Metaldyne Case Study: Extremely Difficult Oily Wastewater

Metaldyne's Twinsburg, Ohio aluminum die casting plant is a world leader in the production of aluminum valve body castings. To facilitate their process, Metaldyne developed a die casting method that uses a specially-formulated die lubricant, an oil and water emulsion that helps control the temperature of the die as well as the removal of the complex castings during the part ejection process.

However, the oil from the die lube and the glycol from the hydraulic fluid combined to create an extremely difficult wastewater treatment challenge. The plant installed a membrane bioreactor (MBR) system to consume the glycol, but the tubular membranes in the MBR couldn't handle the oil and grease and became clogged within three weeks. Ultimately, the oily wastewater resulting from Metaldyne's novel die casting process proved so difficult to treat that after more than a decade of working with 22 different wastewater treatment vendors, experts from academia, and the U.S. Department of Energy, the solution remained elusive.