ZLD Without Evaporation: Saltworks Achieves First ZLD With a Membrane Crystallizer
Saltworks’ engineers achieve ZLD without conventional energy-intensive boiling through a novel membrane-chiller and UHP-RO hybrid plant for a mining client.
Eutectic Chilled Crystallization (ECC) cools a fluid, forcing salts to precipitate. Although it works only for specific salt-ion pairs (e.g. Na2SO4), it leverages the efficiency of Carnot cycles (1 unit of power equates to 3 units of heat), making it a great fit for some projects.
If a salt-ion pair in a concentrated brine has a steep temperature-solubility relationship (e.g. Na2SO4), then cooling will form salt precipitants. The salt can be separated out while the brine is recycled for further processing. Some salts produce hydrated crystals (e.g. Na2SO4⋅10H2O) which remove water during the crystallization process.
Saltworks holds proprietary technology to complete the chilled crystallization process in a closed loop. We package this with intelligent controls in our SaltMaker ChilledCrys system, which continually removes water and salt, enabling cost and energy efficient ZLD.
Chilled crystallization may be a viable option for zero liquid discharge (ZLD) or minimal liquid discharge (MLD)—if your solution consists predominantly (>90%) of the following ion pairs:
For example, cooling a solution of 200,000 mg/L sodium sulfate from 20°C to 10°C will precipitate over half of the sodium sulfate as a solid, which is then easy to separate. The result is a solution with a final concentration of 100,000 mg/L sodium sulfate and the emergence of ~50% of the salt as a solid. Every solution is different, and our engineers can complete an assessment for yours.
SaltMaker ChilledCrys uses chilled crystallization, which should not be confused with its cousin: freeze crystallization (FC). FC was worked on extensively in the 1950s and 60s.
Contact us today with your water chemistry and treatment goals. Our experts can help you determine if SaltMaker ChilledCrys is the right fit for your MLD or ZLD project.
Saltworks’ engineers achieve ZLD without conventional energy-intensive boiling through a novel membrane-chiller and UHP-RO hybrid plant for a mining client.
Today, Saltworks officially launched a new product for shale operators: the SaltMaker AirBreather. Building on the success of the SaltMaker MultiEffect – Saltworks’ hallmark evaporator crystallizer – the SaltMaker AirBreather was designed with the shale end use in mind: high capacity, low cost, employ low grade heat, and robust modular operations.
A low-cost and air-safe evaporator crystallizer has been developed: the SaltMaker AirBreather. It is based on the robust backbone of Saltworks’ SaltMaker Family.
The SaltMaker MultiEffect evaporator crystallizer is a one-step brine treatment plant for volume minimization and zero liquid discharge (ZLD) applications. Its unique evaporative crystallizer design is built to treat the toughest waters and to simplify your brine treatment project.