Overview
EcoThrive designs and engineers high-performance oil–water separation systems specifically tailored for wastewater containing lubricants, diesel, hydraulic oils, grease, and emulsified hydrocarbons. Unlike standard gravity interceptors that often fail to meet strict discharge standards, our systems are engineered to protect downstream biological processes and ensure full compliance with municipal environmental regulations.
How It Works
Our separation process is designed to handle various forms of oily wastewater, from free-floating oils to difficult emulsions:
- Gravity Separation: Incoming wastewater enters a primary chamber where large oil droplets rise to the surface due to density differences. This removes the bulk of free-floating oil.
- Coalescing Plate Separators: For higher efficiency, we utilize coalescing plate packs. These structured media significantly increase the surface area, forcing smaller oil droplets to collide and merge into larger ones, which then rise to the surface. This technology allows for the removal of oils down to 5–10 mg/L.
- Advanced Treatment for Emulsions: For stubborn emulsified oils—common in car washes and chemical cleaning processes where droplets can be as small as 1–20 microns—gravity separation alone is insufficient. We integrate chemical dosing or Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) units to break these emulsions effectively.
- Final Polishing: When discharge standards are exceptionally strict or water is being reused, we implement final polishing stages using activated carbon or cartridge filtration to ensure crystal-clear effluent.
Key Applications
- Automotive: Car washes, service stations, and workshops.
- Industrial: Manufacturing plants, metalworking facilities, and machine shops.
- Commercial: Fuel stations, commercial kitchens, and laundry facilities.
- Environmental: Spill containment and groundwater remediation.
Why Choose Advanced Separation?
Standard interceptors often let significant amounts of oil pass through, especially when flow rates surge or oils are emulsified. Here is why advanced separation is critical:
- High Efficiency: Coalescing separators consistently reduce oil content to 5–10 mg/L, whereas simple interceptors may discharge 150–600 mg/L (common in raw car wash wastewater).
- Compact Design: Our Lamella plate packs multiply the effective settling area by 6–10 times within the same tank footprint, saving valuable space.
- Emulsion Handling: Free oils rise relatively quickly (0.5–3 mm/s), but emulsified oils barely separate naturally. Our systems are specifically designed to target these microscopic droplets (1–20 microns).
- Environmental Impact: Just 1 liter of oil can contaminate 1 million liters of water, creating irremovable films on irrigation networks and harming ecosystems.
