Recycling of rinse water in viscose/textile

In viscose and textile fiber mills, rinsing water contains valuable process chemicals – especially in water-scarce regions, their recovery is crucial for security of supply and cost stability. Instead of energy-intensive evaporation, we rely on gentle, non-thermal forward osmosis (VO): The chemicals remain intact in the concentrate, more than 95% are separated, and almost all of the water is returned to the process with low energy consumption. The resulting permeate meets drinking water/WHO standards and can be reused directly – an important component for near-zero liquid discharge. The economic impact is clear: Compared to an evaporator with total costs of €16.4/m³ (CAPEX €0.4/m³ + OPEX €16/m³), the VO solution from our technology partner fluvicon costs €3.6/m³ (CAPEX €1/m³ + OPEX €2.6/m³) – a saving of €12.8/m³ and thus almost 80% less cost.