Detergents

Before and After the ban on Phosphorus

Jesse Bennett Lisa Sasso Jacob Jozefowski

A Brief History on Detergents• After WWII began to

develop synthetic detergents

• Made up of a surfactant and a builder

• Phosphates make good builders but hard to treat

Introduction to P in Detergents

• Use grew rapidly to about 220,000 metric tons in 1967 as synthetic detergents became common.

• At the peak use of phosphate detergents, consumption of P was about one-tenth of the amount used for fertilizer.

Phosphorous

• One pound of P can grow 700 pounds of algae (Source: Historical Perspective of the Phosphate Detergent Conflict,Chris Knud-Hansen, 1994).

Impacts of Phosphorus• Rapid water quality decline

(Eutrophication)– Algae growth (algal blooms

frequent)Mats of green sludge,

– Oxygen depletion,– Die-offs of fish and other

aquatic life,– Drinking water Taste and

odor problems

A Growing Concern

• By 1959 all detergents contained 30%-50% phosphate builders

• Lake Erie was of big concern• Half of P inputs came from urban of which

50-70% from detergents• Something had to be done with battle lines

being drawn between the scientific community and the detergent industry

Taking Sides

• Limnologists testify before congress suggest eliminating phosphates from detergents

• The Soap and Detergent Association (SDA), questioned whether phosphorus was indeed the principal cause of eutrophication

• The Congressional report did recommended the immediate reduction, and eventual elimination, of phosphates in detergents;

Experimental Lake 226• In 1973 D. W. Schindler did a study on

eutrophication and recovery in experimental lakes

• Lake 226 was one of the most telling outcomes • The lake has two basins which meet a narrow

choke point• A sea curtain was spread across this point and

while N and C were added equally to both sides P was only added to one side

• The Study concluded that “Fully 50 percent of the phosphorus coming into the St. Lawrence Great Lakes could be eliminated by simply banning or greatly reducing detergent phosphates, a step already taken in Canada and a few U.S. states” and that “a basin-wide ban on detergent phosphates would quickly bring about a partial recovery of Lakes Erie and Ontario”

States with Detergent Bans

Source: USGS

Michigan Detergent Ban

• 1977 State of Michigan bans detergents with more than 0.5% elemental phosphorus.

• Phosphorus concentration in wastewater influent reduced by 23%

• Phosphorus concentration in wastewater effluent reduced by 24%

Michigan Detergent Ban

• Reduced phosphorus in influent resulted in less chemical additives required to remove phosphorus from wastewater, and less sludge produced.

• Estimated chemical cost saving for Michigan: $730,000 per year

Detergent Ban Success

• The success of this ban along with other bans within the Great Lakes resulted in many other regions implementing phosphorus bans.

• 1994 phosphorus no longer used in domestic laundry detergent.

• P loads to Lake Erie from 14,000 metric tons in 1972 to 2,000 metric tons in 1990

Sources

Hartig, J.H., Horvath F.J., (1982), A preliminary Assessment of Michigan’s Phosphorus Detergent Ban, Water Pollution Control Federation Vol. 54, No.2, Feb 1982, pp. 193 - 197Hartig, J.H., et al., (1982) Effects of Michigan’s Phosphorus Ban on Municipal Chemical Costs, Water Pollution Control Federation Vol 54, No. 3, Part I, Mar. 1982, pp. 316-317Litke, D.W., (1999), Review of Phosphorus Control Measures in the United States and Their Effects on Water Quality, U.S. Geological Survey: Water-Resources Investigations Report 99-4007D. W. Schindler, (1974), Eutrophication and Recovery in Experimental Lakes: Implications for Lake Management, Science, Vol. 184, No. 4139. (May 24, 1974), pp. 897-899.Congressional Report HR 91-1004. April 14, 1970. "Phosphates in Detergents and the Eutrophication of America's Waters" Committee on Government Operations.