Flexographic Ink Wastewater Treatment
Water-based flexographic printing brings packaging to life with bold colors and sharp details, but behind every vivid print run is a wastewater challenge waiting to be solved. Inks, pigments, adhesives, metals, and fine solids can turn wash water into a costly, compliance riksn. Bringing treatment in-house with ALAR’s flexographic ink wastewater treatment solutions means you can take control of your discharge, cut disposal costs, and keep your operation running at full speed.
Every printing operation has its own wastewater challenges, which is why ALAR offers expert consultation and pilot testing. We tailor our pretreatment and filtration systems to match your exact wastewater profile, ensuring efficient, compliant treatment that fits into your process. Reach out to our team to explore how the Flex-O-Star System can help your facility manage printing wastewater efficiently.
Importance of Wastewater Treatment for Water-Based Inks
In water-based printing processes, the byproduct is rarely just harmless rinse water. Even when pigments are labeled as “non-toxic,” the concentrated levels found in press wash water and production discharge can overwhelm municipal treatment plants and put your facility out of compliance. Water from flexographic operations can also contain metals such as zinc, copper, lead, and chrome, along with adhesives, starches, resins, and oils. Without proper treatment, these contaminants can accumulate in pipelines, damage infrastructure, and enter the environment.
Regulatory Compliance
Pretreatment programs exist to protect publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) from damage and ensure toxic pollutants are removed before discharge. A properly configured flexographic ink wastewater system helps facilities stay within permit limits for metals, pH, oil and grease, and total suspended solids.
Operational Efficiency
Outsourcing wastewater hauling is expensive and can disrupt workflow, while in-house treatment reduces disposal costs and gives facilities full control over discharge quality. This control translates to less downtime, faster throughput, and greater adaptability when production demands change.
Environmental Responsibility
By treating wastewater before it reaches the sewer, facilities prevent harmful contaminants from entering local waterways. This protects aquatic life, preserves community resources, and demonstrates a long-term commitment to sustainable operations. It also positions your company as a proactive partner in protecting public infrastructure.
ALAR's Flexographic Printing Treatment System: Flex-O-Star®
The Flex-O-Star® is ALAR’s proprietary flexographic ink wastewater system designed specifically for the printing and packaging industry. It combines chemical pretreatment with mechanical dewatering to target ink and pigment removal at the source. Process steps:
- Chemical Conditioning: Adjusts pH, precipitates heavy metals, and separates adhesives, oils, and other contaminants from the water.
- Mechanical Filtration: Uses the Auto-Vac™ rotary vacuum precoat filter to capture solids as small as one micron.
- Final Output: Produces clear, compliant water for discharge and dry solids suitable for landfill disposal.
Each Flex-O-Star system is skid-mounted, pre-piped, and pre-wired for efficient installation. ALAR also offers consultation and pilot testing to ensure the system is configured for your exact wastewater profile.
Where Flexographic Ink Wastewater Treatment Makes the Most Impact
Flexographic printing is widely used across industries that require high-volume printing on various substrates. Common categories include:
Corrugated Packaging
Boxes, cartons, and trays for shipping and retail.
Flexible Packaging
Bags, pouches, overwraps, and wrappers for food, cosmetics, and pharmaceuticals.
Labels
Pressure-sensitive, shrink-sleeve, and multi-ply labels for bottles, containers, and consumer goods.
Paper Products
Envelopes, gift wrap, wallpaper, and business forms.
Plastic Films
Grocery bags, industrial liners, and packaging films.
Disposable Containers
Cups, plates, and food service items.
Gaming & Promotional Materials
Scratch-off tickets and promotional packaging.
Adhesive Tapes
Printed tapes for branding or instructions.
Metallic Foils & Laminates
Specialty packaging and decorative applications
Pollutants in Ink-Based Wastewater Requiring Treatment
The makeup of flexographic printing wastewater depends on the inks and processes used, but certain pollutants are consistently present and must be addressed before discharge.
Pigments and Dyes
Colorants used in flexographic inks are persistent in water and require fine filtration for removal.
Heavy Metals
Zinc, copper, lead, and chrome from ink formulations can be harmful to both infrastructure and the environment if left untreated.
Adhesives
PVA glue, starch, and other binders can contribute to sludge buildup and clogging in treatment systems.
Oils and Grease
Trace oils from machinery and ink components can create compliance issues if not removed.
Total Suspended Solids (TSS)
Microscopic particles that cloud water and increase pollutant load must be separated before discharge.
Take Control of Your Flexographic Ink Wastewater Today
Put an end to costly wastewater hauling and compliance headaches with a treatment system built for your operation. Contact ALAR today to learn how our flexographic ink wastewater treatment solutions can help you meet regulations, cut costs, and improve efficiency.
Frequently Asked Questions About Flexographic Ink Wastewater Systems
Understanding how a flexographic ink wastewater system works can help you make the right investment for your operation. These frequently asked questions address performance, integration, and cost considerations so you can plan with confidence.
It is purpose-built for flexographic applications, combining chemical pretreatment with self-cleaning microfiltration to handle inks, pigments, and adhesives more efficiently than traditional clarifiers or filter presses.
Yes. ALAR designs systems to work as standalone units or retrofit to current machinery for a seamless fit into your process.
The system is available in multiple sizes, allowing it to serve both smaller production lines and high-volume facilities.
ALAR manufactures industrial wastewater treatment equipment for worldwide distribution.
Flexographic ink wastewater is a moving target; no two waste streams are alike. ALAR understands the difference and uses its chemical, engineering and technological expertise to deliver results that work.
Responsible industrial wastewater management makes the difference between regulatory compliance and non-compliance. ALAR offers a variety of mechanical and chemical pretreatment systems that allow customers to make an educated decision.
The Auto-Vac™ is a self-cleaning rotary vacuum drum precoat filter capable of generating direct city discharge water and landfill-ready dry solids. The Auto-Vac™ vacuums treated wastewater through a filter aid media that traps the solids while an advancing knife blade shaves the solids off the surface.
The benefits of Auto-Vac™ in the Flexographic Ink Industry include:
- Single Pass One-Micron Filtration
- No Clarifier – No Sludge Dryer Needed
- pH Driven – Little to No Polymer (Coagulant or Flocculent) Needed
- No Sludge Settling Needed
- No Filter Press Blowdown Cycle – Filter Blinding or Bottlenecks
- No Oil Separator Needed for Trace or Emulsified Oils
- Typically More Efficient than a Clarifier and Filter Press
- Capable of Filtering High Graphic Ink Solids, Starch and Adhesives Combined
The Flex-O-Star® is an automatic batch or continuous flow chemical pretreatment system, combined with the Auto-Vac® RVDPF technology.
The Flex-O-Star® is a pre-piped, pre-wired, skid-mounted automatic wastewater pretreatment and dewatering system that incorporates a two-step process: Chemical and Mechanical.
STEP 1: Chemical pretreatment uses pH, ORP and [occasionally] polymer to precipitate (separate) heavy metals, suspended solids, trace or emulsified oil & grease, and surfactants from the water [liquid].
STEP 2: Mechanical filtration uses the Auto-Vac™ precoat filter technology to physically remove and dewater the chemically separated solids. The one-micron filtered water discharges into the municipal sewer or is pumped to a dissolved solids (IX or RO) or bio-reactor (UV or SBR) system for reuse/ recycling.
The Sludge Settling Clarifier & Micro-Klean™ is the conventional “go-to” combination liquid-solid separation system used for high volume/ low solid flexo ink process wastewater.
The Clarifier produces a clear effluent through the separation of liquid from settling solids. Concentrated heavy solids “sink” to the bottom of the clarifier and are pumped to a sludge settling tank and dewatering filter.
The Micro-Klean™ is a robust pre-piped, solid steel plate-n-frame dewatering filter press; equipped with an automatic hydraulic ram and solids collection bin. The Micro-Klean™ will filter the sludge until the solids fill each plate. Over time, the buildup of solids will block any more water from passing through the filter. When the filter press is full, the operator will blow out residual moisture, open the press plates and scrape them down. The solids will fall into a collection bin and the filtrate is discharged into the sewer or returned to the chemical pretreatment cycle.
ALAR Provides Wastewater Equipment Solutions for the Flexographic Ink Industry:
Water-based ink manufacturers and product users require the best available technology to achieve compliance. The standard limit category of regulated effluent discharge pollutants are: Copper (Metals), Total Suspended Solids (TSS), Oil & Grease (FOG), and pH.
ALAR services industries such as:
Flexographic Ink, Coatings and Allied Product Manufacturers
Corrugated, Sheet, Box, Bag, Overwrap, Packaging and Printing Companies
Plastic Color and Recycling Industries
Scratch Off [Gaming] Print Manufacturers
Envelope and Labeling Industries
...Along with discharges from many other operations associated with the flexographic ink processes above
ALAR designs each system to meet the customer's build-to specifications. ALAR begins with stock layouts, and customizes the auxiliary equipment according to the customer's specifications.
These stock layouts are available in PDF format. Contact ALAR for more information.
Case Studies
ALAR Keeps Corrugated Company in Compliance
A west coast packaging company experienced problems with their existing flexographic ink wastewater treatment equipment. Three locations reported that their plate-n-frame filter press systems caused bottlenecks and maintenance issues.
