Abstract
We evaluate environmental impacts associated with sulfur-baseddechlorinating agents (sodium bisulfite and sodium thiosulfate)commonly used in industrial wastewater treatment by presentingdata from two examples for Department of Energy facilities inTennessee and Kentucky. One case involved a fish kill (> 24,000 fish) caused directly by sodium bisulfite; the second describes a near-miss situation resulting from over-dosing with sodium thiosulfate. Toxicity tests showed that overfeed situations withsodium thiosulfate or sodium bisulfite can depress pH and dissolved oxygen, causing mortality of fish. Bacteria also can metabolize some sulfur-based dechlorinating agents, thereby increasing the potential for reductions in pH and concentrationsof dissolved oxygen. Although removing toxic levels of chlorine is important when releasing chlorine-containing wastewaters to aquatic systems, waste-treatment plant operators should also beaware of significant impacts that can occur if sulfur-based dechlorinating agents are used to excess.
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Ryon, M.G., Stewart, A.J., Kszos, L.A. et al. Impacts on Streams from the Use of Sulfur-Based Compounds for Dechlorinating Industrial Effluents. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution 136, 255–268 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1015264509699
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1015264509699