Coal to Chemical (CTX)

The coal-to-chemicals (CTX) industry plays a significant role in chemical production when traditional oil and gas is not readily available or is too expensive to import. But CTX and coal-to-olefins (CTO) are also highly water-intensive processes, and the resulting wastewater is particularly toxic and difficult to clean.

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Reducing energy costs

In China alone, the water footprint from existing and planned coal-to-chemicals facilities is projected to reach more than 3 billion cubic meters of water per year, and many of these facilities are located in areas that are already struggling to meet demands for water. If all of this toxic wastewater was discharged into local waterways, it would be a public health and ecological disaster, which is why coal-to-chemicals wastewater is required to undergo zero liquid discharge (ZLD) treatment processes so that none of this wastewater is dumped into local waterways. This vital process turns this toxic wastewater into clean water and plays a crucial role in ensuring environmental sustainability, protecting human health, and promoting responsible industrial practices.

Treating wastewater also allows it to be reused within the process, alleviating the demand on the local water supply. Far more energy efficient than traditional thermal processes, reverse osmosis (RO) membrane technology—in conjunction with energy recovery devices (ERDs)—can vastly reduce the energy consumption and costs required to reach ZLD. Plus, these types of systems are more compact and more flexible to design and install than traditional thermal systems, and offer the ability to offset some treatment costs.