Recycling glazes from rinsing concentrates for Villeroy & Boch

EnviroChemie determined the optimum process for recycling glazes for Villeroy & Boch, the well-known manufacturer of ceramics and lifestyle products based in Mettlach, Germany, and used it to design a customised plant solution.

• Objective

  Objective

  In porcelain production, glazes are applied to porcelain base bodies by spraying them in a closed chamber in an automated operation. The glaze sprayed beyond the edge of the porcelain base body is captured in a tub, which is regularly rinsed out. The glaze, a high-quality raw material, used to be washed away with the rinsing water, and fed into a wastewater treatment system. The excess raw material, together with the separated sludge from the wastewater treatment system, used to be disposed of and the rinsing water was discharged into the drain as cleaned wastewater.

  The customer was looking for an innovative technology for treating rinse concentrations from the glazing process. The objective was to recycle glazes using the installed plant solution, thus recovering reusable material.

• Solution

  Solution

  Extensive tests at EnviroChemie’s own laboratory and with a pilot plant supplied the required technical data for designing the Envopur® high-performance microfiltration plant for separating glazes.

  Ceramic modules specifically designed for abrasive media are used for recycling the glazes. The concentrating process is regulated by a patented method in order to achieve the required density of the glazes for reuse.

• Benefits

  Benefits

  Using the installed Envopur® microfiltration system, the rinsing water resulting from the glazing process is now recycled in such a way that the separated glaze can be fed back and the rinsing water can be re-circulated. The microfiltration plant has a capacity of 20 m³/day. That saves the customer disposal and water costs and recycles a valuable raw material – a sustainable water treatment and recycling solution.