A record-breaking arctic blast hit most of the US last month, driving temperatures to all time lows.

  • How did your utility fare?
  • Were your operators consumed with trying to keep lines from freezing?
  • Was your caustic line among the casualties of the cold temperatures?
  • Did your treatment suffer?

Cold temperatures are an operational challenge regardless, but caustic use adds one more very hazardous headache to the mix. Even heat traced caustic pipes can freeze with these extreme temperature drops. Frozen caustic lines are very difficult to thaw and can expose your operators to extreme hazards.

High freezing points are just one of the many issues with caustic use.

In cold or heat, the hazards of storing and using caustic are numerous. Cautions from chemical suppliers of sodium hydroxide include such warnings as:

  • Causes IMMEDIATE severe skin burns and flesh decomposition.
  • Causes severe eye damage.
  • May cause respiratory irritation.

Doing ANY work on storage equipment, pumps or piping involving caustic requires full personal protective equipment: gloves, protective clothing, eye protection, face protection.

The word operators most often use to describe working with caustic is NASTY!

In addition to the personal hazard, it is also highly corrosive to most metals, making your facility look old and dirty, and impacting the useful life of your facility’s equipment.

But I have to adjust pH for phosphorus removal, so caustic is a necessary hazard.

Yes, if you are using old fashioned, inefficient iron or aluminum salts to reduce your phosphorus, you do need pH adjustment. These “traditional” chemicals are highly acidic and require large doses to reduce phosphorus to low levels. High acidity and high doses consumes a lot of alkalinity, causing pH to drop dramatically.

There IS a better way!

Switching to lanthanide-based Neo WaterFX improves P removal AND eliminates caustic!

WaterFX is more efficient, requiring a fraction of the dosage that is needed with iron or aluminum salts to reliably reduce phosphorus to very low levels. In addition, it is much less acidic. Combined with the smaller dosage, the lower acidity means the impact on your treatment system’s alkalinity is practically nonexistent. No drop in alkalinity or pH, no need for pH adjustment.

NO NEED FOR CAUSTIC!

Ready to learn more about how switching to WaterFX can improve your operations?

Eliminating caustic is just one of many benefits to switching to WaterFX. To learn how WaterFX can reduce your operating costs while improving treatment performance and reliability, contact us for a free consultation!