ZLD is a strategic waste water management system that ensures that there is no discharge of industrial wastewater into the environment, which is why UFlex has proactively adopted this technology to significantly reduce their freshwater consumption by recognising the importance of wastewater purification and recycling. The Chemicals plant that has adopted ZLD technology has started saving close to 20 kilolitres of water/day.

UFlex’ Chemicals business develops eco-friendly, sustainable and food-safe compliant inks, adhesives, coatings and biodegradable packaging solutions, such as primers, barrier, gloss and heat-seal coatings which are ecologically conscious with a lower carbon footprint. While UFlex has been making a conscious effort to bring down the use of water while developing these solutions, with the implementation of ZLD technique the plant has ensured that no liquid waste is eliminated and maximises water usage efficiency.

The zero liquid discharge chemical plant uses a 100% supply of effluent treated water from the sewage treatment plant (STP) as well as the effluent treatment plant (ETP). It is subsequently treated through the combination of technologies like membrane bio-reactor (MBR), reverse osmosis (RO), and agitated thin film dryer (AFTD). 

The permeate good quality water which is the final product derived is thus re-used in boiler feed, cooling tower makeup water, and fume hoods; without being discharged into the municipal sewer, thereby putting the discarded water back to use. The rejected water is converted into solid waste residue via evaporation process which is in turn discarded as hazardous waste (as per the regulatory norms). 

Rajesh Bhasin, joint president, Chemicals Business at UFlex, said, “At UFlex Chemicals, we are proud to announce that our Noida plant has achieved the status of a zero liquid discharge facility. We have adopted this technology to contribute positively to the environment by considerably reusing and recycling waste water in order to save groundwater consumption and is a big move for us in reducing our overall water consumption and ensuring that wastewater does not get discarded into the environment. We are working hard to follow the circular economy model at our facility and systematically implement means that are environmentally conscious so that we can conserve our natural resources for the future. Progressing further, we look forward to implementing the ZLD technology in our other production facilities as well, in order to contribute towards a sustainable future.”