Caustic Recovery

in the Textile
Industry

Introduction
The textile industry uses substantial quantities of
caustic (sodium hydroxide) to clean and prepare
fabrics for dyeing. Caustic is expensive and its
disposal may create a hazardous waste treatment
problem. The contaminated dilute caustic from these
processes is commonly concentrated and recovered
by evaporation. However, evaporators cannot recover
highly contaminated caustic. In the past, it had to
be neutralized prior to disposal. Now, Du Pont
membrane technology can recover highly
contaminated caustic.
By combining its experience in polymer research,
membrane technology, and process engineering,
Du Pont brings you customized solutions to your Membrane Contaminated Clean
most pressing waste minimization, raw material Coating Caustic Caustic
recovery or liquid processing problems, including
caustic recovery.
How the System Works
A Du Pont Customized System Provides: The contaminated caustic feed stream is pumped into
n Cost savings one end of a membrane-lined porous stainless steel
Reduced waste caustic discharge tube. Water and clean caustic will pass through the
Reduced purchased caustic requirements wall of the membrane-lined porous tube, where it is
Reduced energy requirements recovered for reuse. The concentrated contaminants
flow out the other end of the tubing for further
n Process improvements treatment or disposal.
Cleaned caustic for reuse
Improved evaporator efficiency
Reduced evaporator blowdown
Waste treatment savings
n Low capital investment

q Low operating and maintenance costs

n Custom designed turnkey system

n Leasing/rental options

n Worldwide marketing and technical support team

n Performance guarantees* from Du Pont

The System
The Du Pont Separation Systems’ caustic recovery
system is based on CARRE® patented filtration
technology, which combines porous stainless
steel tubing and state-of-the-art, formed-in-
place membranes.
For more than ten years, this technology has
provided innovative raw material recovery systems
for the textile industry that are durable and easy
to maintain.
A large-scale commercial installation has been
operating for several years in caustic recovery at
a major South Carolina textile finishing plant.
Custom Designed to Your Needs
Contaminated caustic from the scour saturator and/or
the mercerizer range is fed to the membrane system.
The membrane system filters and cleans up to 95%
of the caustic feed stream while concentrating the
contaminants. The clean caustic is recycled directly
to the scouring and bleaching processes as well as
to the dye house. Clean caustic also can be sent to
evaporators for concentration and then reused in
mercerization. The concentrated contaminants from
the feed system are discharged to waste treatment.

‘All prices are subject to change without notice and orders are
accepted subject only to the prices and terms in effect at the time
of order acceptance.
 ANNUAL SAVINGS AT VARIOUS
CAUSTIC MARKET PRICES

600

500

Savings
400
x1000

300

200
20¢/lb
Caustic
100 15¢/lb Market
Price
12¢/lb
(dry wt.)
10¢/lb

0 10 20 30
SYSTEM SIZE (GPM)

This graph shows the potential savings achievable from reduced fresh
caustic consumption and lower neutralization costs, less the caustic
recovery system operating costs. The savings are shown for a range of
caustic market prices and are for a system operating 6000 hours per year
on a 6% caustic feed stream at a 95% recovery rate.

Evaluation of Your Feed Stream

The Du Pont design team is available to work with
you to analyze your needs. Together we will custom-
design the optimal caustic recovery system for your
plant. For a preliminary analysis of your process,
please contact Separation Systems.
 PVA RECOVERY COSTCOMPARISON*

4.0 4.0
n Capital
n Operating
3.0 OPERATING

2.0 COSTS

1.0

Du Pont Supplier Supplier

A B

Recovery Rate = 2.4MM lbs/yr

All costs unitized

PVA Recovery Cost Comparison

Du Pont systems are competitive/y priced and cost less to operate than other
systems. This results from lower energy requirements and lower membrane
replacement costs.

PAYBACK ON INVESTMENT

n Installed Capital Cost

n Payback Period

I I I
0 10 20 30
SYSTEM SIZE (GPM)

PVA concentrated from 4-10%

Unit operated 6OOO hrs/yr

Payback on Investment
A DuPont PVA recovery system in many cases can pay for itself in less than
one year. Larger systems are the most cost-effective. Payback calculations
assume recycled PVA, on average, costs less than $.15/lb versus fresh PVA
which can range from $.80-1.00/lb.

Evaluation of Your Feed Stream

The Du Pont design team is available to work with
you to analyze your needs. Together we will custom-
design the optimal solution for your PVA recovery
needs. For a preliminary analysis of your process,
please contact Separation Systems.
 Polyvinyl Alcohol Recovery
in the Textile Industry

Introduction
PVA is applied as a size to the warp yarns prior to
weaving to improve loom efficiencies. While sizing is
necessary for textile processing, the PVA coating
must be removed (the fabric must be desized) prior
to subsequent bleaching or dyeing. Not only is PVA
expensive, but disposal of the used solution also may
require expensive waste treatment. However, Du Pont
membrane technology can be used for economical
reclamation and reuse of PVA.
By combining its experience in polymer research,
membrane technology and process engineering,
Du Pont brings you customized solutions to your
most pressing waste minimization, raw material
recovery or liquid processing problems, including Membrane Concentrate Permeate
PVA recovery. Coating

A Du Pont Customized System Provides: The membrane device separates a liquid stream into two components;
a stream concentrated in suspended or high-molecular-weight dissolved
n Cost savings solids and a clean permeate stream.
Reduced waste PVA discharge
Reduced purchased PVA requirements How the System Works
q Process improvements The dilute PVA stream from the desizing process is
Waste treatment savings pumped into membrane-lined stainless steel porous
tubes. Water and any existing low-molecular-weight
n Low capital investment
contaminants (such as dissolved salts and oils) are
n Low operating and maintenance costs drawn off through the membrane. The purified and
n Custom designed turnkey system concentrated PVA flows out the other end of the
n Leasing/rental options
tubes. The water (permeate) will contain a very low
level of PVA and can be reused or further processed
n Worldwide marketing and technical support team
for discharge. The concentrated PVA stream can be
n Performance guarantees*. from Du Pont recycled to the slasher for size reuse.
The System
Separation Systems’ PVA recovery system is based
on CARRE® patented filtration technology, which
combines porous stainless steel tubing and state-
of-the-art, formed-in-place membranes.
For more than ten years, CARRE® technology
has provided innovative raw material recovery sys-
tems for the textile industry. This technology for PVA
and other raw material recovery has proven to be
durable and easy to maintain. Turnkey design
provides easy installation.

‘All prices are subject to change without notice and orders are
accepted subject only to the prices and terms in effect at the time
of order acceptance.
Du Pont membrane system recovers waste from
plating baths, reduces raw materials expenses

Du Pont membrane systems, based on reverse

osmosis (RO) technology, are being used to recover
plating salts from five separate plating bath rinse
streams at a leading sporting ammunition manufac-
turer. This process substantially reduces capital, raw
material and waste treatment operating expenses.
Supplied by Du Pont Separation Systems, a
division of the Du Pont Company, systems such as
these replaced a lime treatment process at the plant.
In the lime process, lime was added to the used
plating rinse water and combined with waste metals
to form a sludge, which was deposited in two large
impoundment lagoons.
However, changes in EPA regulations made this
type of treatment impractical. Use of the lagoons
could continue only if extensive modifications were
made. These include double lining each of the
lagoons and installing expensive monitoring equip- the design, Subsequent to this, the results were
ment to insure that none of the leachate escapes to confirmed via on-site testing with a pilot system.
the surrounding groundwater. In addition, the Separation Systems installed full-scale closed-loop
company would have to install double-walled piping RO systems on the ammunition manufacturer’s plating
from the plant to the lagoon, along with a separate, line rinse streams.
additional leachate monitoring system. The cost for RO works by passing a liquid through a membrane
all this amounted to several million dollars in capital to separate its various components. In desalination,
equipment, as well as additional expenses for labor where the process has been used for more than 15
and operations. years, RO separates pure water from saline solutions.
The company contacted Du Pont Separation In the plating rinse recovery application, RO sepa-
Systems to see what options there were to minimize rates process rinse water into two streams: pure
these expenses. Du Pont Separation Systems water that can be refed to the rinse tanks and a
suggested the use of a hybrid membrane system highly concentrated plating salt solution that can be
based on RO. They performed an in-house treatability reused in the plating bath (see Figure 1).
test on a synthetic waste solution to demonstrate The new system is helping the company cut costs

Continued on reverse side