Stone-Cutting Industries Wastewater Recycling and Reuse by Using Hydrocyclone, an Economical Approach for Reducing Water Consumption

Some problems exist regarding this industry such as high water consumption, wastewater treatment and recycling. In this study, stone-cutting industry recycling and reuse by using hydrocyclone in different operational conditions have been investigated. The effect of operational parameters such as pressure drop and suspension concentration on separation efficiency of two kinds of hydrocyclone with different geometries in experimental conditions has been investigated. Experiments were designed with response surface methodology (RSM), CCD model using Design Expert software. Travertine powder particles with particle size less than 200 μm were used and particles size was measured by Particle Size Analysis machine, and particle shapes were imaged by SEM analysis. By increasing input pressure, the passing flow rate of hydrocyclone increased and the maximum flow rate for hydrocyclones type 1 and 2 were 203 and 268 ml/s, respectively. The results showed that the separation efficiency increases by increasing of input pressure. Analysis of results demonstrated that the best separation efficiency for hydrocyclones type 1 and type 2 were 90% and 90.4%, respectively. According to a comparison between hydrocyclone method and the traditional method of water recycling, it is concluded that hydrocyclone method reduces the water and energy consumption in stone cutting industries and is an economical and optimum method for wastewater recycling and water reuse in stone cutting industry.