How to Deal with Oils When Treating Contaminated Construction Dewatering Water

Oils are defined as organic materials that are not completely dissolved in water and present in the forms of sheens, globules, droplets. If present at a construction dewatering site, oil will most likely need to be removed from water before discharge in order to meet the discharge limits for oil & grease (O&G) and/or specific contaminants of concern (COC) that oil may carry along through treatment systems. Based on the dispersion and stability in water, oils can be classified into four different forms: 1) free oil, 2) mechanically emulsified oil, 3) chemically emulsified oil, and 4) solids-bound oil.