Envochem® water recycling plant reduces water consumption by 95%
Galvamé opts for water recycling
What we did
Electroplating uses large quantities of water for post-process rinsing. EnviroChemie developed a recirculation system for Galvamé’s new electroplating plant which treats 95 % of the rinsing water and recycles it as completely desalinated water.
Objective
Large quantities of contaminated water are produced by different processes such as degreasing, pickling, passivation and the application of metal coatings such as copper, nickel, silver or gold. Galvamé in Rotterdam needed a new water recirculation facility for its new electroplating line. The aim of the contract was to recirculate both the rinsing water from the new electroplating line and the wastewater from the existing electroplating plant in order to save water. To achieve this, the old recirculation plant had to be moved and upgraded and an additional, completely new recirculation plant installed.
Solution
EnviroChemie developed a sustainable plant concept for this project. The different rinsing water feeds are purified using a special ion exchange process for optimum utilisation of the ion exchanger. The rinsing water is fed through a two-layer filter, an activated carbon filter, a cation exchanger and an Envochem® ION anion exchanger. Post-treatment, the water is free of suspensions, oils, greases and salts. The deionised water this produces can then be reused in the electroplating lines.
The backwash water from two-layer and activated carbon filters as well as the reclaimed water from the ion exchangers are captured in a wastewater buffer tank and purified in an Envochem® DOX physicochemical batch treatment plant together with exhausted concentrates. The sludge this creates is pressed down to a semi-solid filter cake using a filter press. The treated wastewater meets all the necessary regulatory threshold values
Results
The sustainable Envochem® ion exchange technology saves more water and resources than conventional ion exchange plants. A special switching process ensures that all ion exchangers are completely exhausted before they are regenerated thus saving on both fresh water and regeneration chemicals. The new plant also provides significant reductions in waste disposal quantities and therefore disposal costs. The plant solution installed by EnviroChemie thus reduces the client’s fresh water, chemical and disposal costs.
