What’s on Your Rooftop?

Probably zinc…so why should you be concerned?

Even if you believe you are operating your industrial or commercial facility in the most environmentally-compliant way, the buildings at your facility could still be a significant source of toxic zinc and copper pollution flowing into rivers, lakes and other waterways.

If you have zinc or copper in your process emissions, you might expect to need some sort of metals removal technology. But even something as common as galvanized roofing, a painted roof or galvanized HVAC equipment on your rooftop can put your operation over the limit for government-mandated benchmarks for zinc and copper in stormwater runoff.

That’s why we created the Zinc-B-Gone^® line of stormwater filters for the removal of dissolved zinc and copper from rooftop runoff. The systems easily attach to downspouts and are guaranteed to remove zinc and copper to allowable benchmark levels.

About benchmarks: In addition to federal Multi-Sector General Permit (MSGP) benchmarks, many states have enacted strict water quality standards for the amount of allowable zinc and copper in stormwater runoff, with mandatory corrective actions for industrial facilities that consistently discharge concentrations over the standards. Conventional zinc-coated steel roofs release between 1.0 to 3.0 mg/L (1,000 to 3,000 ug/L) of zinc in stormwater runoff – that’s 10 to 30 times the typical benchmark!

Why they’re important: When zinc and copper flow into waterways even in low concentrations, they can have adverse effects on marine life. Dissolved zinc in waterways – even at very low levels (5.6 ug/L in fresh water) – reduces growth and impairs fertility in salmon and other aquatic organisms. Copper, even at levels as low as 4.8 ug/L, also has a number of adverse effects on fish sensory systems, predator avoidance behaviors, juvenile growth and migratory success.

Make sure you’re covered! Zinc-B-Gone makes it easy, with do-it-yourself installation for most downspout applications. The systems require no power, use no chemicals and have no moving parts. And Zinc-B-Gone provides the highest level of performance and durability with the lowest life-cycle cost among commercially available zinc removal filters.

The systems come in two configurations: Zinc-B-Gone basic for attachment to downspouts and Zinc-B-Gone pro for monitored installations and large or combined downspouts with more complex water chemistry.

Each unit uses a layered, advanced media configuration developed by StormwateRx specifically for adsorption of dissolved zinc, copper and other heavy metals. Typical media life is 3-5 years. The Zinc-B-Gone filters are available with a debris screen and cover for easy and clean operation. The system uses the same patented, hydraulic flow control process used in the our Aquip enhanced filtration systems.

Unlike other zinc filtration products that use compost, biochar or organic materials, Zinc-B-Gone does not discharge nutrients with the exiting, filtered stormwater, and it maintains high hydraulic throughput over time. Higher hydraulic throughput means more water can be treated in a smaller footprint at an overall lower cost.

Our Zinc-B-Gone systems are guaranteed to outlast and outperform any other commercially available rooftop zinc filtration product.

Read more about Zinc-B-Gone specs, performance and applications and contact us to find out which Zinc-B-Gone is right for your site.