Ask the TAC

Would NASSCO provide a future webinar on some of the emerging styrene treatment technologies, with more in-depth information?

As progress is made in the Phase III study commissioned by NASSCO and being conducted by the Trenchless Technology Center (TTC) at Louisiana Tech University, more information will be available on styrene emissions from the hot air (steam cured) Cured-in-Place Pipe (CIPP) process. The additional information will better define the areas of concern, more definitive styrene pathways and the effect of the coating on styrene emissions in this process.

In addition to TTC’s work, more information is being generated as to methods of treatment for styrene-laden air emitted into the atmosphere. For example, the TTC, in conjunction with Aegion, is developing a system that could prove to be economical and effective in removing styrene from these air streams with a very small footprint. There are older methods that have had proven success in removing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in other applications that will have merit in the CIPP process. As more contractors try these proven processes, more case histories will be available for contractors, municipal and consulting engineers, and owners to consider.

Two processes that have good track records in other areas are styrene removal using activated carbon and wet scrubbing using water as the scrubbing media.

Granular activated carbon (GAC) units are currently being used in removing VOCs from a hot air stream in the CIPP process. This method may also be used in removing styrene monomer from water in water cured CIPP processing. The equipment is portable, compact, and economical to use. The process may be designed to remove various levels of styrene from the effluent stream.

Wet scrubbers have been used in the chemical industry for over a century. The process can be designed to work well in the CIPP process. The equipment is more costly than the GAC systems, but the system can be designed to be compact and portable.

More engineers are becoming familiar with these processes as it relates to the CIPP process. With this increased knowledge, concern for styrene emissions in the CIPP process will become a thing of the past.

The well-attended NASSCO Webinar titled “CIPP and Styrene Emissions: Best Practices” may be viewed on our site. NASSCO’s Technical Advisory Council will present another Webinar in late 2022 to share additional research findings and recommendations.