Project

Cookson - Fukuda manufacture high quality copper foil for printed circuit boards at a new factory in Tyneside. The factory produces 1500m³ per day of wastewater containing copper, nickel, chromium and zinc. This is treated prior to sewer discharge to recover as much of the water as possible and to meet the rigorous consent limits set by the receiving authority.

Responsibilities

Process feasibility studies, detailed process design, equipment specification, tender evaluation and commissioning test supervision.

The treatment scheme comprises three sections. Section 1 is a two stream strong cation/strong anion deionisation plant which treats a combination of 880m³/day of dilute rinses and 200m³/day of mains water make up to provide deionised water for process use.

Section 2 is a two stream strong cation/weak anion deionisation plant dedicated to treating 260m³/day of rinse water containing citrate chelants which must be separated from the heavy metal containing streams.

Section 3 is a chemical treatment plant which treats 220m³/day of concentrated wastes, such as plating bath dumps and spent regenerants, by reduction of chromate to chromium, precipitation of heavy metals with caustic soda, filtration and final polishing using chelating ion exchange resins. Sludge is dewatered in a chamber press for off site disposal.

The final wastewater discharge to sewer is 620m³/day.