Saltworks » Industrial Desalination Systems » Selective Contaminant Removal

Selective Contaminant Removal (SCR)

Digital modular systems for cost-efficient recovery & removal of ions

Targeting specific contaminants for removal or recovery can be the most cost-efficient way to treat a wastewater or improve downstream value. Saltworks' SCR solutions avoid more costly full-stream treatments by surgically targeting specific ions, increasing yield or improving water quality for discharge or re-use.

Selective Removal of Ions

Many industrial water streams or feedstocks are more than 99% fit for discharge or re-use but one or two contaminants prevent this.

Saltworks’ selective contaminant removal (SCR) solutions are delivered as complete digital modular systems. They target specific ions or contaminants of concern.

Our ‘phys-chem’ chemical precipitation systems can destroy complex organics or chemically precipitate and remove specific ions as a solid filter cake.

Our selective nanofiltration systems reject high molecular weight organics and divalent ions from a treated stream. The result is water that can be discharged or reused without full-stream treatment. In certain cases, recovery of valuable materials is possible.

Targeting and removing specific contaminants can be used to avoid more complex and expensive treatment. By producing minimal residual waste, SCR systems avoid brine management and other costs.

Selective Contaminant Removal Examples

Method	Examples
Selective precipitation and filtration	Remove metals and metalloids such as arsenic, cobalt, mercury, iron, manganese, aluminum, & more. Treat hydrofluoric acid waste. Recover valuable metals such as cobalt or nutrients such as phosphorous. Produce low-volume solid filter cake, without a brine by-product. Remove scaling ions including barium, sulfate, calcium, and silica.
Selective Nanofiltration	Produce a permeate for re-use by rejecting and concentrating multivalent ions and organics while allowing monovalent ions such as sodium and chloride to pass.
Monovalent electrodialysis removal	Remove monovalent ions such as chloride, to enable the water to be recycled and re-used.
Advanced Oxidation of complex organics via Fenton’s reaction	Destroy challenging organic pollutants via addition of Fenton’s Reagent hydrogen peroxide and iron(II) compounds, producing CO2 or mineralized products, H2O, and a solid filter cake. Treatment of TMAH and/or Azole-containing wastewaters from semiconductor industries. Treatment of BTEX and naphthenic acid-containing produced waters from oil/gas fields. Treatment of phenol-containing wastewaters from petroleum refining industries

Chemical SCR: BrineRefine & XtremeUF

Saltworks’ SCR systems are designed and built for rapid ‘plug and play’ installation at our clients’ sites. BrineRefine—highly automated continuous stirred tank reactors (CSTR)—and XtremeUF—robust, ceramic ultrafiltration—are the primary unit operations in our chemical SCR solutions. Together, they selectively precipitate ions of concern and can reject even sub-micron-sized precipitants.

Physical SCR: XtremeUF & SelectNF

Saltworks’ physical SCR systems employ best-in-class ultra-and-nanofiltration membranes in unique process configurations to treat challenging water concerns.

These systems present unique process opportunities including valuable reclaim due to the ability of NF membranes to separate multivalent and monovalent streams. Read more about Saltworks’ SelectNF and tailored impurity removal and recovery.

Optimizing Residuals Management With SCR

Residuals management is a critical consideration in evaluating industrial water and material recovery options. Smart selective contaminant removal uses targeted treatments that produce minimal waste with low capital and operating costs.

Contact our process and chemistry experts to learn more.