Wastewater Treatment and Water Recycling for Industrial Laundries
Turning wastewater into a valuable resource
This is particularly important when processing heavily soiled workwear, entrance mats, industrial wiping cloths and other contaminated textiles.
Increasing environmental requirements, sustainability targets and rising water and disposal costs make efficient wastewater management an essential part of modern laundry operations.
With tailored industrial wastewater treatment and recycling solutions, MKR helps industrial laundries recover valuable process water and reduce liquid waste volumes.
Taking the Circular Economy One Step Further
Many textile service providers already follow circular economy principles: textiles are cleaned, repaired, reused and eventually recycled at the end of their service life.
The same principle can be applied to water.
Instead of treating wastewater solely as a waste stream, MKR develops treatment and recycling concepts that enable suitable process water to be recovered and reused within industrial laundry operations.
Depending on the wastewater composition and treatment requirements, water recycling can help reduce freshwater consumption, energy demand and operating costs while improving overall resource efficiency.
Your Benefits at a Glance
Our wastewater treatment solutions can help industrial laundries:
Reduce freshwater consumption through process water recovery and reuse
Save energy by recovering water and making use of existing thermal energy
Reduce chemical consumption by reusing suitable treated washing liquor
Improve process stability through application-specific wastewater treatment
Support regulatory compliance by achieving the required treatment quality through appropriate system design
Lower wastewater disposal and operating costs by reducing liquid waste volumes and improving resource efficiency
AREAS OF APPLICATION
Designed for the Requirements of Industrial Laundries
Industrial laundry wastewater often contains a complex mixture of contaminants, including:
- Oils and fats
- Emulsified hydrocarbons
- Surfactants and washing chemicals
- Textile fibres and microplastics
- Suspended solids
- High chemical oxygen demand (COD)
- Alkaline washing liquor
These wastewater streams are particularly challenging when cleaning industrial wiping cloths, entrance mats, contaminated workwear and other heavily soiled textiles.
Conventional wastewater treatment systems may reach their technical or economic limits when faced with fluctuating contamination levels and complex wastewater compositions.
MKR develops tailored treatment concepts combining technologies such as ceramic membrane filtration, pressure filtration, solid-liquid separation and industrial evaporation systems.
The appropriate treatment process depends on the wastewater composition, required water quality and operating conditions.
Optimise Your Laundry Processes Efficiently and Sustainably
Are you looking to make your industrial laundry wastewater treatment more efficient, reduce water consumption or lower wastewater disposal costs?
MKR helps you evaluate your wastewater streams and identify suitable solutions for water recycling, process optimisation and resource recovery.
Our approach considers the entire treatment process, from wastewater characteristics and pre-treatment to water recovery and reuse.
Water Reuse and Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD)
Recovering and reusing process water can significantly reduce the amount of wastewater generated by industrial laundries.
Depending on the application, wastewater composition and process requirements, water recovery rates exceeding 90% may be achievable.
By combining membrane filtration with energy-efficient evaporation, industrial laundries can recover suitable process water while reducing the volume of concentrated residual streams.
For applications requiring even greater wastewater reduction, additional treatment stages may support advanced Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) concepts.
The achievable level of water recovery depends on the individual treatment process and the required water quality.
Combining Sustainability with Economic Efficiency
Investing in modern wastewater treatment can provide both environmental and economic benefits.
Reduced freshwater demand, lower chemical consumption and smaller wastewater disposal volumes can help industrial laundries improve operating efficiency and reduce their dependence on external water and waste management services.
MKR supports industrial laundries and textile service providers in developing application-specific water treatment and recycling concepts that combine reliable operation, resource efficiency and economic viability.
Project-Specific Results from Industrial Laundry Applications
A published industrial laundry recycling project involving MKR technology demonstrated:
- Up to 98% reduction in freshwater demand in the reported washing liquor application
- Up to 80% reduction in sodium hydroxide consumption
- More than 99% removal of microplastics and suspended solids in the reported membrane filtration application
- Significant reduction of oils, fats and surfactants
- Automated treatment processes designed to reduce manual operating requirements
- Potential savings in water, chemical and wastewater disposal costs
These figures relate to the specific applications described in the project and are not general performance guarantees.
Discover the complete industrial laundry wastewater recycling case study to learn how ceramic microfiltration and MVR evaporation can be combined in a multi-stage treatment process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Our Industrial Evaporator Systems
MKR's atmospheric evaporators of the ET series use Mechanical Vapor Recompression (MVR) to recover and reuse thermal energy during evaporation.
The systems separate suitable industrial wastewater into distillate and concentrate, helping reduce liquid disposal volumes and recover process water.
Depending on the distillate quality and application requirements, the recovered water can be reused or further treated.
Our Ultrafiltration Systems
MKR's UC series ultrafiltration systems are designed for the treatment and maintenance of suitable industrial washing and degreasing baths.
Membrane filtration removes selected contaminants and can help extend bath service life, reduce bath changes and maintain process fluid quality.
For industrial laundry applications, the appropriate membrane technology and treatment configuration must be selected according to the specific wastewater characteristics.
