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Containerised Industrial DAF with Heavy-Metals Removal

A 40ft containerised dissolved-air-flotation system engineered for industrial wastewater carrying dissolved heavy metals — lead, zinc, copper and nickel. A sulfide-precipitation stage ahead of the DAF converts dissolved metals into insoluble sulfides that float out cleanly, taking treated effluent below typical industrial discharge limits.

Built around the proven 10 m³/h DAF platform, with the reaction chemistry, online metals monitoring and sludge stabilisation that a metals-bearing stream demands — all factory-tested inside one container.

Building Since 2016
Sulfide Precipitation
Discharge-Consent Driven
10 m³/h
Design Flow (40ft)
>99%
Lead & Copper Removal
<0.5 mg/L
Total Metals (treated)
pH 8.5–9.5
Precipitation Window

Sulfide Precipitation, Then Flotation

Turn dissolved metals into a floatable solid, then skim it off

Dissolved metals will not settle or float on their own. The system doses a controlled amount of sulfide (NaHS or Na&sub2;S) at pH 8.5–9.5, where dissolved lead, zinc, copper and nickel form highly insoluble metal sulfides. A short reaction stage completes precipitation; the DAF then floats the fine sulfide precipitate out with the micro-bubble blanket, and the metal-laden sludge is stabilised for compliant disposal.

1. Sulfide Dosing

NaHS / Na&sub2;S dosed 0–50 mg/L under ORP control to drive precipitation.

2. Reaction Stage

~10 min retention in an SS 316L reaction tank to complete metal-sulfide formation.

3. DAF Flotation

Micro-bubbles float the fine precipitate; surface skimmer removes the float.

4. Sludge Stabilisation

Cement mixing of metal-laden sludge for safe landfill disposal.

Metals Removal at pH 8.5–9.5

MetalRemoval (sulfide precipitation + DAF)
Lead (Pb)>99%
Copper (Cu)>99%
Zinc (Zn)>98%
Nickel (Ni)>95%
Treated effluent meets typical industrial discharge standards at <0.5 mg/L total metals. Actual targets are set against your specific consent — we tune the sulfide dose, pH window and reaction time to hit them.

What the Metals Duty Adds

The items beyond a standard DAF that define performance — headline only

ItemHeadline SpecPurpose
Sulfide dosing systemNaHS / Na&sub2;S, 0–50 mg/LPrecipitate metals as insoluble sulfides
Reaction tank~0.5 m³, ~10 min HRT, SS 316LComplete metal-sulfide precipitation
Heavy-metals analyserOnline colorimetric / ICP (Pb, Zn, Cu, Ni)Inlet/outlet compliance monitoring
Enhanced pH controllerDual-range 0–14 pH, acid/base dosingHold the 8.5–9.5 precipitation window
ORP controller±1000 mVTrim sulfide dose to redox potential
Sludge stabilisationCement mixing drumStabilise metal-laden sludge for disposal

Plus the full 10 m³/h DAF platform: lamella flotation cell, 5.5 bar saturator and compressor, recycle/feed pumps, skimmer and scraper, instrumentation and SCADA. The complete itemised BOM, P&ID and FAT pack are issued during detailed design.

Safety: sulfide chemicals require dedicated containment, ventilation and gas detection. These are designed in to the container and detailed in the project HAZOP — not something to retrofit on site.

Send Us Your Metals Analysis

Tell us the metals, the concentrations and your discharge consent — we will confirm the chemistry, size the container and ship a factory-tested system that makes consent.

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