
two field-testing events, the effluent concentration of indicator
microorganisms, specifically E.
coli
and enterococcus,
all met REC-1 (body-contact recreational) beneficial use
requirements.
Corral
says that the filters containing the Smart Sponge could be easily and quickly
replaced when the unit reaches saturation. Depending on the type of
location—residential, commercial, or industrial—the replacement time frame is
one to four years.
Tesco
was awarded the 2007 Global Southern California first annual REmmy award for new
ideas in corporate practices that encouraged true implementation of sustainable
practices and a willingness to pursue a measurable reduction of environmental
impact. The Riverside stormwater treatment system exemplifies Tesco’s commitment
to reducing the environmental impacts of its operations.
Author's Bio: Judy I. Shane is a lecturer in the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department at the University of California at Los Angeles.
October 2008
Tesco Uses Antimicrobial Media in Stormwater Treatment System
SWAT System is the Storm Water Antimicrobial Treatment system installed on the grounds of Tesco's new commercial facility in Riverside, CA. The site was designed with pre-treament for trash, debris, and sediment.
Creating
a stormwater treatment system for one of the world’s largest retail companies on
an 88-acre site in Riverside, CA, was a formidable task. When you consider that
the facility includes a giant food processing plant, a major truck distribution
center, a dry warehouse, and a 130,000-square-foot corporate headquarters, the
environmental challenges only mount.
Tesco
PLC, a UK–based food manufacturer with more than 400,000 employees, chose this
Riverside location as its major West Coast distribution center and US corporate
headquarters as a part of a plan to develop the company’s first US chain of
grocery stores. The site is a 1,000-acre property, part of Meridian, an LNR
Property Corporation master-planned business park, located on the western
portion of the former March Air Force Base. Tesco currently has more than 3,000
stores worldwide and plans to open 150 “Fresh & Easy” stores on America’s
West Coast.
Project
Goals
Adam
Corral, a civil engineer with Kimley-Horn and Associates, was involved in
overseeing the stormwater treatment installation. “Our project goal was to
install a system that would clean up stormwater runoff before it left the
project site,” he says. “Due to the large parking areas and the food processing
facility, we had to come up with a solution to treat everything: trash, debris,
oil, grease, gasoline, and bacteria.”
|
|
| Dirty stormwater runoff prior to flowing the filtration media (top) and after flowing through the media |
Corral
says that the stormwater treatment system, designed by the Riverside branch of
Hydrophix Inc., a stormwater compliance consultancy and distributor of
environmental products, is essentially a giant vault with screen inserts that
allow water to pass through; make contact with a filtration media; and allow for
the removal of hydrocarbons, bacteria, and other
pollutants.
“Initially,
we looked at a number of media filtration systems, searching for one that had a
track record for treating bacteria. The March Powers Authority, the local land
use and permitting governmental body, has jurisdiction over the project and
required a stormwater treatment solution that effectively addressed the bacteria
issue, as well as the hydrocarbons present in parking
lots.”
After
the project team evaluated various best management practices for treating
bacteria and hydrocarbons within stormwater runoff, they decided to use AbTech
Industries’ Smart Sponge Plus technology as a part of a larger treatment
train.
In
describing the system design, Corral says, “The ‘treatment train’ starts with
the first flush, which is diverted into a detention basin to step down the flow
rate. Initially, the project site’s treatment flow rate was 16 cfs [cubic feet
per second]. The detention basin stepped down the flow rate to 4 cfs, which was
more manageable and increased the effectiveness of the treatment process. The
next part of the train is a hydrodynamic separator, located between the
detention basin and the Smart Sponge Plus filtration material. The separator
helps clean the water and removes most of the suspended solids before they reach
the filtration media. By creating this train, we believe the Smart Sponge Plus
is even more effective at treating the bacterial component of the stormwater
runoff.”
Antimicrobial
Filtration Media
AbTech,
an environmental technologies firm headquartered in Scottsdale, AZ, holds the
patent on the Smart Sponge Plus, a non-toxic, fully recyclable filtration system
that destroys bacteria upon contact. Rodolfo Manzone, Ph.D., AbTech’s executive
vice president and chief technology officer, explains that the filtration system
employs an antimicrobial agent, chemically bound to the polymer filtration
material, which deactivates health-threatening microorganisms without releasing
harmful chemicals or leaching.
The
technology is currently used in communities and industries in more than 13,000
US locations. Independent field testing has validated the effectiveness of the
Smart Sponge Plus in multiple locations with a variety of microorganisms found
in stormwater runoff.
|
| The system is filled with the filtration media housed in an expanded stainless steel mesh cage. |
“Unlike
other antimicrobials that act by poisoning harmful microorganisms, Smart Sponge
Plus technology is based on the antimicrobial agent’s interaction with the
microorganism’s cell membrane,” Manzone says. “It acts by rupturing cell
membranes—preventing potentially harmful microorganisms from functioning,
developing, or reproducing. Because no chemical or physical change occurs in the
antimicrobial agent, the filtration system maintains long-term
effectiveness.”
Chemically
Selective to Hydrocarbons
As
well as having an antimicrobial agent to block bacteria and other harmful
microorganisms from contaminating waterways, Smart Sponge technology is based on
a combination of polymer technologies chemically selective to
hydrocarbons.
The
company has spent more than seven years and $16 million developing Smart Sponge
technology. “The fact that Smart Sponge fully encapsulates oil on contact
results in a substantially more effective system,” says Glenn Rink, AbTech’s
president and CEO. “It is called ‘smart’ because after it absorbs hydrocarbons,
such as oil and grease, it will not release them under any amount of pressure.
Field and laboratory tests have confirmed the Smart Sponge’s capability to
absorb, depending upon the type of contaminant, several times its own weight and
to remove up to 95% of the hydrocarbons present in stormwater runoff. Once
pollutants are absorbed, the Smart Sponge transforms them into a stable solid
for easy, cost-effective retrieval and for disposal or recycling. The Smart
Sponge has a BTU value of over 10,000, so it is a great fuel
source.”
“AbTech
calls the Riverside system SWAT, which stands for Storm Water Antimicrobial
Treatment,” says Corral. “It’s a full turnkey solution aimed at removing
bacteria and hydrocarbons from stormwater runoff. The flexibility of the
media—it resembles popcorn and is as flexible as packing material—enabled us to
create a modular system that was engineered to fit the multiple needs of this
huge facility.”
Tesco’s
SWAT system measures 14 by 14 by 7 feet and was installed on the grounds of the
88-acre facility. “The system is filled with about 7,000 pounds of the Smart
Sponge Plus filtration media contained in a stainless steel cage. It was
designed using a collection basin for pre-treatment of trash, debris, and
suspended sediment,” Corral says, adding that this is the largest scale
installation of its kind.
Testing
Results
Test
results published in June 2008 revealed that individual samples were taken from
the introduction point of the water and immediately after discharge from the
SWAT. Samples were taken at two-minute intervals for a period of 90 minutes. The
samples were processed and analyzed according to standard sampling and
quality-control procedures.
After
two field-testing events, the effluent concentration of indicator
microorganisms, specifically E.
coli
and enterococcus,
all met REC-1 (body-contact recreational) beneficial use
requirements.
Corral
says that the filters containing the Smart Sponge could be easily and quickly
replaced when the unit reaches saturation. Depending on the type of
location—residential, commercial, or industrial—the replacement time frame is
one to four years.
Tesco
was awarded the 2007 Global Southern California first annual REmmy award for new
ideas in corporate practices that encouraged true implementation of sustainable
practices and a willingness to pursue a measurable reduction of environmental
impact. The Riverside stormwater treatment system exemplifies Tesco’s commitment
to reducing the environmental impacts of its operations.