WASTEWATER RECYCLING AT A METALWORKING AND ELECTROPLATING FACILITY

Industrial wastewater from drawing, cleaning and electroplating processes are combined for pretreatment in a conventional chemical treatment system, and discharged to a river under an NPDES permit. The treatment system has not performed efficiently, and compliance with effluent limitations has been difficult to achieve. An aggressive water conservation program has been implemented. Plant modifications have been made to separate plating and non-plating wastewater, and to provide separate treatment systems. An advanced filtration system will allow plating wastewater to be recycled for process uses within the plant. Reject from this filtration system, as well as pretreated non-plating wastewater, will be discharged to the sanitary sewer. The water conservation program and recycling system are beneficial to this facility from regulatory and economic perspectives.