Stormwater treatment

Organoclay, an effective stormwater treatment media to remove oil from water in a variety of applications, was discussed. Oragnoclays are modified with quaternary amines to remove oils and other nonpolar compounds with low water solubility from water by means of a partitioning mechanism. The costs of using activated carbon to remove oil from water was compared with organoclay-anthracite. Organoclay was reported to reduce operating costs by approximately 50%. Case histories were illustrated to describe the use of organoclay to remove oil and grease from water and to protect activated carbon from fouling.