Borçelik’s Challenge: Enhancing Detergent Efficiency and Water Recovery in Coil Cleaning Operations

Borçelik’s Challenge: Enhancing Detergent Efficiency and Water Recovery in Coil Cleaning Operations

In Borçelik’s cold rolling lines, steel is processed using cooling and lubrication fluids to maintain dimensional precision and surface quality. After rolling, coil surfaces must be cleaned to prepare them for further surface treatment. This cleaning is performed in high-alkalinity baths containing detergents and surfactants, with concentrations tailored to meet specific customer surface requirements.

Operational observations suggest that detergents are not fully utilized before being discharged to the wastewater treatment system. As a result, valuable chemicals are lost, and the treatment process becomes more complex and costly.

Borçelik is seeking technology partners to co-develop or pilot systems that:

·       Regenerate and reuse the unused fraction of detergents, targeting near-complete (≈100%) chemical utilization,

·       Recover high-quality water from detergent-laden wastewater, enabling its reuse in cleaning baths.

Key technical challenges include:

·       The separation of free vs. bound surfactants,

·       The negative influence of dissolved oils and metals on regeneration or separation efficiency.

Approximately 70% of Borçelik’s total industrial wastewater originates from detergent-containing streams, making this a high-impact area for environmental and operational improvement.

Borçelik is open to collaboration with industrial or research partners offering solutions  with the goal of reducing chemical consumption, wastewater volume, and treatment costs.