Chromic Acid Recovery
Customer
The client is a leading automotive industry player in India.
Objectives
Recovery of chromium directly from the etching bath with significant savings on the purchase of raw materials. Create a closed circuit on the galvanic line with recovery of chromic acid and recycling of water in the rinsing tanks. Allow cost savings in the final effluent treatment plant.
01.
Opportunity
Reduction of raw material procurement costs and removal of the risk of water shortages in the summer months.
High costs of internal chemical-physical treatment of wastewater, desire to present a green vision of the company.
02.
Project
Place a vacuum evaporator on the rinsing tanks located after the etching bath using the DISTILLATE as the washing solution, creating a closed countercurrent cycle, and the CONCENTRATE as the chromic acid solution to be recovered
A decreasing equilibrium of salts is established in the rinsing tanks.
03.
Solution
To optimize the recovery of chromic acid and reduce the environmental impact of the etching process, a vacuum evaporator was installed on the rinsing tanks. This solution allowed to create a closed countercurrent circuit, where the distillate is reused as a washing solution, while the concentrate becomes a recoverable material.
Reduction of water consumption and use of raw materials
Reduction of the volume of contaminated wastewater sent to the ETP
Reduction of the amount of sludge produced by the company
Analysis of the results
The implementation of vacuum evaporator in the Pune electroplating plant has led to concrete and measurable results, improving the economic and environmental efficiency of the effluent treatment process.
By recovering 7,010 kg of chromic acid between December 2017 and April 2019, the company achieved direct savings of €27,455 on raw materials, reducing the need to purchase new chemicals. In addition, the process generated savings of €270 on SMBS chromium treatment costs and a reduction of €9,452 on overall wastewater management costs. Overall, the project resulted in a total savings of €36,895 in just 16 months.
On an environmental level, the plant has allowed a significant reduction in water consumption, thanks to the recycling of treated water in the rinse tanks. Furthermore, it has been possible to reduce the volume of contaminated wastewater sent to the treatment plant and reduce the quantity of sludge produced, reducing disposal costs and improving the sustainability of the production process.
Savings
Reduction of management costs
Circularity
Reuse of production water
Sustainability
Reducing environmental impact