1. Why is the District implementing this program?

2. What is Bio P?

3. How does Bio P work?

4. What do you do with the phosphorus after it is removed?

5. How do I know if I can participate in this program?

6. How do I know if my waste is high carbon strength material?

7. What chemical parameters do I need to analyze?

8. Some of the parameters have been recently analyzed; would this be acceptable or do I have to reanalyze those?

9. How do I locate someone to perform chemical analyses? Is there a recommended laboratory for these analyses?

10. How do I apply to be in this program?

11. I have an acceptable waste from my process, my authorization has been approved. Will the District arrange to have the material delivered to the plant?

12. What is the charge for delivery? Is there a charge for delivery?

13. Can I use my own truck to deliver material to the plant, or do I need to hire a hauler?

14. Do I need a permit to haul or deliver the material?

15. What types of material are acceptable?

16. Can I deliver more than one type of material?

17. When will the District start accepting high carbon strength material?

18. Once approved for delivery, can I bring material to the plant at random? How often can I drop off material?

19. Is there a minimum or maximum amount of material the plant will accept on a daily basis?

20. What if I cannot meet the delivery volume consistently?

21. Who do I contact for an application?

22. How quickly can I be approved to make deliveries? How long is the application process?

23. What does the application process entail?

24. Who do I contact if I can’t make my scheduled delivery? How soon can I reschedule?

Phosphorus is a valuable and limited resource that is a requirement for plant growth. Once phosphorous is released to the environment through crop fertilization or in municipal wastewater effluent it is very difficult to recover. Maximizing the recovery of phosphorus from wastewater is a part of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (District) new mission to foster sustainability and recover resources from wastewater.

A wastewater treatment process using specialized biological organisms to remove phosphorus.

Bacteria in wastewater known as phosphate accumulating organisms utilize readily biodegradable carbon to remove phosphorus. The process involves cycling between oxygen deficient and oxygen rich environments to concentrate phosphorus within the organisms.

The District has implemented a process at the Stickney Water Reclamation Plant that converts the removed phosphorus to a slow-release fertilizer, marketed under the brand name Crystal Green, which has a wide range of applications including boosting food crop yields.

If your liquid waste material consists of sugary, starchy or other related homogenous products, you may be eligible to participate in this program. Please contact the Industrial Waste Division (IWD) at (312) 751-3044 or at BioP@mwrd.org to submit a sample for program evaluation.
 

The material will be evaluated for parameters such as pH, Volatile and Total Solids, and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD). If the material has already been analyzed for such parameters the analysis may be submitted for consideration. If no analysis is available, a sample may be submitted to the District for evaluation upon pre-screening.

Initial required parameters are listed as follows:

pH, Total Phosphorus, Total Solids, Total Volatile Solids, or COD. If the material is considered to be suitable based on the initial analysis, additional parameters listed in the Pollutants of Concern, Table 2 of the Resource Recovery Program Description, may be required.

If the material was analyzed within the past year by a NELAC Institute-certified laboratory and your operations have remained the same the analysis will be acceptable for initial evaluation.

In the event that your company does not operate a fully accredited analytical laboratory, click on the following link for a list of accredited laboratories. http://www.epa.illinois.gov/topics/certification-training/lab-accreditation/accredited-labs/index

Complete an Organic Materials Delivery Authorization Application online. Prior to applying to the program, a prescreening questionnaire must be completed to determine the nature of the material. For prescreening purposes, the generator or source shall conduct a limited analysis on their material or provide historical data for the core criteria parameters (COD, pH, Total Solids, Total Volatile Solids). In an effort to retain flexibility in the application process, the District reserves the right to waive the initial sampling requirement if confident that the material is safe and acceptable for the program.

No, the District does not pick up material for delivery. You would be responsible for transporting material to the District.

Private haulers will provide a fee structure for delivery. The District charges a tipping or acceptance fee of $0.05 per gallon delivered. Acceptance fee charges are based on the nominal capacity of the truck. The fee schedule is as follows:

You may use your own truck, provided the truck is used only to haul the approved or similar material. The application includes a section that must be completed with information pertaining to the transporter, vehicle identification, and driver license information. In no case will any vehicle used to haul or pump hazardous waste be allowed to make a delivery.

If the material already requires a permit, then the permit will be required for hauling. Otherwise if you are unsure, consult your local regulatory agencies such as the Illinois Department of Transportation or the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.

Homogenous liquid material high in biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) or chemical oxygen demand (COD) that is un-pigmented, sugary or starchy will be targeted for participation.

Yes, however each material will be evaluated separately for acceptance and delivery must utilize approved designated trucks.

This program is now active and the District has begun accepting deliveries of permitted materials.

Material delivery would be based on a pre-arranged schedule with a specific hauler. This will be addressed during the application process.

Yes and it may be plant-specific and also based on the operating conditions at the plant. The loadings of different pollutants and Constituents of Concern are limiting factors as well.

This would be addressed in an agreement between the hauler and the District. Minimum volume requirements would be detailed in the Delivery Authorization.

The Organic Materials Delivery Authorization Application is available online. If you have any questions you may contact the Industrial Waste Division at (312) 751-3044 or by electronic mail at BioP@mwrd.org.

The Program Director shall use their best effort and judgment to issue a written Delivery Authorization within 30 calendar days of the date of receipt of an application. A schedule can then be arranged to plan for deliveries.

The application is posted online for the applicant’s review. Once reviewed, the application may be completed and printed. An authorized signature is required along with a $250.00 application fee. In addition to the application, a Material Acceptance Agreement, Truck Hauler Identification certification and Insurance documentation must also be submitted.

You may contact the Industrial Waste Division at (312) 751-3044 or by electronic mail at BioP@mwrd.org, during normal business hours (8:45 am to 4:30 pm). You may also be provided contact information for the treatment plant you get assigned to deliver to. You should schedule as soon as you become aware of the need to do so.