Water recycling in a melamine production process

1. A method for recycling water in a melamine production process comprising:

a wet process comprising an aqueous treatment of a melamine melt from a melamine synthesis plant with an aqueous alkali containing solution, wherein the aqueous treatment comprises quenching of a melamine melt from a melamine synthesis plant after off-gas separation with NaOH or KOH solution, and crystallisation for providing solid melamine and a triazine containing alkaline mother liquor,

a wastewater treatment process comprising thermal treatment of said triazine containing alkaline mother liquor, wherein the thermal treatment comprises a thermal hydrolysis stage performed at a temperature of between 200 to 260° C., and

a recycling process, wherein at least parts of the thermally treated alkaline mother liquor are being recycled to the wet process.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the part of the thermally treated alkaline mother liquor which is not being recycled to the wet process is discharged as wastewater.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the thermally treated alkaline mother liquor is subjected to filtration before at least parts of it are being recycled to the wet process.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the thermally treated alkaline mother liquor is fed to at least one membrane filtration unit (MF), is separated in the membrane filtration unit (MF) into a permeate and retentate, whereby at least parts of the permeate are recycled to the wet process.

5. The method according to claim 3 , wherein the membrane filtration unit comprises an ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein up to 80 wt % of the thermally treated alkaline mother liquor and/or the permeate are recycled to the wet process.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the thermally treated alkaline mother liquor is subjected to causticisation before at least parts of it are being recycled to the wet process.

8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein Ca(OH) 2 or lime is added to the thermally treated alkaline mother liquor.

9. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the causticised solution is subjected to a solid separation step, and recycling at least parts of the NaOH enriched supernatant to the wet process.

10. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the wastewater is fed to and separated in a membrane filtration unit (MF) into permeate and retentate, whereby at least parts of the permeate are recycled to the wet process.

11. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the permeate leaving the membrane filtration unit is causiticised, the causticised solution is then subjected to a solid separation step, and at least parts of the supernatant are recycled to the wet process.

12. The method according to claim 2 , wherein at least parts of the wastewater are used for cooling purposes.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein said parts of wastewater are used as make up water.

14. The method according to claim 7 , wherein slaked lime is added to the thermally treated alkaline mother liquor.

15. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the causticised solution is subjected to filtration and recycling at least parts of the NaOH enriched supernatant to the wet process.

16. The method according to claim 10 , wherein the permeate leaving the membrane filtration unit is causiticised, the causticised solution is then subjected to precipitation or filtration, and at least parts of the supernatant are recycled to the wet process.