The client’s industrial process involves producing seed coatings using pigments and mineral powders. These substances accumulate on the walls of the stainless-steel reactors used in manufacturing, requiring daily cleaning. The cleaning phases generate between 6 and 10 m³ of wastewater per day, around 2,400 tonnes per year, containing pigments, mineral powders, and oils. Managing this cleaning water entails high storage and disposal costs. The wastewater is currently stored and then removed by an external contractor for incineration, with a destruction cost estimated at €200 per cubic meter. This amounts to nearly €500,000 per year. These constraints lead to a costly and unsustainable management process, highlighting the need for a solution to reduce expenses, recycle wastewater, and comply with environmental regulations.
Wash water from the production of film-forming products
Among the many clients who have experienced the efficiency and reliability of NISKAE’s solutions, a remarkable example is that of an international group specialized in the production of film-forming products for agricultural seeds, located in the Île-de-France region. The production process generates a large daily volume of wash water heavily polluted with heavy metals. To address this issue, NISKAE implemented its proven methodology, combining laboratory analyses and custom formulation, thereby demonstrating its ability to transform complex wastewater into clear, compliant, and reusable water.
Production effluents: an economic and environmental challenge
A customized treatment for responsible water management
To address the client’s challenge, NISKAE’s experts first carried out a preliminary study based on the analysis of two representative 5-liter samples collected directly on site. The wastewater was subjected to a series of laboratory tests to determine its composition and identify the optimal treatment. Based on these results, NISKAE’s engineers developed a customized coagulant-flocculant formulation, perfectly suited to the client’s effluents, which delivered outstanding performance during laboratory trials.
The series of laboratory tests carried out using the automated flocculation and decantation process, combined with the customized coagulant-flocculant formulation, demonstrated an almost complete removal of heavy metals in both analyzed samples.
The first sample, a red wastewater composed of a mixture of effluents representing 30% of the total volume and very rich in iron and zinc, showed a significant reduction in concentrations, dropping from 0.46 mg/L to 0.02 mg/L for iron and from 3.96 mg/L to less than 0.01 mg/L for zinc. Although slightly yellowish, the water became transparent and met recycling standards.
The second sample, initially purple and opaque, also composed of a mixture of effluents (80%) and highly polluted with zinc and copper, revealed equally impressive results: concentrations dropped from 22.0 mg/L to less than 0.01 mg/L for zinc and from 2.94 mg/L to 0.10 mg/L for copper. The resulting water, clear and translucent, illustrates the effectiveness and reliability of the implemented process.
In both cases, the pH values of the two samples also stabilized toward neutrality, particularly for the one that was initially acidic before the addition of the reagent. Finally, only small amounts of the powdered flocculant, between 1 g/L and 5 g/L, were needed to obtain in each case clear, clean, and reusable treated water, along with nonsticky sludge that was easy to dewater, greatly simplifying its handling and disposal.
A profitable and sustainable investment
The tests carried out demonstrated the strong potential of the implemented treatment and recycling process. The resulting water is clear, compliant with discharge standards, and perfectly reusable in a closed loop, which significantly reduces the consumption of fresh water and the resources required for responsible wastewater management. These results confirm the performance, reliability, and environmental compliance of the process, allowing the ideal treatment station to be recommended to the client to meet their needs.