Case Study: Plastics Recycling Industry

LAT Water is a leading provider of innovative wastewater treatment solutions and has worked with clients in the plastic recycling space to treat complex wastewater containing high levels of total dissolved solids (TDS), sulphates, ammonia, and more.

Locations

Worldwide

Projects

Various

Water Recovery Rate

High – up to 85%

Overview & Wastewater Composition

Plastic recycling processes generally involve washing and cleaning the plastic materials before further processing. This cleaning operation generates wastewater which can contain various contaminants, including plastic particles, residual chemicals from the plastics, cleaning agents, dyes, additives used in the manufacturing process, and more. As such, wastewater generated during plastic recycling requires adequate treatment before it can be discharged back into the environment or reused.

Improper disposal or discharge of untreated plastic recycling wastewater can have adverse effects on aquatic ecosystems and freshwater resources as contaminants in the wastewater can harm aquatic life and potentially enter the food chain, posing risks to human health. This is not only due to the chemicals found in the wastewater but also the microplastic particles which can look like food to many small animals. Removal of microplastics is still one of the biggest challenges in wastewater management and wastewater treatment – an environmental issue that LAT Water has been tackling for many years.

Solutions

LAT Water’s innovative LAT Unit wastewater treatment plant can be configured to manage and treat even the most complex wastewater streams to produce up to 85% clean water from waste. As the system uses waste heat as an energy source, the operational costs associated with running a LAT Unit system are much lower than conventional solutions, and in another case study, the client saw an 80% reduction in overall treatment costs by switching to LAT Water.

Industries

Key Information 

  • Wastewater from the plastics recycling process can include complex wastewater streams with variable flow rates
  • The LAT Unit can be configured based on your requirements and monitored remotely 24/7 to ensure consistent results

Water Quality

  • Maximum water recovery: 85%
  • Safe to discharge following treatment using the LAT Unit alone

Notes

  • The table values have been rounded up for the purpose of this case study.
  • Distillate values can be optimised on a case-by-case basis depending on each site’s discharge limits and specifications.
Paramater Feed Waste Water Clean Distillate Water
Suspended Solids (mg/L) 80 <2
Total Dissolved Solids (mg/L) 5,500 <50
Ammoniacal Nitrogen (mg/L) 3,400 196 (without ammonia stripper)
COD (mg/L) 7,000 <800
TOC (mg/L) 964 21

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