Inks, paints and adhesives

Wastewater treatment for paint, coating, adhesive and ink rinsing water is a common requirement across many industries and has been a Chemtrade International speciality for many years. In these sectors, treatment is needed by manufacturers as well as users and processors.

What does physicochemical wastewater treatment involve? We explain the principles and processes below.

Physicochemical treatment is primarily used for wastewater that cannot be treated biologically. It removes solids, suspended matter, oil, soaps and dissolved inorganic substances such as heavy metals. The contaminants are separated from the water and incorporated into sludge that can be readily removed.

Industries such as adhesive, ink and coating production use substantial quantities of water for cleaning and manufacturing. The resulting wastewater requires treatment, often using physicochemical processes. Wastewater treatment is essential across many industries. Companies must manage it responsibly to minimise environmental impact.

Chemtrade International helps them do exactly that. Different contaminants require different treatment technologies, and we provide solutions for a wide range of wastewater challenges.

Rinsing water is generated by paint, coating, ink and adhesive manufacturers, printing companies and cardboard converters, particularly when mixing vessels are rinsed after use. This water contains residues of the products mixed in the vessels.

These substances must be removed through wastewater treatment, and the rinsing water must be collected and cleaned before discharge.

Similar streams arise in woodworking, where coating and bonding processes are common. Wastewater treatment is also recommended for these applications.

A physicochemical approach effectively removes harmful substances from these streams, leaving filtrate that meets discharge limits. Powdered reaction separation agents are often used. A broad range is available for different wastewater types.

In some cases, preliminary emulsion breaking is carried out using an emulsion breaker with a coagulating effect.

This pretreatment is particularly important as binders become increasingly resistant. We also offer specific paint detackifiers for solvent based coatings, for example in wet spray booths with water curtains.

Where concentrations are high and heavy metals are complexed, a heavy metal complex breaker may be required.

As water costs rise, more companies want to reuse the filtrate obtained after treatment, for example in adhesive preparation. A sulphate free product with a low chloride content can be selected to prevent sulphate and chloride concentrations from increasing in the filtrate.

Wastewater volumes vary considerably. Our extensive range includes very compact units, continuous systems and batch plants capable of effectively treating many cubic metres.

Batch treatment is common in the adhesive, coating and ink industries. Industrial wastewater is preferably collected in a large buffer tank to smooth out peaks in contaminant concentrations. This provides a more stable, uniform feed to the treatment system. Find out more about our systems or contact us directly.