SaltMaker AirBreather

Air emissions-safe, 1-effect, open thermal evaporator crystallizer

Conventional open-to-atmosphere evaporators release water vapor, which may include volatile organics and tiny droplets of saline drift. Make sure your process is regulation compliant, safe, and future-proof with Saltworks’ AirBreather, the first open-to-atmosphere evaporator-crystallizer with patented technology to guarantee low emissions.

Environmentally Sound Engineering

Industries may not always be able to process the freshwater generated by condensers and will prefer vapor release. When considering open evaporation, operators must be careful with air emissions and regulations, including future proofing investments. Most open evaporators release volatiles found in the feed water and will also release some small saline drift droplets.

 

Our SaltMaker AirBreather is designed with clean air, clean water, and treatment economics at its heart. With our patented, proven, and proprietary solutions, you can safely evaporate water vapor alone to the atmosphere. AirBreather: 

  • prevents scaling and corrosion (built with expertly chosen corrosion-proof materials)
  • maximizes performance with intelligent automation of capacity control, self-cleaning, and self-diagnosis
  • ensures air emission standards are met with either a ‘closed-from-atmosphere’ mode for highly impacted wastewaters, or an open mode with emissions mitigation technology.
Photo of a full-scale SaltMaker AirBreather plant built for an electric vehicle battery manufacturer.
Process flow diagram of a SaltMaker Airbreather evaporator
Process flow diagram of a SaltMaker Airbreather evaporator

A Novel Design for Clean Air

An open evaporator is a significant capital investment. If considering one, you should understand the impacts of vapor plume volatile organic carbons (VOCs) and particulate on air emissions, as well as risks associated with regulations or stakeholder objections.

  • AirBreather is configurable so that the evaporator section operates closed-to-atmosphere with zero contact of saline water with atmospheric air
  • No tall vapor plume from a stack—AirBreather vapor is visible only as a small fog patch on cold mornings
  • Proven as the first and only technology to receive a full-scale permit in a challenging jurisdiction where six prior open-to-atmosphere pilots failed to meet VOC and/or particulate emission requirements

Higher Capacity Concentration

  • Optional freshwater return, or guaranteed clean water vapor release (our methods are disclosed only to clients)
  • Multiple operating modes: run the SaltMaker AirBreather as an evaporator to reduce the volume of liquid waste or as a crystallizer to achieve zero liquid discharge, producing dry, solid waste.
  • AirBreather requires four times the thermal energy of SaltMaker MultiEffect, so it is most applicable where low-grade, low-cost heat is available.
  • Simple solids management system discharges solids into bags or bins without the need for chemical pre-treatment or softening sludge.
Photo of a SaltMaker Airbreather contained within an ISO container
Photo of a SaltMaker AirBreather evaporator effect

Modularity & Rapid Deployment

  • Modular design enables simple shipping and rapid assembly at site.
  • Plant modules can be added to expand capacity to suit your project needs.
  • Modules slide in and out for easy inspection and maintenance.

Contact us to get started on your project.

Related Resources

A photo of a wastewater disposal truck used in brine management
Article

How to Manage Brine Disposal & Treatment

The many options for managing brine, a term for saline wastewater from industrial processes, fall under two categories: brine treatment and brine disposal. Brine treatment involves desalinating the brine for reuse and producing a concentrated brine (lower liquid waste volume), or residual solids (zero liquid discharge).