INTERVIEW: GLANCO Recover & Recycle General Manager Özgür Koçak

October 2023

https://www.suvecevre.com/eder...

“Recovering Water at the Production Source is More Advantageous”

Stating that instead of first polluting water with process wastewater and then recovering it by consuming chemicals and electricity, it is much more feasible to recover water, chemicals, etc., separately at the production source, GLANCO Recover & Recycle General Manager Özgür Koçak points out that these projects pay for themselves within six months to a year.

First of all, could you tell us about your company and your areas of activity? "GLANCO Recover & Recycle is an affiliate of the Gilan Group. Although the company was established recently, it is ready to take on a 'game-changer' role in the sector thanks to its highly experienced managers and personnel. Our fields of activity include turnkey projects (design, manufacturing/supply, installation, commissioning, and after-sales support) for classic water and wastewater treatment plants, as is the case with all other environmental technology companies, as well as turnkey 'niche' projects focused on recovery at the source."

Can you talk about your experience in wastewater? "As an environmental engineer who has served in the environmental sector for nearly 30 years, I have always tried to implement special projects aimed at recovery at the source. I have realized many niche and recovery-oriented projects, such as sulfuric acid recovery plant projects, recovery projects that obtain iron sulfate heptahydrate fertilizer from acid, and solvent recovery projects with very high COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) pollution."

How do you define water management? "We handle water management as a whole. We do not see water just as wastewater, but as a value. Our fundamental philosophy is to separate and recover polluting elements at the source, rather than polluting the water first and then cleaning it. We aim to position wastewater treatment plants in industrial facilities not as cost centers, but as 'water production centers'."

What are your suggestions regarding Return on Investment (ROI) and costs? "The biggest advantage of the projects we implement is the economic payback periods. When you recover water at the source, you both save on water costs and lighten the load on the main treatment plant. Such recovery-oriented special projects can generally amortize the investment cost in a short period of six months to a year, thanks to the decrease in operating costs. Additionally, we suggest the following technical methods to reduce the costs of wastewater treatment plants:

• Reducing chemical consumption by preferring biological methods (e.g., Johannesburg Process) for phosphorus removal.
• Using turbo blowers instead of roots-type blowers in plants above a certain capacity.
• Operating pumping stations at 'full pool level' with level transmitters and frequency-converted pumps.
• Monitoring plants online via SCADA systems and optimizing the data."

What technologies do you expect in the future? "We foresee that membrane technologies such as Cross Flow RO (Reverse Osmosis), Cross Flow NF (Nanofiltration), and Cross Flow UF (Ultrafiltration) will develop further and their use will become more widespread in wastewater and recovery technologies."