STC announces the acquisition of an important revamping project for an existing battery recycling plant in Serbja.
The project is the result of the technological and know-how support that STC offers to its Clients in order to improve the efficiency of existing process: this service includes ad-hoc surveys, existing process optimization, plant re-engineering, suggestion for possible revamping and/or integration in order to reduce the OPEX and improve overall plant performances (product quality, plant capacity, environmental impact, health and safety of the workers). The “Problem-Solving” attitude of STC Team is one of the most distinctive skills and allows to overcome existing process bottlenecks, inefficiencies or failure.
The revamping project, under a full turn-key contract, consists in the process & equipment integration and modification necessary for the conversion of the existing live steam crystallization system, used for the sodium sulphate solution coming from paste desulphurization, into a Mechanical Vapour Recompression (MVR) system.
In the new configuration, the heat necessary to evaporate the sodium sulphate solution is obtained, instead of using live steam produced in a dedicated steam generator fed with natural gas, by the adiabatic re-compression of the evaporated steam. This process enables the increase of steam pressure and temperature, in order to transfer the condensation latent heat to the boiling solution.
Once the compressor is working, the process of crystallization with mechanical vapor recompression does not need any gas consumption except for a very minimum amount necessary to compensate the heat loss of the circuit or for the transitory start-up period.
The proposed revamping activity allows a considerable reduction of the gas consumptions and a Return of the Investment (ROI) in about 12-14 months. Beside the economic advantages (the Company will reduce the gas consumption by some 2.000.000 Nm3 of natural gas) the other advantage is for the Environment in term of CO2 and NOx emission reduction.
STC capability ranges from battery breaking to production of final lead ingots and includes lead smelting and refinery sections, paste and grids desulphurization units, salt crystallization units, electrolyte purification and concentration unit, wastewater treatment plant, air pollution control systems and polypropylene upgrading units.