Ecolab: Expert response helps an Electric Vehicle manufacturer avoid downtime after contaminated wastewater incident

BACKGROUND

At one electric vehicle assembly plant, the manufacturer aimed to maintain paint shop productivity targets with less than 6 hours of downtime per month. To achieve this goal and maintain regulatory compliance, flexible and reliable vehicle pretreatment, paint and wastewater systems were a must.

When a valve was accidentally left open, releasing an ECoat bath into the site’s wastewater treatment (WWT) plant, the stakes were high. The release contaminated the WWT batch tanks, where the ECoat bath mixed with a higher-pH waste stream. The resulting solution solidified, causing damage to piping and equipment, blocking roto strainers and backing up the system. The incident occurred during a scheduled downtime, though quick action was needed to avoid a delayed restart and prevent a potential wastewater permit violation.

In mobilizing their response, the customer wanted to both address the current problem and reduce the site’s future risk. A combination of improved engineering, clear processes, training, monitoring and alarming would be needed to defend against future risk to regulatory compliance, operating costs, asset life and productivity. Additionally, the customer wanted increased visibility for their corporate Environmental Health and Safety management.

SOLUTION

Nalco Water’s on-site paint booth managed operations team started by helping the customer troubleshoot the current situation. With the large influx of waste flowing to the WWT plant, some batch tanks overflowed. The team stopped transfers until room was cleared and able to take additional wastewater.
Then, Nalco Water brought in Industry Technical Consultants (ITCs), with decades of Automotive experience in ECoat and wastewater. These team members provided short-term guidance focused on getting systems back in compliance and available to continue treating the plant’s waste.

Meanwhile, the Nalco Water team also developed a new operating procedure to address the customer’s long-term needs. The plan included recommendations to promote safety, consistency and risk reduction.