MetalMaster, made from aged waste tree barks, will be used in the remediation of heavy metal contaminated groundwater or industrial process water. Like Terrenew’s OilMaster products, the active ingredients for MetalMaster systems are lignocellulosic, with numerous reactive groups that are highly effective at binding and retaining heavy metal ions. Whereas the OilMaster line will consist of consumer products sold primarily at the wholesale level, MetalMaster will require unique engineered solutions designed for the specific site and situation.
The process of removing heavy metals from solution is achieved by passing heavy metal contaminated water through a vessel containing the MetalMaster product. The binding of the metals to the MetalMaster matrix is so efficient that the mixture has been shown to pass TCLP, the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure. This indicates that the absorbed metal does not leach away and can often be discarded in a standard landfill as a solid waste, rather than handling and disposal as a hazardous waste. This enhances the already cost effective value of MetalMaster.
There are two general types of projects that MetalMaster has been developed for:
- Site Remediation - The first is point source pollution where the source has created a finite quantity of contamination. These projects are generally groundwater remediation projects that may be short in duration, or may last several years, until the pollution has been removed.
- Industrial Process Applications - The second category of projects includes manufacturing operations that produce a byproduct flow of contaminated water or other effluent from the industrial process of the manufacturer. These companies have process water that contains heavy metals which must be removed prior to discharge to the municipal sewage system or to their own wastewater management system. MetalMaster can be used as either the primary removal method, or as a finishing/polishing step.
MetalMaster is patented at Cornell University and exclusively licensed to Terrenew, LLC.
