ZLD & MLD studies
Studies that scope Zero Liquid Discharge or Minimum Liquid Discharge for a site — eliminating or minimising the liquid effluent leaving the plant. Delivered as a process flow diagram, technology selection, equipment selection and a capex/opex budget, so the cost of going to zero (or most of the way there) is known before it's committed to.
What MAM delivers
- Effluent stream characterisation, including seasonal and campaign variation
- Concentration and volume-reduction train design (RO, evaporation, crystallisation as required)
- Process flow diagram from effluent source to solid residue or reject reuse
- Technology and equipment selection sized to the reduction target
- Capex and opex budget, including the energy cost of thermal steps
Study deliverables
| Deliverable | Scope |
|---|---|
| Process flow diagram | Mapped unit operations from source stream to the target endpoint |
| Technology selection | Treatment technologies matched to feed characteristics and target quality |
| Equipment selection | Sized equipment list against the selected process train |
| Capex / opex budget | Indicative capital and operating cost envelope |
ZLD and MLD are not the same commitment. Zero Liquid Discharge removes essentially all liquid effluent, usually ending in a crystalliser or evaporation pond and a solid residue for disposal — expensive to run, mainly on energy. Minimum Liquid Discharge stops short of zero, pushing recovery as high as the economics support and accepting a smaller, more concentrated reject stream. The study exists to show which one the site's economics actually justify, not to default to the more dramatic-sounding option.