Kurita America installs integrated Zero Liquid Discharge in ethanol plant

In Minnesota, a biofuels facility in the Midwest United States implemented an integrated Zero Liquid Discharge (iZLD) solution developed by Kurita America that significantly reduced water intake for ethanol production, enabling the facility to expand production while meeting plant integrity and environmental compliance needs. This holistic approach took into consideration all aspects of the facility – chemistry, engineering, equipment and service – to develop a cost-efficient solution that also reduces discharges.

Kurita America developed an iZLD solution that reduced the volume of freshwater brought into the plant by 100 gallons per minute (worth over $200,000 annually), at the same time eliminating water discharge from the plant. By freeing up more water, the plant can now use this extra water to increase production (20,000,000 gallons of ethanol) and annual revenue by approximately $27 million in increased ethanol sales.