Case Study: PRO-TEC Coating Co. - Spent Caustic Degreaser Treatment With Ceramic Membranes

PRO-TEC Coating Company’s plant in Leipsic, Ohio is one of the largest facilities in North America producing hot-dipped galvanized/galvannealed steel products. The process of galvanizing/galvannealing begins with high-quality, cold rolled steel coils.

Prior to surface treatment, the raw steel is cleaned with a caustic degreaser. This process results in substantial quantities of spent caustic cleaner that contains oils and greases, grit, water, and other solids that is collected and sent to disposal offsite.

The disposal of the spent cleaner represents a significant expense in not only the rising cost of disposal of the effluent, but also in the costs of replacing the caustic degreaser for production.