Zero Liquid Discharge

Not every industrial facility that produces wastewater will require zero liquid discharge (ZLD). It is usually looked to as a last resort because it can be a complex process that requires a high initial investment.
If a facility is located on a site that has severe water scarcity issues and/or astronomical discharge fees, it might be worthwhile to pursue, but in the instances it’s not mandated (some local and/or federal regulations might require ZLD), careful consideration must be made as to whether or not it will benefit your facility.

If your facility does require or is considering it, you might be wondering, “what is zero liquid discharge and how does it work?”

The complex answer to this question is simplified and broken down for you below:
An efficient and well-designed ZLD treatment system should be able to:
  • handle variations in waste contamination and flow
  • allow for required chemical volumes adjustments
  • recover around 95% of your liquid waste for reuse
  • treat and retrieve valuable by products from your waste (i.e. salts and brines)
  • produce a dry, solid cake for disposal