WATER TREATMENT
Pre-scrubber section of the iWAYS HPCE
as a scrubber . While some HPCE components are being manufactured , Alufluor is already experimenting with another essential part of the iWAYS project : the water-saving system .
Economic model based on water reuse
Today ’ s scrubber systems , which filter exhaust gases , use 8 m 3 / hour of drinking water to remove fluorides and other particles . In Alufluor ’ s case , this fluoridated water undergoes another process before being released into the sewer system .
Aluminium fluoride
This is not done just for environmental reasons but also to create a product that will be sold later . “ Part of our sustainability also comes from the fact that we don ’ t have any solid waste , which normally every competitor has ,” says Turesson .
Lime , rich in calcium , is added to the wastewater where fluorides are still floating . Calcium reacts with fluorides , forming calcium fluoride , which in turn is sold to the cement industry . Once again , the circular approach benefits the environment and business simultaneously . The rest of the water is then further purified and released into the sea , close to the Alufluor plant .
Calcium fluoride is sticky and there is always a small excess of calcium in the water – even tap water contains small amounts of it . Thus water needs to be purified before being reused in the scrubbers . Otherwise , the fluorides would bond with calcium , generating flaky particles that would inhibit functioning .
As part of its partnership with iWAYS , Alufluor is now installing an integrated water treatment system , allowing purified water into the scrubbers . The plan is to have two sand filters and two ionic filters , or softeners , which remove calcium from the water by adding sodium chloride . The water will then be sent to a tank and reused for the scrubbers .
Alufluor expects to save about 60,000 m 3 / year of potable water in this way . Another Italian company that is also an iWAYS participant , SINAM , produces both the sand filters and the ionic filters . It has already run a small pilot with these for more than one month without any issues
“ We still have a lot of water coming from the first reaction with the two raw materials , but we cannot do much with that at the moment ,” says Turesson . “ Nevertheless , saving and reusing the water for the scrubbers might be a first step : using the iWAYS technique could help save even more water during the whole process . We plan to make many changes to how we manage the washing water and how much energy we use for it .”
What scientists working at iWAYS have done for Alufluor has also been done for ceramic and steel tube companies , all industries that consume fuels and emit exhaust flow and wastewater – some more than others . Therefore , through such collaborations , European enterprises may remain sustainable in the long run without sacrificing economic growth . ●
Dan Turesson
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
ALUFLUOR AB k + 46 10 498 3328 J dan . turesson @ alufluor . com j www . alufluor . com