EGR Bleed-off Water Treatment for a Swiss Engine Manufacturer

Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) is one of the key technologies enabling modern marine engines to meet increasingly strict NOx emission limits under IMO Tier III. But EGR systems come with a by-product that must be managed carefully: bleed-off water, laden with soot, heavy metals, sulfuric compounds, and other contaminants scrubbed from the exhaust stream. Before this water can be discharged, it must be treated to meet IMO's stringent quality criteria for PAHs, nitrates, turbidity, and pH.

We partnered with a leading Swiss engine manufacturer to develop an EGR bleed-off water treatment system engineered specifically for integration with their Tier III engine platforms. The system was designed to work seamlessly within the engine manufacturer's own EGR unit, providing reliable, IMO-compliant treatment as a fully integrated component rather than a bolt-on afterthought.

Highlights of the collaboration include: Compact, engine-integrated design built to fit the tight space and weight constraints of a modern engine room; Multi-stage treatment process addressing particulates, hydrocarbons, and dissolved contaminants to meet IMO discharge criteria with margin for real-world variability; Robust performance across load conditions, from slow steaming to full power, where bleed-off water characteristics can vary significantly; Close engineering collaboration with the manufacturer's design team to ensure the treatment system met their engine platform's control logic and monitoring standards.

The partnership reflects a broader trend in the industry: emissions and water treatment technologies are no longer separate afterthoughts bolted on at the end of a project, but core engineering disciplines designed in from the start. For engine manufacturers pushing the boundaries of NOx reduction, having a treatment system that's proven to keep pace is essential.