Closed Circuit Desalination Technology Provides Steel Manufacturer ROI In Less Than 60 Days

This leading rod and wire mill requires water for cooling steel and tools in its manufacturing process. Water used for cooling becomes contaminated with metals and lubricants and was therefore being disposed of as waste. Over 60,000 gallons of wastewater was being hauled offsite for disposal, costing over $10,000 per day or $3,000,000 per year. Along with a goal to reduce operating costs, the steel mill also had a sustainability goal that called for reducing environmental footprint.

Mid American Steel installed a Desalitech ReFlex™ 50 RO system to treat and recycle its waste water. The ReFlex system operates at maximum efficiency, reducing the mill’s consumption of fresh water and reducing wastewater generation by 93%. The ReFlex system also ensures high prod­uct water purity, improving cooling performance and consistency within the operation of the rod mill. In addition to water savings, the low energy consumption of the ReFlex system helps minimize environmental impact. As anticipated, the return on investment for installing the system was less than two months.