SFG Feasibility study ROTOFRANK
MD-to-Market

If you look at the industry of metal surface treatment (electroplating), you will find work steps that are particularly energy-intensive and resource-intensive along the manufacturing process. One example of this is the rinsing of workpieces. This creates large amounts of wastewater that is “contaminated” with electroplating components. In the absence of efficient recovery technologies, this wastewater is currently discarded unused or has to be cleaned in a costly manner and with considerable use of energy.

In the "Galvano-MD" project it was shown that the MD technology is very suitable for concentrating liquids and for recovering galvanic bath constituents and that high concentrations can be achieved without any measurable loss of performance. In addition, it has been proven that the clear water (permeate) separated by the membrane is free of electroplating ingredients and can thus be returned to the process and can be reused as rinsing water. The results of the Galvano-MD project clearly demonstrated the considerable valuable, energetic and financial potential of the developed concept. In principle, the membrane distillation process can be used sensibly wherever the disposal / treatment of highly contaminated electroplating rinsing water causes problems. Based on the findings of the completed research project "Galvano-MD", the aim is to develop a first large-scale MD system. The "MD-to-Market" project aims to close the existing gap to industrial large-scale implementation.

The following still essential technical questions have to be answered within the framework of the project:

• Automation of the system and synchronization with the electroplating process - Which key indicators and control parameters are required to achieve synchronized operation between the MD system and the electroplating line?
• Behavior of the system and operational management in continuous operation - How can a fully automated operation run in order to limit the control effort to the daily visual inspection?
• Re-usability of the recirculated passivation liquid - How does the corrosion resistance of the workpieces behave after treatment with the recovered passivation liquid?
• Effect of the MD integration on the service life of the active bath - To what extent is the service life of the passivation bath extended by the MD?
• Stability of the membrane modules in long-term / continuous operation - How does the real-scale MD disk module behave in continuous operation?
• Energetic integration of the MD system - which usable waste heat is available to provide the thermal energy requirement? How can it be integrated into direct operation?