ARBOK-CRYSTALLIZER

Overview

ARBOK-CRYSTALLIZER separates solid particles from liquids — brine, wet soils, industrial wastewater, sludge — using Phase Change Crystal Separation Technology (PCCST). Where conventional crystallizers consume tens to hundreds of kWh per ton, it achieves effective separation at just 3–5 kWh/ton (up to 100–150× energy savings), with no chemicals, sorbents, membranes, or coagulants. This makes drying and solid recovery economically viable in cases that were previously unfeasible.

Applications

Primary use cases: isolation of heavy-metal salts from mine water; recovery of caustic soda from red mud (aluminum byproduct); drying of contaminated wet soils; sludge/tailings dewatering.

Industries and users: mining, metallurgy/alumina, industrial wastewater operators.

Scale: modular, scalable; integrates as the crystallization stage of larger ARBOK ZWD trains.

Operating Principle

PCCST drives solid–liquid separation through a phase-change crystallization step that precipitates and separates dissolved/suspended solids at very low specific energy, without chemical additives, sorbents, membranes, or coagulants. Designed as a consumable-free, modular separation/drying stage.

Limitations: R&D maturity; performance varies with feed chemistry; solids offtake/handling.

Key Parameters

Energy: 3–5 kWh/ton (vs tens–hundreds kWh/ton conventional → 100–150× savings).

Consumables: none (no filters, membranes, chemicals, additives).

Feeds: brine, tailings, red mud, wastewater sludge, wet soils. Modular and scalable.

Architecture and Components

Phase-change crystallization unit; solids extraction/drying; condensate/liquid recovery; control system. Modular; designed to integrate with ARBOK PURI and ARBOK nuclear/mine-water systems as the crystallization stage.

Advantages

Technical: 100–150× lower energy than conventional crystallizers; consumable-free; handles difficult sludges.

Economic: drastically lower OPEX makes previously unfeasible drying/recovery profitable.

Environmental: no chemicals; recovers metals/salts instead of landfilling sludge.

Strategic: enables ZWD across mining, metallurgy, and industrial wastewater.

Integrations

Plug-in crystallization stage for ARBOK ZWD trains (PURI, CHLORIDE, RED MUD recovery); SCADA/PLC ready; modular cascade.

Deployment & Operation

Steps: feed characterization → module sizing → integration as crystallization/drying stage → commissioning. Continuous, automated, minimal staffing.

TRL

TRL 9 (confirmed by Michael). Industrially proven separation/crystallization on real feeds at 3–5 kWh/ton.

Market Potential

Crystallization/dewatering is a cost and energy bottleneck across mining, alumina (red mud), and industrial wastewater. A 100–150× energy reduction opens large markets where conventional crystallizers are too costly to run.

Typical Project Economics

OPEX driven by 3–5 kWh/ton energy (vs tens–hundreds conventional); no consumables. CAPEX modular/project-dependent; value comes from low-energy recovery of salts/metals and avoided sludge disposal. (Site economics to be modelled.)

Risk Factors

R&D maturity — needs pilot/field validation; performance dependence on feed chemistry; solids offtake; scale-up engineering.

Related Technologies

ARBOK PURI · ARBOK RED MUD · ARBOK-CHLORIDE · ARBOK-VC (Vacuum Cracking)