May 16, 2019 — JNE Environmental is currently developing a fluoride removal and pH correction system for an ultrapure chemicals manufacturer in Reno, Nevada.

In the automotive industry, fluoride is commonly used as a corrosion inhibitor on automotive chassis prior to painting.  JNE Environmental has a lot of history and experience with fluoride removal techniques from wastewater in the automotive sector; however, the wastewater from this particular client is unique in that their wastewater stream is actually ultrapure water.  Ultrapure water poses a challenge because, at this purity, the water behaves like a solvent making it difficult to remove targeted impurities, such as fluoride.

Another challenge JNE had to overcome was the client’s location in Reno, Nevada.  The distance from JNE Environmental meant we couldn’t easily obtain samples to test.  It was the client’s desire to contract JNE to perform a preliminary treatability study for fluoride removal. Based on data provided by the client, JNE developed an analogue, or copy, of their unique wastewater.  JNE tested over 30 treatment formulations on the analogue prior to sending the results to a third party lab for analysis.

Once again, the ultrapure water proved to be challenging.  Many third party labs are unable to accurately determine fluoride levels in ultrapure water.  After considerable research to identify a suitable lab and process to measure the fluoride levels, we were able to confirm that we had succeeded in meeting the effluent fluoride target.  This confirmation enabled our team to design a fluoride removal treatment system for the ultrapure wastewater stream.

JNE Environmental is now in the process of manufacturing the wastewater treatment system for this client and will be shipping the complete system to Reno, Nevada.  While developing this solution, we identified the need for a 36 gpm pH correction system as a result of our design process, which was also supplied by JNE.

We look forward to seeing how our successful treatment of ultrapure water can help our client continue to succeed in their business initiatives.