Taking care of the environment
Taking care of the environment
Keywords: PAL, Electroplating, Software, Environmentally friendly
PAL - Process Automation International Ltd, a Hong Kong-based company,launched the EPT range of Solution Monitors at SUR/FIN 99. On display was the RenoCell, thought to be a powerful weapon in the battle to eliminate heavy metal contaminants from effluent or source materials. Information about its newly established PAL Environment Centre was also available.
PAL informs us that its Centre aims to co-ordinate the application,development and supply of environmentally friendly systems and technology within the whole PAL group. "We will deliver to customers worldwide, the benefits of the waste minimising experience that PAL has accumulated from many projects already undertaken, and several development of new technologies in hand"explains Bruce Norsworthy, managing director, PAL (UK) Ltd.
PAT, FPT Solution Monitors
PAL has exclusivity for the PCB and metal finishing industries for the new EPT Solution Monitors. These are designed to keep a constant watch over a waste solution disposal stream, alerting users if there is any deviation from the expected condition. The monitors incorporate non-invasive patented Quadrature Sensor Technology, which uses the Coriolus effect, to sense and monitor the quantum characteristics of a normal liquid sample. According to PAL the sensor has the ability to detect minute changes in a known solution and display the result as a deviation from the expected reading. The software can be configured to provide remote switching of process equipment.
Applications of the British-designed and manufactured monitor can include audio/visual warnings or automatic triggering of valves/solenoid if an alarm state is reached. Features claimed include:
Continuous real-time sampling (up to 20,000 times per second).
Non-invasive sensor - no probes or contact with the solution.
Tolerates variable flow rates and temperature conditions.
Rugged construction for external use.
Self diagnostic.
Ease, of installation and operation and a five-year exchange guarantee.
"Ask any metal removal waste water treatment plant operator what he would like most, in order to enhance the operation of his system, and he will probably tell you that he wants an instrument to monitor the system compliance with mandated waste discharge regulations every second of the day", explains Peter Young, who manages the PAL Environment Centre.
"Much as system control instrumentation has advanced, up till now there has not been a reliable economic online method to detect the presence of undesirable materials, including metals, in the discharge. The introduction of the EPT range has changed this and puts power in the hand of the waste treatment supervisor by checking the solution content literally every second and predicting any non conformance before it even leaves the system."
The PAL EPT range includes three static mounting units, two with integral ADC(analogue-digital converter) plus a ruggedised laptop PC version. EPT-1 features aluminium housing and EPT-2 features stainless steel housing; EPT-3 has an external ADC and stainless steel housing; and EPT-4 is the ruggedised laptop PC version that is fully integrated for portability. "Provision of an external ADC enables additional process monitoring devices such as pH units, temperature sensors etc to be linked to the PAL unit", explains Peter Young. "Monitoring software provided with the EPT products may then be used to display the results,user-selectable by channels."
The RenoCell
There is reportedly an increasing world-wide interest in the Reno Cell,manufactured by Renovare International Inc. - a powerful weapon in the battle to eliminate heavy metal contaminants from effluent or source materials. PAL informs us that it has an exclusive world-wide agreement to market the technology to the PCB and metal finishing industries.
The RenoCell is a new electrochemical cell based on patented technology that employs a three-dimensional, porous carbon element as a component of the cell cathode. This we are told gives the RenoCell an operating range with respect to metal ion concentrations that is two to three orders of magnitude beyond that of conventional electrochemical cells. Improvement in current effciency is said to be in excess of ten. Similar in shape to a cartridge filter vessel and pump system, the RenoCell uses industry-standard components in a modular design that make it compact, robust and flexible.
Typical Renocell applications include:
point source treatment of baths and drag-out rinses;
replacing existing electro-winning and precipitation systems;
enhancing existing membrane systems (e.g. reverse osmosis);
enhancing ion exchange treatment;
replacing or enhancing other metal waste treatment processes.
PAL UK reports that it has been putting the RenoCell to the test by running an interesting long term experiment at Viasysterns Selkirk in Scotland using two banks of six model 1000, one-metre cells. In this test operation the rinse waters are collected into a reservoir from the Micro-Etch and Acid Copper plating stages and passed through the first set of six cells, until they are full. This is indicated by a pressure drop across the cells. Flow of rinse water from its reservoir is then directed through the second batch of six RenoCells. Meanwhile, the "full" set is connected to a source of Etchant and this is pumped through the cells until all the copper is dissolved away. They are then rinsed by passing a stream of clean water through them and then left ready for the next time the switch of banks is required.
"The Etchant is part of a chemistry that is collected and payment to Viasystems is based on the copper content", explains Bruce Norsworthy. "The reclaimers use it to make copper-based products like wood preservatives, anti fouling paint for boats, and even animal feeds tuff additives, after all, we all need our trace elements! Use of the RenoCell at Viasystems has reportedly seen the copper concentration in the rinses reduced to below one part per million."
Further details are available from PAL (UK) Ltd. Tel: +44 (0) 1743 860086;Fax: +44 (0) 1743 860022; E-mail: paluk@aol.comInternet: http://www.PAL-UK.demon.co.uk
