PCA Water replaces faulty vacuum evaporator at KME in Zutphen with a larger installation including pre-treatment.
When a vacuum evaporator breaks down, a manufacturing company's wastewater treatment comes under pressure. That is what happened at KME in Zutphen. The company called in PCA Water, part of Axon Group, to replace the faulty installation. The result is a new, larger vacuum evaporator with a pre-treatment step that properly prepares the wastewater for evaporation.
KME is a fully integrated copper and copper alloy plant with a vertical brass strip casting line and electrolytic tinning. The production processes on site generate wastewater that cannot simply be discharged. KME was therefore already using a vacuum evaporator to treat this wastewater. When that installation failed, a new, sustainable solution was needed so that wastewater treatment could keep running.
The challenge: replacing a faulty evaporator and looking ahead
A failed vacuum evaporator means wastewater builds up and production continuity can be put at risk. KME wanted more than a replacement: it wanted an installation with more capacity and more stable operation. PCA Water, with extensive experience in wastewater treatment, was commissioned to deliver it.
PCA Water's solution
The solution PCA Water proposed to KME is a new, larger two-stage vacuum evaporator (12 m³/day). It evaporates the wastewater under vacuum at a low temperature. This keeps the substances in the wastewater from breaking down, so they are easier to separate and collect as a residual concentrate, which a licensed external party then disposes of. Choosing a two-stage evaporator cut energy costs by 35%.
The evaporator draws the wastewater from a buffer tank that absorbs fluctuations in supply. This lets the installation run constantly and stably, even when wastewater is released irregularly.
Good evaporation starts with good pre-treatment. At KME, the wastewater first goes to a reactor where the pH is corrected automatically. Only then does it flow on to the buffer tank and the vacuum evaporator. The evaporator therefore always works with water of the right composition, which extends the installation's service life and reduces maintenance. Since commissioning, around 90% of the original volume has been recovered as recycled distillate.
The added value of PCA Water, part of Axon Group
PCA Water contributed more than technical expertise to the design and installation. It also brought experience from many earlier wastewater treatment projects. Because pre-treatment, buffering and evaporation are combined into one well-designed system, the installation runs reliably with minimal intervention.
Reliable wastewater treatment for the future
With the new vacuum evaporator and its pre-treatment, KME once again has reliable wastewater treatment, now with extra capacity for the future. The project shows how a breakdown can be an opportunity to rebuild an installation smarter and more robust.
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