Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.
New Energy WasteWater Treatment Success: Achieving ZLD in EV Battery Manufacturing
How Memva helped a Tier-1 lithium battery supplier overcome complex effluent challenges, ensure environmental compliance, and secure sustainable water operations.
Get a ConsultationThe Challenge: Highly Toxic Battery Effluent
The client's new gigafactory was generating wastewater that conventional municipal treatment plants refused to accept. The effluent stream from cathode material production and coating processes was highly complex.
They faced severe regulatory pressure and potential plant shutdown risks due to inability to meet discharge standards.
- High concentrations of refractory heavy metals (Lithium, Cobalt, Nickel).
- Presence of toxic organic solvents like NMP (N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone).
- Extremely high Fluoride levels from electrolyte processing.
- High salinity (TDS > 30,000 mg/L) making standard RO difficult.
Figure 1: Untreated influent containing high suspended solids and metals.
The Memva Solution: Integrated ZLD
Memva engineered a custom, multi-stage New Energy WasteWater Treatment plant designed for robustness against variable influent quality.
Technical Process Flow:
- Advanced Pretreatment: Two-stage chemical precipitation (hydroxide and sulfide) followed by coagulation to remove bulk heavy metals and fluoride.
- Solvent Recovery (NMP): A dedicated distillation unit recovers valuable NMP solvents before the main water line.
- High-Pressure RO: Memva's proprietary anti-fouling Reverse Osmosis membranes recover up to 80% of the water as high-purity permeate.
- Thermal Evaporation (ZLD): The remaining RO brine is sent to a Mechanical Vapor Recompression (MVR) evaporator, turning liquid waste into solid salts for safe disposal.
Results: Compliance and Circular Economy
The implementation turned a major environmental liability into a sustainable asset. The facility now operates as a Zero Liquid Discharge site, recycling 96% of its water back into cooling towers and cathode washing processes.
Performance Data Comparison
| Parameter | Untreated Influent | Memva Treated (Permeate) |
|---|---|---|
| Nickel (Ni) | 45 mg/L | < 0.05 mg/L |
| Cobalt (Co) | 30 mg/L | < 0.05 mg/L |
| Fluoride | 180 mg/L | < 1.0 mg/L |
| COD (Organics) | 3,500 mg/L | < 50 mg/L |
| TDS (Salinity) | 35,000 mg/L | < 100 mg/L |
Figure 3: High-purity water ready for production reuse.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Common questions regarding wastewater treatment in the EV battery and solar sectors.
What are the main challenges in treating EV battery manufacturing
wastewater?
EV battery wastewater is complex, often containing high levels of heavy metals (Lithium, Cobalt, Nickel), toxic organic solvents like NMP, and very high concentrations of fluoride, making traditional biological treatment ineffective.
How does Memva achieve Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) in new energy
plants?
We utilize an integrated process: advanced chemical pretreatment to remove bulk contaminants, followed by high-recovery Reverse Osmosis (RO) for water recycling. The remaining concentrated brine is processed in a thermal evaporator/crystallizer, resulting in dry solids and no liquid discharge.
Can the treated wastewater be reused in production?
Yes. Memva's membrane technologies produce high-purity water that often exceeds municipal water quality, making it suitable for reuse in cooling towers, rinsing processes, and general facility use.
How do you handle high fluoride levels from solar or battery
production?
We use a two-stage approach for fluoride. First, calcium-based precipitation reduces bulk fluoride levels. Second, specialized polishing resins or selective membranes reduce the remaining fluoride to highly stringent compliance limits (often <1 mg/L).