KMEZ is modernizing the wastewater treatment system
Back in August 2019 Kyshtym Copper Electrolytic Plant switched to a closed water circulation cycle, when the third and last output of treated industrial and storm water from the sludge pond into the environment was eliminated. Over the past two years, the company has been collecting, sending to treatment facilities and reusing all waste: industrial, storm, drainage. Previously, after appropriate cleaning, water entered a special hydraulic structure — a sludge collector. Now the plant is in the process of liquidating sludge collector as a wastewater storage facility.
Due to switch to a closed water cycle, technical modernization of the Tankhouse and forthcoming increase in the output of cathodes, KMEZ plant ought to purify and use a considerably larger volume of water for production needs. Moreover, in order to use water not only for cooling equipment in workshops, but also for generating steam and hot water in a boiler room a higher degree of its purification is required. These issues should be implemented in the process of the wastewater treatment system modernization. How does it work nowadays?
“With the help of lime, we remove heavy metals from the wastewater entering the industrial wastewater department — they fall out in the form of sediment,” says Evgeny Samsonov, Chief Technologist of the copper electrolysis department. — We filter the formed sediment, dehydrate it, obtain lime gypsum and send the sludge for further processing.
The treated water goes through two more stages of purification with quartzite and a special filler, which is small pieces of roasted adobe clay. Then it is further purified in the chemical water treatment department of the utility products division and is used in equipment cooling system at the plant’s subdivisions.
Modernization of the industrial wastewater department includes several stages. At the first stage, changes will affect the physical and chemical treatment of water. Special equipment will soften the water, remove metals from it in the form of sediment. The idea and development of the main equipment for the first stage belongs to the organization «NPF» EKO-PROJECT from Yekaterinburg. For a year, the plant was testing their pilot plant. The developers brought to the KMEZ site not only the unit itself, but also a field laboratory to determine the results of its work. Based on the data received, a project was developed.
At the moment, the equipment for the modernization of the thickener and the reagent facilities has already been manufactured and installed. Auxiliary mechanisms were also carefully selected: foreign-made pumps, domestic filter renewal kits, a mixer from Russian manufacturers and Siemens automatic equipment.
In parallel with the first, the second stage is underway — the introduction of a reverse osmosis system for water purification. Due to modern membrane technologies, reverse osmosis allows you to almost completely rid the liquid of any impurities, salts. A similar unit is already in operation in the copper foil electrodeposition division. Similar equipment of the Czech company «KOVOFINIS» is installed in the industrial wastewater department. It is capable of operating at a rate of 15 m3 of water per hour. In the near future, representatives of the manufacturer will come to KMEZ to participate in system piping, electrical and automation connections.
The implementation of the first two stages of modernization will increase the quantity and quality of industrial water for production needs, significantly reduce the consumption of natural water to replenish the circulating cycles, which means it will have a positive effect on the environment. It is also important that the complex will be compact, fully automated and easily manageable.
All modernization works are carried out in the conditions of running production, without industrial wastewater section shutdown.
“For the first little while, we will keep the old treatment circle in operation order,” comments Anton Shabalin, Deputy Chief Engineer of KMEZ JSC for technology. “We will become familiar with the innovations, make sure of their merits, after that we will take the final decision on the fate of the previous wastewater chain.”
