Addressing The Challenges Of Plastic Recycling Wastewater: Analysis And Cost-Effectiveness Of Integrated Skid-Mounted Water Treatment Systems

Against the backdrop of the accelerating expansion of the global plastic recycling industry, efficient wastewater treatment has become a core element in ensuring production continuity, reducing compliance costs, and enhancing environmental performance. Engineers and plant managers specializing in the plastic recycling sector are facing a series of severe challenges: high-pollution load cleaning wastewater, stringent emission standards, high sludge disposal costs, and limited installation space.

To address these pain points, we have launched an integrated skid-mounted system consisting of DAF Dissolved Air Flotation, Lanmeila Sedimentation Tank, and High-Efficiency Chamber Filter Press. This system is specifically designed to treat the challenging wastewater generated during the plastic recycling process, not only aiming to achieve wastewater reuse and compliance with discharge standards but also focusing on bringing significant economic benefits to customers through efficient sludge reduction technology.

1. Industry Insights: Wastewater Treatment Needs Driven by Global Trends and Policies
The booming development of the plastic recycling industry has directly driven the urgent demand for efficient and compact water treatment solutions.

（1）Global market accelerating expansion: In 2023, the global recycled plastics market size reached $11.09B, and it is projected to exceed $110B by 2030. By 2032, its compound annual growth rate (CAGR) is expected to rise to 10.6%, indicating that the industry has entered a phase of rapid development.

（2）Policy Mandate:

• The European Union mandates that by 2025, the recycled material content in PET bottles must reach 25%, and further increase to 30% by 2030.
• China released 11 national standards, including the "Guidelines for Design of Recyclable and Reusable Plastics", in September 2025, comprehensively standardizing the recycled plastics industry chain and promoting the industry's transformation towards standardization and high quality.

（3）Industry Structure Optimization: China's recycled polyethylene industry is undergoing profound structural adjustments. Backward production capacity is continuously being phased out, while large enterprises continue to expand by virtue of their advantages in industrial chain integration. In 2024, the new production capacity of recycled PE reached 580,000 tons per year, and industry concentration is constantly increasing. This means that enterprises that are surviving and growing need more large-scale and standardized Environmental Protection solutions.

2. Core of the Project: Technical Details of the Three-Stage Treatment Process
This system adopts modular design, with units at all levels targeting specific pollutants to achieve precise removal and synergistic enhancement.

（1）Primary Treatment: DAF Dissolved Air Flotation System – An Efficient Pretreatment Unit

• Function: Produce fine bubbles through the dissolved air system to effectively adhere to and remove suspended oils, colloidal substances, some dyes, and fine suspended solids in wastewater.
• Engineering Value: As the core pre-treatment, DAF can significantly reduce the load on the subsequent Lanmeila sedimentation tank, prevent inclined tube blockage, and is the crucial first step in ensuring the stable operation of the system and the quality of the effluent water.

（2）Secondary Treatment: Lanmeila Sedimentation Tank – Core Solid-Liquid Separation

• Function: Utilizing multi-layer inclined tube packing groups, it greatly increases the effective settling area and achieves efficient solid-liquid separation under extremely high hydraulic loads.
• Engineering Value:
• Small footprint: Compared with traditional horizontal flow sedimentation tanks, it can save more than 50% of the land area, making it particularly suitable for renovation and expansion projects with limited space.
• Excellent effluent water quality: High removal rate of total suspended solids (TSS), laying a solid foundation for subsequent reuse or advanced treatment.

（3）Tertiary Treatment: High-Efficiency Chamber Plate and Frame Filter Press - The Key to Sludge Reduction

• Function: Mechanically dewater the sludge discharged from the sedimentation tank.
• Engineering Value: This is the core value link of the system. Through high-pressure filtration, the moisture content of sludge can be significantly reduced, and the volume reduction rate generally exceeds 70%. This means that the liquid sludge that originally required high-cost external transportation for disposal has become dry mud cakes that are easy to handle, directly and significantly reducing the customer's solid waste disposal costs.

Why is this system more suitable for current plastic recycling enterprises?

1. Confronting cost pressures: Currently, the profit margins of recycled plastic enterprises are being squeezed by both the price of virgin materials and the cost of high-quality raw materials. This system saves fresh water consumption through wastewater reuse and directly reduces high hazardous waste/solid waste disposal costs through sludge reduction, clearly improving operating cash flow.
2. Adapting to industrial upgrading: The industry is transitioning from "scattered, chaotic, and poor" to "scaled and intensive." Standardized and modular skid-mounted design meets the needs of medium-sized and above enterprises for efficient and standardized operations. The system completes pre-testing in the factory, achieving "Plug and Play," which significantly shortens the project cycle and helps customers quickly start production to seize market opportunities.
3. Addressing technical customization needs: We understand that the wastewater components generated by different recycled materials (such as PET bottle flakes, PE/PP films) vary significantly. Therefore, we offer customized solution design services based on your water/ sludge samples. Our engineering team will adjust the key parameters of the system according to your specific water quality report to ensure optimal treatment results.

About Kintep
Kintep is a technology-driven company specializing in the research, development, and manufacturing of core equipment for industrial water treatment and solid waste resource utilization. We are committed to providing reliable, efficient, and cost-effective environmental protection solutions to global engineers and industrial enterprises.