WASTE & WASTE WATER SERVICES
Matergenics offers a truly unique suite of specialized services within the water and wastewater arena. In a general sense, solutions developed by our team of highly experienced materials scientists and process engineers serve to successfully resolve common client directives.
Our waste & wastewater services
Matergenics has solved challenging problems for industrial, municipal, and private water and wastewater systems in both the United States and at several locations overseas
Common client directives include:
- halt or prevent damage to critical infrastructure from corrosion;
- reduce the cost of treatment or water conditioning programs;
- determine the root cause of, and remedy for, water-related damage to products; &
- improve the quality of effluents or finished waters and associated compliance metrics.
Investigations are aided by advanced analytical instrumentation located within our Pittsburgh Office (e.g., a scanning electron microscope, x-ray diffractometer, and Fourier-transform infrared spectrometer), and used routinely by Matergenics professionals to examine samples and material specimens, well as field instruments available for use at job sites in order to, for example, measure parameters such as soil resistivity, or to help to identify stray electrical currents.
We have addressed problems that have arisen in wet wells, reactors, and storage tanks; on the wetted portions of process equipment such as traveling screens, pumps, agitators, and sludge dewatering equipment; and within contact and non-contact cooling water systems, sanitary sewerage systems, potable water distribution networks, and plumbing systems within individual buildings or developments.
SPECIALIZED SERVICES
A unique suite of specialized services within the water and wastewater arena to fit your needs
Practice areas for Regular services
Regular services lie within the four practice areas summarized below. Typically, these services are provided with Matergenics functioning as the Prime Contractor, reporting directly to the Owner of the water or wastewater system, but often we are retained as a sub-consultant to Architecture/Engineering firms – functioning as part of a larger design team for new systems or systems to be upgraded.
Corrosion Assessment & Protection Programs
- Corrosion Rate Surveys & Monitoring
- ID Corrosion Mechanism(s) & Failure Modes
- Problems with Coatings and Liners
- Scale, Sludge, & Deposit Identification
- Soil & Backfill Characterization Programs
- Specifications for Coating Systems
- Specifications for Water Conditioning
- Specifications for Construction Materials
- ID Stray Currents or AC Interferences
- Design of Cathodic Protection Systems
- ID Problematic Inputs to Sewerage Systems
- Sewerage System Modifications
Troubleshooting & Failure Analysis
- Infrastructure Condition Assessments
- Pipe and Tank Failure Analysis
- Water Characterization Programs
- Treatment Process Troubleshooting
- Optimization of Chemical Reagent Use
- Minimization of Sludge Production
- Water Damage to Manufactured Products
- Benchmarking Reports & “White Papers”
Engineering Design Assistance
- Wastewater Treatability Studies
- Alternatives Analysis for Treatment
- Process & Equipment Recommendations
- Process Design & Process Modification
- Basis of Design Reports
- Third Party Review of Process Designs
- Specifications for Materials & CP Systems
- Cost Estimates & O&M Manuals
Compliance Assistance
- NPDES Permits and Permit Renewals
- NPDES Permit Negotiations
- Water & Wastewater Litigation Support
- Compliance Sampling & Reporting Services
- Non-Compliance Investigations & Reports
- Treatment Plant Operational Audits Spill & Pollution Prevention Plans
BUILDING WATER SYSTEMS
corrosion of materials is of concern due to health issues it may cause, not to mention the risk of catastrophic property damage
Water Quality Consultancy Services
In combination with WATTA we offer practical and cost-effective options for remedial action, and prevention of future risk and failure.
Our joint services will evaluate your assets and systems for impact, and provide practical cost-effective options for remedial action and prevention of future failure. Our team will help you understand your problems and needs through study and multi-disciplinary collaboration – and to help you achieve the required outcome and be better prepared for future challenges. We work to improve both the short- and long-term performance of your systems, projects and core assets.
In both residential and commercial building systems, corrosion of materials is of concern due to health issues it may cause, not to mention the risk of catastrophic property damage – especially in high-rise buildings.
Our experience in problem identification and resolution involves many factors including:
- Copper, including pitting (pinhole corrosion) and cuprosolvency (dissolving excessive copper in water)
- Brass dezincification (dealloying) in valves and other copper alloy plumbing devices
- Stainless steel – especially pitting and crevice corrosion
- Cast iron graphitization in pumps; also in sanitary or storm drain piping
- Galvanized steel in fire suppression system (FSS, or sprinkler) pipes and potable lines
- Dissimilar metal couples that cause galvanic corrosion, and prevention via effective dielectric isolation
- Perforation due to stray electrical currents or grounding issues
- Coating-related corrosion failures, and proper coating selection – Exova’s Coatings Group gets involved
- Plastics such as CPVC; mainly with respect to incompatible chemical exposures
