Chemplast Sanmar Mettur Facility, India

What is it?

A water recycling system for a chemicals plant at the Mettur Dam on the Cauvery River in Tamil Nadu, using High Efficiency Reverse Osmosis, followed by a crystallizer.

Who is responsible?

Aquatech International supplied the system.

What makes it special?

• The Cauvery River has drawn the upstream state of Karnataka into a bitter conflict with the downstream state of Tamil Nadu. The Mettur Dam in Tamil Nadu, near the border with Karnataka, is the site of a number of water-intensive industries, including the Chemplast Sanmar chemicals facility. The company has implemented water recycling with zero liquid discharge (ZLD) as part of its commitment to good corporate citizenship and environmental awareness.

• The system is the first true ZLD in India. Besides reducing the water demand by 96%, the plant also generates dry salt which is reused in the chlor-alkali process.

• Traditional ZLD systems rely on thermal evaporators as the first step ahead of crystallisation. Aquatech’s hybrid system uses the HERO membrane process, which requires less energy, reducing the carbon footprint of the project as well as the water footprint.