A wastewater recycling system for plastics recycling operations’ wash lines, designed to cut down on freshwater consumption for environmental and cost-saving benefits, has been launched by Zimmer America Recycling Solutions.
Utilizing a closed-loop water circulation process, the The ACES BLUETREAT Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) system, supplied by ACES GmbH, runs two separate loops: one for grinding and initial washing, another for post-washing. Together, they are set to clean plastic flakes thoroughly.
A two-phase decanter is designed to separate solids from liquids – removing microplastics, residual glue, label materials, and other contaminants for responsible disposal – and enable treated water to be reused. Advanced microfiltration is also set to optimize cleaning performance by further purifying the water.
The new system is estimated to save 5.5 million gallons of water every year compared to traditional washing lines – thus lowering operational costs and achieving environmental benefits, according to Zimmer America.
Apparently, operating a 2.5 ton/hour without the ZLD system amounts to around 5.8 million gallons of fresh water and an equal amount of wastewater being discharged in a year – meaning around 660 gallons of fresh water are converted into waste water every hour.
Operating a 2.5 ton/hour wash line with ZLD, on the other hand, is only thought to require 301,000 gallons of fresh makeup water to replace water loss every year, which equates to around 35 gallons per hour. No wastewater is believed to be generated or discharged, with water only lost to flake adhesion and evaporation.
Utilizing ZLD make-up water is expected to save 5,500,000 gallons of fresh water per year, whereas using 5,800,000 gallons of water in a year without ZLD is said to save less than 301,000 gallons annually.
Zimmer America adds that recyclers can achieve savings of around $100,000 every year, depending on local water and sewer rates.
In similar news, Valmet and Flootech signed a partnership agreement to advance their water treatment processes last June. Valmet’s customers were set to utilize Flootech’s technical and commercial expertise in water and process water treatment, effluent treatment, recycling solutions, reuse, and sludge dewatering in hopes of improving the board, paper, and tissue industries’ environmental performance.
All the way back in late 2022, Perstorp also sought to supply its Stenungsund facility with wastewater from a nearby municipal treatment plant and save 1.1 billion litres of fresh water annually. The water would be purified and reused at its Oxo production plant, at which point it would contribute to the production of renewable hydrogen via electrolysis – then contribute to Project Air, an initiative aiming for climate neutrality in the chemical industry.
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