Cost-optimised wastewater treatment in the optical industry

High quality lenses and prisms are just some of the products manufactured at the Zeiss Sport Optics plant located in Wetzlar. Polishing, grinding and rinsing wastewater, containing heavy metals and contaminated with suspended matter, is produced during optical glass processing at the site.

This is treated in a physico-chemical partial current process using a Lugan® flotation plant in order to achieve the required limit values. It is then discharged into the sewerage system.

• Objective

  Objective

  The grinding water that is produced during manufacturing at ZEISS Sport Optics contains heavy metals and is contaminated with suspended matter. The company commissioned EnviroChemie to find the appropriate plant solution in order to generate cost savings and comply with limit values.

• Solution

  Solution

  Our industry experts chose a Lugan® 20,000 flotation plant with a capacity of 8 – 10 m³/h for the wastewater treatment purposes. The flocculation and flotation plant treats 60 m³ of grinding wastewater, containing heavy metals and contaminated with suspended matter, per day in three shifts, so that it can be discharged into the sewerage system.

  A free-standing 40 m³ mixing and equalisation tank upstream of the Lugan® plant replaces the pre-separator and retention tank, which was installed in the floor and needed to be cleaned periodically to remove settleable materials .

  Our scope of services: consultancy, assistance with planning and approval processes, supply of the plant, installation, commissioning, service and testing
• Benefits

  Benefits

  The process used led to a significant reduction in disposal costs, because the dewatered sludge which is produced at the chamber filter press is the only substance that has to be disposed of. Cleaning of tanks installed in the floor is no longer required.

  The required discharge values are reliably adhered to.