Tim Jordan reports on an automotive plant meets environmental regulations and saves money by treating oily wastewater with ultrafiltration.
Tim Jordan reports on an automotive plant meets environmental regulations and saves money by treating oily wastewater with ultrafiltration.
A manufacturing plant in MuncieIndianaUSAgenerates large amounts of oil-laden wastewater during the production of the torque-on-demand (TOD) transfer cases that it builds for four-wheel drive trucks and SUVs of leading automotive manufacturers.
Cutting water containing oil is used for cooling and lubrication during cuttingmilling and grinding operations. The cleaning of return dunnagealong with many other processescreates volumes of additional oily wastewater.
Since the plant’s inceptionit has employed a variety of methods for treating this wastewater. Howevernew Federal regulations for used oil moved plant personnel to analyse alternative industrial wastewater treatment methods that would meet the new environmental regulations and lower operating costs.
Plant personnel agreed that it was necessary to implement a membrane system that would provide a positive mechanical barrier to ensure that no oil would pass through into the discharged water. To meet those requirementsthe company turned to Koch Membrane Systems Inc (KMS) of WilmingtonMassbecause of the company’s extensive expertise in addressing challenging industrial wastewater treatment applications.
Two complete Konsolidator544 membrane systems from KMS were installed at the plant. These ultrafiltration (UF) systems are designed specifically for difficult-to-treat industrial wastewaters. The Konsolidator line is a series of standardpre-engineeredpackaged systems that KMS offers as a solution. To minimise installation time and costthe systems come complete with a circulation pumptouch-screen controls with programmable logic controllercirculation and permeate pipingvalves and instrumentation.
The Konsolidator systems utilise tubular FEG ultrafiltration membranes. The membranes have been in use for more than 30 yearsremoving solidsoily wastes and metals from wastewater streams and concentrating high value materials in many industries all around the world. Thanks to their ability to accommodate mechanical cleaning with spongeballs and their chemical resistance propertiesFEG membranes are the preferred membrane configuration in tough situations.
During the past decadethe plant has found the KMS system to be extremely reliable. Since it was installedthe plant has only had to replace a single membrane tube out of more than one-thousand in use.
The manufacturer estimates that during 10 years of operationthe membranes have reduced treatment costs by 50percent compared to the operating costs of conventional technologies.
Tim Jordan is with Koch Membrane SystemsWilmingtonMassachusettsUSA. www.kochmembrane.com
“
