Copyright Natural Site Solutions 2004

Chitosan Enhanced
Sand Filtration
Natural Site Solutions, LLC

The Problem
The West Coast
(Washington, Oregon, Idaho and California)

Has Determined Turbidity is

the Major Issue Associated
with Construction Site
Stormwater Discharges
Copyright Natural Site Solutions 2004

800
NTU

500
NTU

TYPICAL TURBIDITY FROM

CONSTRUCTION SITE
DETENTION BASINS

100
NTU

25
NTU

Typical West Coast Standards

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Chitosan?
A Natural Coagulant
! Chitosan is extracted from crab & shrimp
shells
! It is 100% biodegradable
! Chitosan is a bio-polymer

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Polyglucosamine (Chitosan) Structure

A cationic polysaccharide biopolymer

CH2OH

O
O

OH

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CH2OH

OH

NH2

NH2

Extraction Process
1

Shell

Chitin
acidic treatment to free calcium

alkali treatment to remove proteins

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Ground Shell

Chitosan

Deacetylation

Human Safety
What does the U.S. EPA Say?
Given its low potential for toxicity and its abundance
in the natural environment, chitosan is not expected to
harm people, pets, wildlife, or the environment when
used according to label directions.
and
Risks to the environment are not expected because
chitosan has not shown toxicity in mammals, it is
abundant in nature, and it is used in tiny amounts.
Source:
http://www.epa.gov/pesticides/biopesticides/ingredientsfactsheets/factsheet_128
930.htm Posted June 2003

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What Can Chitosan Remove?

! Suspended Sediment (turbidity)
! Total Phosphorus
! Total & Dissolved Metals
! PAHs/PCBs/other Organics

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Commercial Forms of Chitosan

(Chitosan Acetate/Lactate)

! Storm-Klear Liqui-Floc

tm

(1% liquid form)

! Liqui-Floc Concentrate

(2% liquid form)

! Storm-Klear Gel-Floc

(100% solid form)

tm

! Manufactured by Vanson, Inc. of Redmond, Washington

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Coagulation
&
Floculation

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Stormwater contaminated with

sediment before and after
coagulation with Chitosan

120X

120X
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Coagulation Sequence Photos

Start

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60 Sec.

30 Sec.

5 Min.

Coagulation Comparison

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 Copyright Natural Site Solutions 2004

Chitosan Aquatic Toxicity

(Rainbow Trout Acute Survival)
SAMPLE TYPE1

TEST ID

SURVIVAL2 (MG/L)
NOEC

LC50

Gel-Floc in Turbid Water

0301-21NW

37.5

52.7

Gel-Floc in Clean Water

0301-22NW

25.5

Liqui-Floc in Turbid
Water

0301-23NW

10,000

>10,000

Liqui-Floc in Clean Water

0301-24NW

100

435

1 The turbid water tests were performed by adding 1,000 mg bentonite clay per liter of water and
mixing. Then the chitosan was added (at varying dose rates) and mixed for 20 min., the mixture
allowed to settle for one hour, then the clarified water poured into a paper filter (approx. 20
micron) and used for the toxicity tests.
2. Tests performed by AMEC Earth and Environmental Northwest Bioassay Laboratories, March
2002.

Typical dose rate:

Copyright Natural Site Solutions 2004

Chitosan Liqui-Floc = 100-150 mg/L

Chitosan Gel-Floc = 1-2 mg/L

Chitosan
dose =
10,000 mg/L

(100 mg/L
normal dose)

Starting
Turbidity 823
NTU

Fish species
Rosie Reds

Exposure
time 4 days

Copyright Natural Site Solutions 2004

Chitosan Transformation Sequence and Timing

In the first 30 seconds
"Positively charged amine functional groups attract negatively
charged dirt particles (coagulation).
"Chitosan precipitates (at pH > 6.5)
"Chitosan irreversibly loses its cationic charge.
"Chitosan THEN exhibits 1,000 times less toxicity
CH2OH

CH2OH

O
O

OH
NH2

Copyright Natural Site Solutions 2004

OH
0

NH2

BIOLOGICAL DEGREDATION OF CHITOSAN

CHITOSAN
CHITOSANASE (enzyme)
GLUCOSAMINYL-GLUCOSAMINIDE
GLUCOSAMINIDASE (enzyme)
GLUCOSAMINE
BACTERIOLOGIC
DEGREDATION (aerobic)
GLUCOSE
Copyright Natural Site Solutions 2004

CO2 + Water

Chitosan Biodegredation
Chitosan Biodegredation Rate
(5% per day)

Pounds (lbs)

1
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
0

10
Days

Copyright Natural Site Solutions 2004

12

14

16

18

20

Residual Chitosan Test

Color comparison of control (pure water), 100 g/L, and 200 g/L chitosan
acetate after exposure to iodine (1 Liter each filtered).
Note the yellow rust color of the control compared to the two samples that
contain chitosan.

Copyright Natural Site Solutions 2004

Chitosan Treatment
Service Providers

! Baker Tanks
! Rain For Rent
! Clearwater Compliance Services
! Clear Creek Systems

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Chitosan Treatment Service

Provider Contacts
Product

Rental and
purchase of
treatment
component
s and fully
engineered
water
treatment
systems

Copyright Natural Site Solutions 2004

Company

phone

web site

Baker Tank
Company

425.487.6503

www.bakertanks.com

Rain for Rent

360.239.5168

www.rainforrent.com

Clearwater
Compliance
Services, Inc.

425.787.9600

www.clearwatercomplianceser
vices.com

Clearcreek
Systems, Inc.

661.324.9634

www.clearcreeksystems.com

Training Requirements
The CESF system shall only be operated by a trained technician certified through an approved training program including
classroom and field instruction. Training to be provided by Natural Site Solutions to include the following Minimum Training Requirements:
Prerequisites:
Minimum 1-year experience with, and sound working knowledge of, high-pressure sand filter systems.
Experience deploying and troubleshooting pressurized water pumping and piping systems.
Fundamental knowledge of stormwater discharge regulations for applicable region/locale.
Fundamental knowledge of stormwater quality testing procedures and methods for parameters applicable to the region/locale.
Classroom 4 hours
Stormwater regulatory framework and requirements
Stormwater treatment chemistry (chitosan, pH, coagulation, filtration, etc.)
Stormwater treatability (how to do jar testing)
Treatment system components and their operation
Treatment system operation
Troubleshooting
In the field 40 hours
Operating the treatment system
Entering data in the system operations log
Testing turbidity and pH
Optimizing chitosan dose rate
Water quality sampling and testing (turbidity and pH)

Copyright Natural Site Solutions 2004

Engineered Applications

Copyright Natural Site Solutions 2004

Two Forms of Chitosan Available

Liqui-Floc
Gel-Floc
Passive
Dissolving
Chitosan Gel

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Liquid Chitosan
for Injection

Gel-Floc Sock
Installed

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Pump dirty water in

Storm-Klear Gel-Floc Sock

Hose bands

Flow
3-inch lay-flat hose (fire hose)
6-inch Female CamLoc Cap
reduced to 3-inch hose barb

Gel-Floc Housing Unit

Detail

Copyright Natural Site Solutions 2004

10-foot length of 6-inch diameter pipe

Disperse treated water in vegetated areas for

dispersal/biofiltration

Storm-Klear Gel-Floc
Dispersal System
Schematic
Storm-Klear Gel-Floc Sock

6-inch diameter Gel-Floc Housing

3-inch collapsible hose

Dispersal/biofiltration area

Copyright Natural Site Solutions 2004

Culvert
Cleaning Water
Management
System

Stream
bypass

Sandbag
dam

Dirty water from

culvert cleaning

Culvert

Pump suction

Downstream
clean water

Dispersal/Biofiltration
Vegetated Field

Connector to add
another 50 feet of
collapsible 3-inch
flexible hose

Copyright Natural Site Solutions 2004

Portable
gas
pump

Storm-Klear
Gel-Floc
Unit

50 feet collapsible
3-inch flexible hose
(25 feet perforated)

Gel-Floc Dispersal/Biofiltration Water Treatment System Schematic

Gel-Floc
Biofiltration

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Chitosan-Enhanced Sand
Filtration

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Modular Sand Filter System

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Clearwater Compliance Systems, Inc.

Dirty In - Less Dirty Out

(without Chitosan treatment)

Typical Filter
Performance
(Without Treatment)

477 NTU

256 NTU

After Filtration

Before
Copyright Natural Site Solutions 2004

and
Filtration

46% Turbidity Reduction

After

Dirty In - Clean Out

(with Chitosan treatment)

Typical Filter
Performance
(with treatment)

477 NTU

2 NTU

After Filtration

Copyright Natural Site Solutions 2004

Before and After

Filtration
99.8% Turbidity Reduction

Current Demonstration Project

Lakeside Divisions 1, 2 & 3
Copyright Natural Site Solutions 2004

Redmond, Washington

Lakeside Treatment System 2003/2004

1000

17.3
million
gallons
treated

900

800

700

Turbidity

Average Influent
Turbidity 253 NTU

600

NTU

(NTU)
Influent

500

Effluent

Average
effluent
3.2 NTU

400

300

200

100

Daily Turbidity Levels

Copyright Natural Site Solutions 2004

Average
turbidity
reduction
98.2%

All
effluent
aquatic
toxicity
tests
passed

Alaska Chitosan-Enhanced
Sand Filtration System

Chitosan Injection
Sand Filter

Pre-Filtration Settling Tanks

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Alaska Chitosan-Enhanced
Filter System Schematic

10,000 NTU

<5 NTU

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200 NTU

50 NTU

Olhava Project
Poulsbo, Washington

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Olhava 300 gpm Mobile Treatment System

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Olhava Project
Discharging 2 NTU
treated water

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Olhava Project
48 3-Pod System

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System Performance

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Turbidity Results for Lakeside Construction Project

March 2003
800

Turbidity
Dose rate 0.4 to 0.6 mg/L

700

@ 500 gpm

Turbidity (NTU)

600
500

Median % Reduction

99.0%

Influent High

714 NTU

Influent Low

73.7

Effluent High

4.05 NTU

Effluent Low

0.58 NTU

Influent
Turbidity

400
300

Effluent
Turbidity

200
100
0

120 influent samples, 120 effluent samples taken over 14 days, March 2003
Copyright Natural Site Solutions 2004

Phosphorus Results
14 Phosphorus tests on 5 projects:
Average % P Reduction = 70.4%
Min. = 23.8% Reduction
Max. = 93.3 Reduction
Median = 78.6% Reduction

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Effluent Aquatic
Toxicity Test Results
33 Acute Rainbow Trout tests on 8 projects:
100% Survival of all fish for all tests
22 Acute Fathead Minnow tests on 6 projects:
No Statistically Significant Mortality for all tests
36 Acute Daphnia tests on 7 projects:
No Statistically Significant Mortality for all tests
Copyright Natural Site Solutions 2004

Treatment Costs
500 gpm System
Mobilization/Demobilization

$3,000

Equipment Rental

$4,000/Mo.

Chitosan
Labor

$10.00 per 10,000 gal. water treated

$3,200/Mo.

25 M gal over a 6-mo. rainy season = $68,200

or $0.0027 per gallon treated
$27.00 per 10,000 gallons treated

Copyright Natural Site Solutions 2004

Conclusions
! Chitosan is a recycled waste product
! Chitosan is natural and biodegradable
! Chitosan is safe to use
! Powerful cationic biopolymer
! Works synergistically with sand filtration
and biofiltration

Copyright Natural Site Solutions 2004