Reuse of “White Water” from Latex Paint Manufacturing

Summary

The production of latexes used in paints generates a wastewater stream containing latex. Ultrafiltration is used to recover much of the polymer, but a small amount remains in the wastewater which is sent to a treatment plant. Also referred to as “white water” because the oil-based latex is insoluble in water and the latex adds a “stickiness”. Sticky water can be used in road construction and in agricultural operations to control dust.

Industry

Industry Sector	Specific Industry
Manufacturing sector	Paint manufacturers
Construction sector	Road construction companies
Farming sector	Agricultural companies

Region

New Jersey, USA.

Applied Technologies

• Ultra filtration system which is a high-level filtration system for the treatment of water and other liquids

Triple Bottom Line Aspects (direct at operational level)

Economic	Potential savings in material purchase costs Potential savings in waste water disposal costs
Environment	Decrease in contaminated water Increased resource efficiency
Social	Potential employment

Additional Comments

None.

References

• Elements (n.d.) "Examples of By-Product Synergies - New Jersey Project", Retrieved from: http://www.marc.org/Environment/SolidWaste/pdfs/BPS_case_studies.pdf

Last Update

18 January 2007