Valicor Environmental Services

Not all waste streams are what they appear to be.

Two totes may look identical. Two tanks may come from similar operations. Two wastewater streams may even be generated by the same type of equipment.

Yet their treatment requirements can be completely different.

That is why treatment facilities rely on waste profiling rather than appearance when evaluating materials. Understanding what is in a waste stream before it arrives helps ensure it can be managed safely, efficiently, and in compliance with regulatory requirements. Today, on the Valicor blog: https://www.valicor.com/blog/why-treatment-facilities-ask-so-many-questions-about-your-waste

Why Treatment Facilities Ask So Many Questions About Your Waste Waste profiling helps treatment facilities understand what they are receiving, whether it can be accepted, and how it should be handled safely and compliantly.

Myth: “Food waste is organic, so it’s naturally environmentally friendly and will break down on its own.”

Fact: While food waste is organic, that doesn't mean it's impact-free. When large quantities of food waste are improperly disposed of, they can create significant environmental challenges, including methane generation in landfills, odors, increased biological loading in wastewater systems, and attraction of pests. Even products that seem harmless can strain infrastructure when they're introduced in large volumes. Responsible management focuses not just on disposal, but on identifying opportunities for recovery, composting, reuse, or other beneficial outcomes before landfill becomes the default option.

Valicor works with manufacturers and food producers to evaluate food waste streams and identify responsible management strategies that support both operational and environmental goals.

Myth: “A small formulation change won't impact our wastewater permit.”

Fact: Even minor changes to raw materials, additives, cleaning agents, or product formulations can alter the characteristics of a wastewater stream. A new ingredient may introduce different organics, metals, oils, or nutrients that affect treatment performance or discharge quality. While the production change itself may seem insignificant, the resulting wastewater can behave very differently than it did before. Understanding how process changes affect wastewater is an important part of maintaining compliance and avoiding unexpected treatment challenges.

Valicor works with facilities and manufacturers to evaluate changing waste streams, identify potential impacts, and ensure wastewater management strategies keep pace with operational changes.

The most overlooked part of many coal-to-gas conversions isn't the new equipment. It's the water.

Cleaning, flushing, and preparing decades-old infrastructure can generate significant wastewater long before a new system comes online.

We explored the often-unseen wastewater side of power plant conversions and why it matters, today on the Valicor Blog: https://www.valicor.com/blog/the-other-side-of-the-switch

The Other Side of the Switch As coal power plants convert to natural gas, equipment cleaning, cooling system flushing, and decommissioning activities can generate significant wastewater. Learn what happens to that water and why planning matters.

Process diagrams can look like a wall of symbols, lines, valves, pumps, tanks, and instruments if you do not work with them every day.

That is what makes Valicor's resident expert & CTO Robert Cook’s five-part series for AIChE - American Institute of Chemical Engineers ChEnected site so helpful. It walks through how to interpret piping and instrumentation diagrams, often called P&IDs, piece by piece, from what they are used for to symbols, labels, tags, and visual examples.

We put together a quick overview of the series and why it is useful for anyone who works around process systems, not just engineers Today, on the Valicor blog: https://www.valicor.com/blog/valicor-cto-bob-cooks-guide-to-process-diagrams