Advances in zero liquid discharge accelerates sustainability
Reduction of chemical usage and energy consumption in water reuse
Garver collaborated with Endress+Hauser and Rockwell Automation, who provided robust instrumentation and technology. Endress+Hauser's liquid analysis sensors for pH and conductivity, Liquiline CM448 and CM442 transmitters, Picomag flowmeters and Memograph RSG45 data managers, along with Rockwell Automation's Power Monitor 500 and variable frequency drives were crucial.
Results
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The research demonstrated that Garver’s advanced technology consistently met water quality goals in a ZLD configuration, achieving > 99% TDS reduction without chemical pretreatment.
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The pilot trailer, equipped with Endress+Hauser and Rockwell Automation's technology, remains in failure mode analysis under the "electric antiscalant" mode, showing no signs of fouling.
Customer challenge
Removing salt from the watershed is challenging and costly, necessitating efficient source-level treatment solutions. A significant challenge in this project was preventing reverse osmosis membrane fouling, which typically requires intense chemical pretreatment and maintenance.
Solution
The instruments allowed Garver to monitor total flow, instantaneous flow, conductivity, pH, oxidation-reduction potential and temperature accurately and reliably. The real-time data provided by Endress+Hauser's instruments enabled precise adjustments to ensure consistent, low total dissolved solids permeate and distillate, supporting a circular economy by potentially using the salt slurry for sodium hypochlorite generation.