Detergents

1. Detergents Before and After the ban on Phosphorus Jesse Bennett Lisa Sasso Jacob Jozefowski

2. 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

3. 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.

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

5. 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

7. 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

8. 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;

9. 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”

10. States with Detergent Bans Source: USGS

11. 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%

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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 - 197 Hartig, 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. 316-317 Litke, 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 99-4007 D. 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.