STC Srl – Science, Technology & Consulting, a well renowned Italian engineering & contracting company specialized in the supply and construction of complete plants for lead acid battery recycling and lead production, has been awarded an important revamping project for an existing battery recycling plant in Serbia.
The project – explains Alberto Bergamaschini, Commercial & Marketing Director / Business Developer – is the result of the technological support and know-how that STC offers to its clients in order to improve the efficiency of existing process: this service includes personailzed surveys, existing process optimization, plant re-engineering, suggestion for possible revamping and/or integration in order to reduce the OPEX and improve overall plant performances (product quality, plant capacity, environmental impact, health and safety of the workers). The “problem-solving” attitude of STC Team is one of the most distinctive skills and allows them to overcome existing process bottlenecks, inefficiencies or failure.
The revamping project, under a full turn-key contract, consists in the process & equipment integration and modification necessary for the conversion of the existing live steam crystallization system, used for the sodium sulphate solution coming from paste desulphurization, into a Mechanical Vapour Recompression (MVR) system.
In the new configuration, the heat necessary to evaporate the sodium sulphate solution is obtained, instead of using live steam produced in a dedicated steam generator fed with natural gas, by the adiabatic re-compression of the evaporated steam. This process enables the increase of steam pressure and temperature, in order to transfer the condensation latent heat to the boiling solution.
Once the compressor is working, the process of crystallization with mechanical vapor recompression does not need any gas consumption except for a very minimum amount necessary to compensate the heat loss of the circuit or for the transitory start-up period.
The proposed revamping activity allows a considerable reduction of the gas consumptions and a Return of the Investment (ROI) in about 12-14 months.
Beside the economical advantages (the client will reduce the gas consumption by some 2.000.000 Nm3 of natural gas) the other advantage is for the environment, in terms of CO2 and NOx emission reduction.
STC Srl – Science, Technology & Consulting capability ranges from battery breaking to production of final lead ingots and includes lead smelting and refinery sections, paste and grids desulphurization units, salt crystallization units, electrolyte purification and concentration unit, wastewater treatment plant, air pollution control systems and polypropylene upgrading units.