Innovative technologies achieve outstanding results in rinse water quality

In pre-treatment, the quality of the rinse water plays a decisive role for the quality of the final result. The cleaner the rinse water, the better the pre-treatment. For the high-quality treatment of rinse water from a wide range of industrial productions, vacuum distillation has established itself as one of the most economical and sustainable methods. It treats used industrial wastewater from production so well that it can be reused in rinsing processes. In case of H2O this also includes solutions for very high quality requirements and strict COD limits: The Clearcat and - now also new -Purecat technologies from H2O GmbH achieve crystal-clear, oil-free distillate with a COD reduction of up to 99 per cent.

Vacuum distillation is based on the simple principle of substance separation according to boiling point differences - the industrial wastewater is evaporated. All substances that have a higher boiling point than water remain in the evaporation residue. These include heavy metals, salts, oils, fats or surfactants. Because the water content is evaporated, the residue is reduced to 0.5 to 5 per cent of the original volume. The rising water vapor is almost free of impurities. The quality of the distillate obtained is so good that it can be reused within the production process and recirculated.

This recirculation not only reduces the need for freshwater resources enormously, but also eliminates a large part of the disposal costs if the water can be recovered for production through sustainable treatment.  The investment in such a system usually pays for itself in less than two years.

The visual comparison shows the difference: In the laboratory, a rich green indicated a high COD, orange a low one. The brighter the orange, the lower the COD. In the picture on the left the distillate of the VACUDEST without technology, in the middle with Clearcat, on the right additionally with Purecat.

Crystal-clear distillate and compliance with strict COD limits thanks to Clearcat and new Purecat technology

Vacuum distillation is a very efficient separation process for separating high-boiling impurities from industrial process waters. Nevertheless, due to certain physical effects, oils and fats in particular cannot be completely separated by distillation and are transferred to the distillate in traces. This effect is known to all plant manufacturers and can often lead to turbidity of the distillate. Common after-treatments are based on coalescence separators and activated carbon stages. In addition to the added operating costs, this implies an additional expensive after-treatment.

Not so with the patented H2O Clearcat technology - this guarantees the highest distillate quality without the use of the otherwise usual after-treatment necessities and consumables. This additional option for the innovative VACUDEST vacuum distillation system allows the safe and efficient treatment of industrial wastewater containing oil and grease in a single process step. The operating principle of the Clearcat condensation stage is based on physical and catalytic effects. Therefore, this cutting-edge technology requires neither energy nor auxiliary or operating materials. The distillate thus becomes absolutely colorless and clear.

In order to safely comply with the strictest COD limits, the H2O GmbH application center for wastewater-free production has now developed a new technology that can be used in combination with the Clearcat technology: the Purecat technology. It improves the already very good results of the Clearcat condensation stage by a further 50 percent. "We achieve fantastic values with our new Purecat technology. The COD value in the wastewater is reduced by up to 99 percent! This means that even very strict limit values can be complied with," explains Uwe Hanschke, head of the application center for wastewater-free production at H2O GmbH, adding "in order to minimize the COD value to such an extent that the treated water can be reused in production or discharged, complex processes were usually necessary in the past. Often, maintenance- and cost-intensive activated carbon filters had to be used for post-treatment. Now, Purecat users can avoid that completely."

For more information on VACUDEST vacuum distillation systems and innovative technologies, interested parties can visit the company's website at www.h2o-de.com.

Author:

Catherine Akintschin

Press and Public Relations Officer of H2O GmbH

The VACUDEST evaporator with the Clearcat and Purecat technologies produces crystal-clear distillate, the high quality of which makes it ideally suited for reuse even in demanding rinsing processes. 

The investment in wastewater-free production pays for itself in a short time: due to high savings in energy consumption, operating costs and especially in disposal, a VACUDEST vacuum distillation system usually pays for itself in less than two years.