Sustainable wastewater treatment in the automotive industry

In terms of the production wastewater it generates, the automotive industry is more diverse than almost any other industrial sector; it includes not only car manufacturers, but also suppliers who produce electronic parts, die-cast components and many other accessories for the car production.

The water consumption of manufacturing a car - from the extraction of the raw material to the delivery - is estimated at about 400,000 liters of water per vehicle*. But unlike the textile industry, which also consumes copious amounts, this industry is big on sustainability. Wastewater from production should therefore no longer be simply discharged, but rather sustainably treated and, if possible, even reused. In this way, car manufacturers can make an important contribution to protecting our environment.

Fast return on investment and high distillate quality

One of the possible avenues in wastewater treatment, which is very efficient, is vacuum distillation. The strengths of this approach: the treated water is of high quality, usually suitable for reuse and the process itself is also highly cost-efficient due to energy recuperation, automatic operation and the associated savings.

VACUDEST vacuum distillation systems usually pay for themselves in less than two years! Thanks to innovative technologies, a distillate quality is achieved that also meets the high standards for reuse even in demanding industries such as in parts cleaning.

Industry 4.0 - Solutions for a Smart Factory

Digitalization and automation have become indispensable in automotive production. The state-of-the-art VACUDEST wastewater system offers digital analyses that increase system availability and optimize machine performance through a continuous optimization cycle and predictive maintenance. Simple, internal monitoring included!

Possible wastewater types can originate from the following areas:

Foundry

Engine blocks and gearbox housings are manufactured using a casting process. To ensure that the workpiece can be easily extracted from the mould, mould release agents are applied, which can then be found in the washing water during subsequent parts cleaning. This wastewater is often contaminated with hydrocarbons, waxes and emulsifiers. Read how you can achieve a crystal-clear, oil-free distillate with the right wastewater treatment in our case study at our customer SEW-Usocome:

Pressing plant

In order to form steel or aluminium pieces, such as car body parts, frames or engine bonnets, lightweight materials are pressed into the desired shape in a pressing plant. This process produces wastewater contaminated with release agents, which can be efficiently treated with a VACUDEST vacuum distillation system. Ideally, this saves you up to 95% of your wastewater disposal costs. Read here why our customer Audi chose a vacuum distillation system from H2O:

Painting and coating

This is where the lion's share of water consumption occurs. Around 50 percent of the total water consumption in car manufacturing happens in the paint shop. the process includes the surface treatment of the car body, the washing cabins in preparation for painting and the actual painting process. VACUDEST vacuum distillation can score here due to a particularly good, crystal-clear distillate quality that can achieve the optimal cleaning results. In case of particularly large quantities of water, we can combine our proven vacuum distillation technology with upstream technologies for pre-concentration of the wastwater and that way achieve a cost-efficient overall solutions for our customers. Read more here:

• Paint pre-treatment
• Electroplating
• Hardening and Tempering

Gearbox and engine construction

Drilling, grinding and cooling lubricant emulsions are required in large amounts here. The VACUDEST system offers unique technologies for wastewater containing grease and oil and typicallly improves the distillate quality by reducing COD by up to 99%. Read more here.

Testing

Crack testing of surfaces for brake and radiator systems produces wastewater that is contaminated with fluorescent crack testing agents. Here, the return-on-investment of a vacuum distillation system is achieved particularly quickly since often very high concentration factors can be achieved. Read more about wastewater treatment in crack detection, as it is used e.g. in the aviation industry.

Washing

Washing water is produced during the cleaning of the finished car before delivery or at car wash facilities. Large quantities of slightly contaminated water are produced here containing also salts and grease. Our customer HQM induserv has been treating its parts washing wastewater with a VACUDEST system since 2003 to make it crystal clear and oil-free. Read our case study to find out why the system pays for itself after only a short time.

Post-treatment of retentate from reverse osmosis with vacuum distillation

The combination of an upstream reverse osmosis to reduce a very large wastewater stream and a downstream vacuum distillation to treat the resulting retentate enables maximum recovery of the precious water resource. The minimised residue from the vacuum evaporator corresponds to only 5 to 15 % of the original quantity, depending on the concentration of the incoming feed. This also has a positive effect on the wallet: disposal costs are minimised by up to 95 %.

You can find a practical example of the calculation here.

Electronic parts

Starters, sensors, plugs and control units - car radios, navigation devices and reversing cameras - modern vehicles contain all kinds of electronics that produce a wide variety of wastewater depending on the material and manufacturing process. The range is wide, such are our solutions for these challenging wastewaters. Read more here. 

Your solution could look like this

The solutions in the automotive industry are as diverse as the processes in which the wastewater is produced. You can find a more detailed information on the appropriate, taylor-made solutions according to wastewater type under the following links:

• Wastewater from paint pre-treatment
• Wastewater from electroplating
• Wastewater from crack detection using the example of aviation
• Wastewater from the manufacture of electronic devices
• Wastewater from metal working and processing, e.g. die casting, cooling lubricant emulsions, washing and cleaning water

Would you like to know more about our VACUDEST vacuum distillation plants? Please click here:

* Source: virtual water time