FC Joias and the environment: preserving is everyone’s duty.

The water on our planet is distributed this way: 97.5% is salt water found in seas and oceans, and 2.5% is fresh water found in glaciers, rivers, lakes and dams, while only 0.3% is available for human use. According to recent studies, with the current conditions of consumption and misuse of water and if the current conditions of management of water resources are maintained, only a quarter of humanity will have water for its needs by 2050. In addition to being essential for the survival of living beings on our planet, water is one of the main raw materials used in the veneer manufacturing process, acting on a large scale in the cleaning, polishing and washing steps of the veneer parts after the galvanic processes , where the pieces receive the plating. It is important to emphasize that after it in the manufacture of the veneered pieces, the water is no longer suitable for use and becomes a toxic waste, called effluent, which cannot be disposed of in the public sewage collection network. Faced with this scenario and concerned with the condition of the environment, FC Joias, based on its principles of social responsibility, makes every effort to preserve the environment and has, in its veneer manufacturing unit, an Effluent Treatment Station (ETS) responsible for depolluting all the water used in the aforementioned processes, complying with the strict criteria and parameters of the environmental legislation in force in our country. Based on this system we can proudly say that we do not dump any drop of water containing toxic waste into our rivers.

The search for continuous improvement is part of our daily life, both regarding the development of new products, service and everything else that you, our partners, follow throughout our relationship and regarding new process technologies. Therefore, we present below two effluent treatment systems adopted in our company for you to know a little more about us:

Effluent Treatment System

The effluent generated during the process of surface treatment of parts by electrodeposition generates acid, alkaline, cyanide effluents, containing heavy metals. And for this effluent to return to the environment, it is necessary to comply with the standards established by environmental agencies. In this way, the cyanide effluent is treated with sodium hypochlorite at pH 11.5 to 12.8 where the cyanides (CN-1) are oxidized to cyanides (CNO-1), which will occur with the consumption of oxygen linked to the oxidizing hypochlorite anion (ClO-1), 1000 times less toxic.

After this stage, the pH is reduced with hydrochloric acid, to 8.0 - 9.5 so that the cyanides are oxidized to carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrogen (N2). After this process, polymers are then added where metals are precipitated in the form of hydroxides.

The precipitate, a pasty residue known as galvanic sludge, is drained in a filter press and the pie obtained is placed in drums for disposal in certified companies.

The effluent treatment produces water within the parameters required by environmental control agencies, used for washing floors, flushing bins or other activities that do not involve human consumption, or returned to the urban sewage network.

Ion Exchange System

With the use of this system, all water used in part of the plating process of the veneered parts is purified, making it suitable for industrial use, causing a reduction in water consumption and, consequently, a reduction in the amount of chemical products needed for waste treatment.