Evaporator system offers low-cost mobile treatment of leachate and wastewater

The Neptune Evaporator System manufactured by Hot Springs, Arkansas-based Neptune Systems is a new low-cost method for environmentally-sound leachate, storm water, and wastewater disposal in waste management, fracking, water treatment, industrial and mining applications.

Delivering onsite disposal at a cost of less than 1 cent per gallon, the Neptune Evaporator converts the waste liquid stream into an aerosol, which allows the water to evaporate while all contaminants settle back in a narrow alley at the front of the evaporator. Mounted on a trailer for easy transport onsite or to multiple locations, the Neptune Evaporator typically processes an average of 4,000 gallons per hour and up to 9,000 gallons per hour in optimum conditions. 

“Currently the most common method of treating leachate is hauling it to a waste water treatment plant or installing a treatment plant onsite at a cost of around $0.30 per gallon plus trucking costs,” says Roxanne Garrett, president of Neptune Systems.

“As to the Neptune Evaporator, all inclusive operating costs (which include the complete system – plus fuel, maintenance, and labour) are estimated at less than $0.01 per gallon evaporated,” she says. 

Garrett stresses that other companies have attempted to use evaporation to dispose of leachate; however, the systems are either combustion driven, or require separation of the solids prior to beginning the aerosol process. 

Regarding the operation of the Neptune Evaporator, Garrett explains that when the leachate is turned into an aerosol, all containments and debris with a size in excess of 5 microns drop out in a designated “evaporation alley.”

The remainder of the water and all particulates smaller than 5 microns are converted into stage 1 aerosol and disappear into the atmosphere, also acting as a dust-suppressant on the way out.