LIFE RECAD

NEW LIFE RECAD project fiche

LIFE RECAD: cleaner water, recovered resources and a healthier ecosystem in the Chaya River, in Bulgaria 

KCM Group, based in Bulgaria, is the country’s largest producer of lead and zinc and a leading producer of non-ferrous and precious metals in Southeastern Europe and the Black Sea region. Its manufacturing plant is located near the Chaya River, a protected Natura 2000 site (part of the EU’s network of protected areas aimed at safeguarding valuable and threatened habitats and species). As the coordinating beneficiary of the LIFE RECAD project, KCM is seeking a win-win solution to two pressing challenges. Currently, wastewater from its operations is discharged via a 4 km canal into the Chaya River. Although it is treated, the process may still lead to cadmium pollution, posing a risk to the ecological status of the Natura 2000 area. At the same time, valuable resources are being lost. Hydroxide cakes (solid waste by-products formed during industrial wastewater treatment) rich in metals such as zinc, cadmium and lead are being landfilled instead of being recovered and reused. The LIFE RECAD initiative aims to tackle these issues by reducing pollution, recovering critical raw materials and supporting the plant in complying with increasingly stringent environmental regulations at KCM’s group facility.

LIFE RECAD’s objectives: 

➢ Construct a Transitional Wastewater Treatment Facility (TWTF), using a multi-stage treatment process designed to intercept water at the point where metal concentrations are highest and flow is lowest, maximising treatment effectiveness 

➢ Demonstrate advanced treatment technologies, by showcasing a multi-stage purification cycle developed during the preparatory phase, proving its effectiveness in reducing pollutants 

➢ Reduce cadmium discharge, by achieving a fourfold reduction in cadmium concentrations reaching the Chaya River, helping to restore and protect this Natura 2000 site. 

➢ Recovering valuable metals, such as zinc, cadmium, and lead from wastewater and sludge, using a patented extraction technique 

➢ Introduce sustainable sludge management as an alternative to the currently practiced approach that sends the sludge produced during wastewater treatment to landfill 

➢ Ensure systematic monitoring and validation of the facility’s performance, effluent quality, and the health of the Chaya River. ➢ Support future replication of the project’s solution in other industrial sectors such as mining, foundries, and waste recycling.

Expected results: 

➢ Cleaner water discharges. By 2028, the new system is expected to achieve the following discharge limits in treated water: Lead (Pb) < 0.2 mg/l; Cadmium (Cd) < 0.01 mg/l; Zinc (Zn) < 1.0 mg/l; Arsenic (As) < 0.1 mg/l 

➢ Circular use of resources. The project will recycle up to 720 tonnes per year of zinc- and cadmium-rich sludge (hydroxide cake), recovering an estimated 96 tonnes of pure zinc and 45 tonnes of cadmium annually for reintegration into production 

➢ Improved local well-being as communities that depend on the Chaya River for agriculture and recreation will benefit from a healthier environment and reduced risk of contamination. 

➢ Long-term environmental protection as by working with NGOs and key stakeholders, the project will identify additional measures to protect the Natura 2000 site and help prevent cadmium from entering the food chain.

Quote from the Coordinating Beneficiary: 

Hristo Terziev, Project Manager

“If we come across other projects or start-ups working in similar fields, we’d definitely recommend the C2M support to them. This was a great opportunity: not only to connect with the C2M team, but also to explore ideas outside our usual industrial network”.