Comparison of other Electron Donors vs. MicroC™ 
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- Methanol
- Sucrose Solutions
- Ethanol
- Acetic Acid
- Sodium Acetate
Comparison of Waste Products vs. MicroC™
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MicroC™ vs. Carbon Sources
Methanol is currently the most widely used electron donor/carbon source for wastewater denitrification. MicroC™ offers a highly attractive alternative to hazardous, increasingly costly and energy-intensive methanol.
Safety
Methanol is highly flammable and toxic, jeopardizing the health and safety of treatment plant personnel, facility users and nearby communities. Recent incidents including the explosion of the methanol tank at the Daytona Beach, Florida wastewater treatment plant highlight safety issues associated with methanol. MicroC™ is a safer alternative to methanol.
| Recent Articles highlighting the dangers associated with methanol | |
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| Summary of recent accidents involving methanol. | Article 1 (1/14/06) PDF
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| Methanol explosion at Daytona Beach, Florida wastewater treatment plant kills two workers and severely injures a third. | Article 1 (1/14/06) PDF  Web
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Article 2 (1/12/06) PDF Web
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| Suit filed against city of Daytona Beach by dead worker’s family. Two construction contractors, an engineering consultant and two manufacturers of parts to the methanol and bisulfate tanks involved in the blast likely to be named in suit. | Web
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| Methanol accident injures eight during high school chemistry experiment | PDF |
| Worker killed when an empty 55-gallon drum explodes |
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| Five die as methanol tanker collides with car and bursts into flames. | Article 1 (10/9/06) PDF Article 2 (10/10/06) PDF
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| CSB releases final report on fatal methanol tank explosion. | Web
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Cost Effectiveness
MicroC™ has several economic advantages over methanol and other electron donor/carbon sources and can result in significantly reduced operational and capital expenditures
- More efficient electron donor/carbon source optimized for denitrification that can result in considerable savings (see case studies)
- Potential reduction in safety-related expenditures including insurance premiums, training, regulatory compliance, etc.
- Plants requiring denitrification upgrades can potentially avoid capital expenditures related to explosion-proof chemical storage and distribution
- Prices are more likely to remain stable over time as methanol is derived from natural gas and MicroC™ is derived from more stable agricultural products
Environmental Sustainability
MicroC™ is derived from renewable resources that are abundant in the United States. Every gallon of MicroC™ used (instead of methanol) saves the energy equivalent of heating 0.5 US households per day or providing electricity for 0.7 US households per day.
See also Environmental Sustainability