Interview: GLANCO Recover & Recycle General Manager Özgür Koçak

First of all, could you tell us about yourself? Could we get some information about your company's history?

GLANCO Recover & Recycle is an affiliate of the Geylan Investment Group. Although the company was established only a few years ago, it is poised to play a "game-changer" role in the sector, thanks to its highly experienced management team and staff. Our fields of activity include turnkey projects for conventional water and wastewater treatment plants (design, manufacturing/supply, installation, commissioning, and after-sales support), as well as turnkey "niche" projects focused on recovery at the source.

As an environmental engineer with nearly 30 years of experience, I have always strived to implement specialized projects aimed at recovery at the source. I have realized numerous specialized projects, including:

• Sulfuric acid recovery plants.
• Recovery projects producing iron sulfate heptahydrate fertilizer from acid.
• Reducing high COD landfill leachate to discharge standards using special Cross Flow RO systems.
• Separating degreasing chemicals from oil in basic degreasing baths for chemical recovery.
• Selective removal of 3–5 ppm machine oil mixed into renewable liquid oils.
• Converting water sources contaminated with domestic wastewater into ultra-pure water.
• Elemental copper recovery from acid via the cementation process.
• Boron oil recovery from liquid solutions.
• Recovery of regeneration water from resin softening systems as sodium chloride liquid.
• Converting colored and salty water from textile dyeing machines into a transparent Glauber's salt solution containing only Na₂SO₄.
• Converting nickel in waste acids from electrolytic copper production into Nickel Sulfate or Nickel Oxyhydroxide.
• Removing accumulated iron from nickel or chrome plating baths.

"Recovering at the source is among Glanco's top priorities"

What are the activities carried out within your company? Could you talk about the products and services you offer to your customers?

As mentioned earlier, Glanco's priority is to undertake "recovery at the source" projects rather than conventional water and wastewater business. We describe this as being a "game-changer" in the industry. In addition to the projects listed above, our future goals include identifying recovery needs in other industries, developing solutions in collaboration with technical universities, and implementing these specialized projects in the sector.

"We identify the needs of various industries and offer innovative solutions" Glanco's primary goal is not limited to conventional wastewater treatment but also focuses on developing recovery at the source. Such projects ensure both a circular economy and environmental sustainability while making processes more efficient. We aim to collaborate with technical universities to develop innovative solutions tailored to industry-specific needs.

"We improve ourselves through joint studies with technical universities and bring a different perspective to the treatment sector"

Are there any new products or projects you have developed or are working on for specific sectors?

At Glanco, we continue to develop ourselves for each specific sector. Based on the demands we receive or the companies we consult, we improve our expertise through studies in our laboratory and collaborations with technical universities, bringing a fresh perspective to the treatment industry.

One of our recent R&D projects involves the conversion of nickel discharged with acid from an Electrolytic Copper Factory into Nickel Sulfate. We are about to finalize the contract for the implementation phase of this R&D project. Another interesting project involved a company producing copper welding rods; we first recovered the sulfuric acid from their copper plating bath. Subsequently, we selectively extracted only the copper from the iron and copper found in the waste line of our acid recovery system using the cementation method to obtain elemental copper. Thus, both the plating bath acid and elemental copper were recovered.

Could you tell us about the features of your treatment systems? Which sectors do you primarily develop projects for?

Our water and wastewater treatment systems are categorized as chemical or biological depending on the wastewater characteristics. These methods vary based on the parameter values and discharge standards. Since every region and type of wastewater has different discharge standards, our systems are customized according to these standards or the intended use of the recovered water.

"We shape the sector with new and advanced technologies" Regarding energy efficiency, many innovative solutions are offered today, such as increasing the efficiency classes of motors or replacing centrifugal blowers with turbo blowers. However, our approach—especially for domestic wastewater processes—favors process changes over hardware changes. Domestic wastewater is one of the easiest to treat among hundreds of sources. We support domestic wastewater projects using Rotating Biological Contactor (RBC) processes. RBC technology provides up to 80% energy savings while maintaining the same quality as conventional processes. We partner with one of the world's leading local companies in this field. We apply RBC technology not only to domestic wastewater but also to greywater recovery for use in toilet flushing.

"The biggest challenge in the sector is that investors focus solely on the initial investment cost"

Could you provide information about the advantages your products provide to your customers?

One of the biggest challenges is that investors often focus only on the "initial investment cost" rather than the optimized "initial investment + operating cost." While in Europe and the US, plants are evaluated based on the total cost over 5 or 10 years, this is rarely considered in Turkey (except for EU-funded IPA projects).

Systems built only based on initial costs are not sustainable for carbon or water footprints. We recommend that investors evaluate projects based on the total cost of investment plus 5 or 10 years of operation. Focusing only on low initial costs increases both carbon and water footprints, negatively impacting the environment. This principle should be adopted by both the public and private sectors.

Which institutions and companies use your products and services? Which projects have you completed on a full turnkey basis?

Our turnkey projects include water/wastewater treatment, water recovery, and recovery at the source. We provide services to all sectors. We can treat even the most challenging/polluted wastewater using a specialized German technology, which makes us a game-changer in the industry.

Sectors we serve in recovery at the source include: Steel production, galvanizing, electrolytic copper production from scrap, plating baths, aluminum anodizing baths, and the production of CaSO₄ / MgSO₄ from wastewater in nickel mines.

"We completed our recovery project with the Swedish steel company HJULSBRO"

Can you give information about your international projects? Do you have a target market? We recently completed the design and manufacturing of a "Sulfuric Acid Recovery Plant" for the Swedish steel company HJULSBRO. This project features a capacity of removing 20 kg/h of iron from sulfuric acid and producing approximately 2,400 kg/day of FeSO₄.7H2O. Since FeSO₄.7H2O fertilizer is a byproduct with commercial value, the project supports both the circular economy and environmental sustainability. This project can pay for itself in a very short time. Our short-term goal is to secure and deliver similar projects in the metal surface treatment sectors in countries like Saudi Arabia, Sweden, and Finland.

"Our customers who want to implement recovery at the source can benefit from Green Deal incentives"

What are the significant advantages your products offer companies within the scope of the Green Deal?

Under the Green Deal, incentives for recovery at the source are highly beneficial. Customers can reduce their corporate tax base by up to 50% of the project cost. This effectively halves the project cost and the payback period. Once the project pays for itself, the savings in water and chemicals become a direct source of profit. Additionally, the electricity consumption of recovery systems is reimbursed by the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization, and Climate Change, further reducing operating costs.

"Our projects pay for themselves within 6 months to 1 year, providing a fast ROI for investors"

What benefits do your products provide to companies, especially in the water-intensive steel sector?

Recovery at the source plays a key role in minimizing environmental impact and providing economic savings. It is much more feasible to recover water and chemicals at the production source before they are mixed into other wastewater lines. For instance, these projects typically pay for themselves within 6 months to 1 year. In contrast, trying to recover heavily polluted wastewater at the final stage is more costly and less efficient.

"We are seeing high demand thanks to the significant projects we have carried out abroad"

How was the first half of 2025 for your activities? What are your year-end goals?

While domestic demand was relatively lower, we were able to close this gap in international markets. Following our project for HJULSBRO in Sweden, we observed an increase in international demand. Our 2025 year-end goal is to secure one or two more similar projects in the metal surface treatment sector in Saudi Arabia, Sweden, and Finland and deliver them by the end of the year.

Anything you would like to add?

We invite all industry representatives to prioritize recovery at the source. This approach is more advantageous for both economic and environmental sustainability. These projects also significantly improve PRODUCT QUALITY. Whether in pickling or plating processes, a recovery system prevents unwanted metal build-up and ensures a constant acid/metal concentration. This improves process quality and reduces the electricity consumption of rectifiers.

In summary, our projects contribute to the circular economy, support sustainability, and are preferred within the scope of BAT (Best Available Technique) because they enhance the quality of the manufactured product.