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Project Background

In the EU metal plating industry, 420 million litres of contaminated passivating bath liquid is discarded per year, resulting in the production of 40.000 tonnes toxic metal sludge waste. This is a major environmental problem associated with the current passivating technology. The estimated replacement chemical costs are €168 million and the treatment and disposal costs are €76 million per year. The metal plating industry has approximate 10.000 companies across Europe, mainly SMEs.

The contaminated passivating bath problem is acknowledged by the sector but no appropriate solution is available at present. In May 2002, the European Committee for Surface Treatment (CETS) concluded that there are currently no technologies available in the marketplace to extend the lifetime of the passivating baths. CETS drew this conclusion in its reference document on best available techniques (BAT) regarding the surface treatment of metal and plastic materials using electrolytic or a chemical process. This document formed the input of CETS for the establishment of a BAT reference document (BREF), a process that is currently ongoing in this sector in view of the requirements of the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control - IPPC - Directive.

Extending the lifetime of the passivating baths would avoid the negative environmental effects and economic losses. Research has shown that the selective removal of tramp ions (Fe3+ and Zn2+) from the baths, in order to maintain a constant quality of the baths, would be the solution. Such selected removal of tramp ions can be accomplished by the innovative emulsion pertraction (EP) technology. Tests at pilot scale have shown that the environmental effects and costs can be reduced by 90% by using this EP technology.

In the current project the EP technology will be applied for the first time at full scale.

Loko werkt aan het milieu en wordt hierbij financieel ondersteund middels een bijdrage van de Europese Commissie.

Project Background
	In the EU metal plating industry, 420 million litres of contaminated passivating bath liquid is discarded per year, resulting in the production of 40.000 tonnes toxic metal sludge waste. This is a major environmental problem associated with the current passivating technology. The estimated replacement chemical costs are €168 million and the treatment and disposal costs are €76 million per year. The metal plating industry has approximate 10.000 companies across Europe, mainly SMEs. The contaminated passivating bath problem is acknowledged by the sector but no appropriate solution is available at present. In May 2002, the European Committee for Surface Treatment (CETS) concluded that there are currently no technologies available in the marketplace to extend the lifetime of the passivating baths. CETS drew this conclusion in its reference document on best available techniques (BAT) regarding the surface treatment of metal and plastic materials using electrolytic or a chemical process. This document formed the input of CETS for the establishment of a BAT reference document (BREF), a process that is currently ongoing in this sector in view of the requirements of the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control - IPPC - Directive. Extending the lifetime of the passivating baths would avoid the negative environmental effects and economic losses. Research has shown that the selective removal of tramp ions (Fe3+ and Zn2+) from the baths, in order to maintain a constant quality of the baths, would be the solution. Such selected removal of tramp ions can be accomplished by the innovative emulsion pertraction (EP) technology. Tests at pilot scale have shown that the environmental effects and costs can be reduced by 90% by using this EP technology. In the current project the EP technology will be applied for the first time at full scale.