Zhejiang Sinou Environmental Protection Equipment Co., Ltd. has introduced a fully automated CO₂-carbonation wastewater treatment system for high-alkaline effluent from ready-mixed concrete batching plants, with commercial-scale units already commissioned in multiple regions, according to a release published on 8 September 2026 (FinancialContent). The system is aimed at plants that generate highly alkaline wastewater from concrete production, mixer-truck washing, mixer cleaning and site-floor rinsing, and that need a path to reclaimed-water reuse or zero-liquid-discharge.
- Zhejiang Sinou Environmental Protection Equipment Co., Ltd. developed a fully automated CO₂-carbonation neutralization system for high-alkaline batching-plant wastewater, according to a release published 8 September 2026 (FinancialContent).
- Under the reported operating window, treated effluent pH stabilised between 6.9 and 7.3, while dissolved solids, undissolved solids and total alkalinity fell significantly (FinancialContent).
- The supplier quotes an average CO₂ utilisation rate of 80.26% under its test conditions, with a CO₂ reagent cost of approximately 2.0–2.7 CNY per cubic metre of wastewater (FinancialContent).
- Output water complied with JGJ63-2006 Concrete Mixing Water Standard and GB/T19923-2005 Reclaimed-Water for Industrial-Use Standards, according to the same release (FinancialContent).
- The system holds invention patents, utility-model patents and software copyrights, has obtained "First Set of Equipment" certification from a Zhejiang provincial authority, and has completed official new-product appraisal (FinancialContent).
What happened: a CO₂ route for high-pH plant wastewater
The ready-mixed concrete industry consumes large volumes of water in concrete production, mixer-truck washing, mixer cleaning and site-floor rinsing, with each cubic metre of concrete requiring about 0.18 m³ of mixing water and producing about 0.03 m³ of wastewater, according to a release published on 8 September 2026 (FinancialContent). For batching plants, the treatment and reuse of highly alkaline wastewater remains a material environmental and operational issue (FinancialContent).
Sinou's own sampling of batching-plant sites found raw wastewater pH normally in the 12.6 to 12.8 range, with high levels of undissolved solids and dissolved alkalis that exceed typical acceptance thresholds for concrete-mixing water (FinancialContent). Direct discharge creates risks for soil and groundwater, while reuse of untreated high-pH water can trigger alkali-aggregate reaction risk, admixture compatibility problems, slump loss and setting issues in fresh concrete (FinancialContent).
What the system does and how it tested
The Zhejiang-based supplier has packaged the system around self-developed hydraulic ceramic plunger pumps, filter presses, CO₂-carbonation reactors, online water-quality monitors and PLC intelligent control units, with a process train of solid–liquid separation, CO₂ carbonation neutralisation, sedimentation and reclaimed-water recycling (FinancialContent). The design replaces conventional hydrochloric or sulphuric acid dosing, avoiding the chloride and sulphate salts those routes leave behind and removing the handling burden of bulk corrosive chemicals (FinancialContent).
Controlled tests reported by the supplier identified an optimum feed-water pressure of 0.3 MPa and a processing flow of 30 m³/h, at a constant CO₂ supply pressure of 0.05 MPa, with the cycle factor η close to 1 at that point (FinancialContent). The chemistry is straightforward: carbonic acid dissociates to supply hydrogen ions that neutralise hydroxide alkalinity, while dissolved calcium and magnesium precipitate as calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate solids (FinancialContent). Under those conditions, the release reports an average CO₂ utilisation rate of 80.26%, treated pH of 6.9 to 7.3, and compliance of the reclaimed water with JGJ63-2006 and GB/T19923-2005 for concrete mixing and industrial reuse (FinancialContent).
Commercial-scale projects have been commissioned in different regions and are described by the supplier as supporting wastewater recycling and zero-liquid-discharge at concrete batching plants (FinancialContent). The release also flags that CO₂ reagent cost runs at about 2.0–2.7 CNY per cubic metre of treated wastewater, before adding power consumption, with the figure cut off at publication (FinancialContent).
Specification read: what this means for a batching-plant buyer
The supplier's headline scale is a per-unit processing flow of 30 m³/h at the reported optimum feed-water pressure, which is 720 m³/day per train and is the only flow number the source provides; for plants generating the industry-typical 0.03 m³ of wastewater per cubic metre of concrete (general industry range, not from the sources), one 30 m³/h train can support batching output of roughly 1,000 m³ of concrete per day, before any allowance for truck-wash and floor-rinse streams. The chemistry is built around high-pH neutralisation with CO₂ rather than biological or membrane treatment, so the relevant train is: upstream solid–liquid separation (filter press for cement fines) → CO₂ carbonation reactor for pH adjustment and Ca/Mg precipitation → sedimentation → online water-quality monitoring and PLC-controlled reclaimed-water recycling, with the source release reporting treated pH of 6.9 to 7.3 and compliance with JGJ63-2006 and GB/T19923-2005 (FinancialContent). This sits ahead of any biological stage and is not a substitute for one; for plants that also need to polish dissolved organics or hardness, downstream options on the buyer's bench include Mbr Membrane Systems for tight effluent reuse targets and Daf Flotation Systems for solids or emulsion removal in the upstream clarifier train, while context on reuse economics for industrial blowdown is laid out in RO vs Ion Exchange for API and Formulation Wastewater: 2026 OPEX Verdict for Cooling Blowdown Reuse and in UF vs DAF for API & Formulation Wastewater: RO Pretreatment Guide 2026. If your plant runs a ready-mix batching operation with raw wastewater pH in the 12.5 to 13 range, mixer-truck and floor-rinse streams, and a local or provincial driver for zero-liquid-discharge or reclaimed-water reuse, the CO₂ route is positioned to remove the acid-handling step, drop pH into the 6.9 to 7.3 band reported, and feed reuse loops for batching, truck-wash and floor-rinse, with a stated CO₂ reagent cost of 2.0–2.7 CNY/m³ to budget against.
FAQ
What pH can the system deliver after treatment, and does the reclaimed water meet Chinese reuse standards?
The release reports treated effluent pH stabilising between 6.9 and 7.3, with the supplier stating the output complies with JGJ63-2006 Concrete Mixing Water Standard and GB/T19923-2005 Reclaimed-Water for Industrial-Use Standards (FinancialContent). Reuse is described as suitable for concrete batching, mixer-truck washing and site-floor rinsing.
What is the headline reagent cost and per-train flow, and what is the supplier's quoted CO₂ utilisation rate?
Under the reported optimum conditions of 0.3 MPa feed-water pressure, 30 m³/h flow and 0.05 MPa CO₂ supply pressure, the release quotes an average CO₂ utilisation rate of 80.26% and a CO₂ reagent cost of approximately 2.0–2.7 CNY per m³ of wastewater (FinancialContent). Power consumption is referenced but the figure is truncated in the published text.
Is the system certified and has it been deployed beyond the lab?
According to the release, the system holds invention patents, utility-model patents and software copyrights, has obtained "First Set of Equipment" certification from a Zhejiang provincial authority, and has completed official new-product appraisal with core technologies ranked at an advanced domestic-industry level (FinancialContent). Commercial-scale projects are reported as commissioned in different regions, supporting zero-liquid-discharge operation.
How should a buyer shortlist this against a conventional acid-dosing system?
Conventional routes rely on hydrochloric or sulphuric acid, which introduces sulphate and chloride salts and adds corrosive-chemical handling, whereas the Sinou system uses CO₂ to neutralise hydroxide alkalinity and precipitate calcium and magnesium as carbonates (FinancialContent). Lead time, civil works and the cost of downstream salt removal are not quoted in the source and would need to be requested directly from the supplier (general industry range, not from the sources).
