Protecting Seas & Oceans
Bilge Water Treatment
Bilgewater disposal is a critical challenge for all ships, including container ships, oil tankers, and freighters. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) mandates that bilgewater can only be discharged if its oil content is below 15 ppm. GEA bilge Separators not only meet but significantly exceed this requirement, ensuring compliance with environmental regulations. Additionally, the recovered oil can be repurposed for various applications, making the process both efficient and sustainable.
What is bilgewater?
Bilgewater forms from leaks of saltwater, cooling water, fuel oil, and lube oil, as well as from draining sedimentation and sludge tanks, cleaning processes, and accumulated soot and dirt. The IMO (International Maritime Organization) mandates that before bilgewater can be discharged into the sea, its oil content must be reduced to below 15 ppm. However, traditional separation methods often fail to achieve this limit cost-effectively.
Reducing oil content to <5 ppm
15 ppm without a filter
GEA has set a new benchmark in bilgewater treatment. Our GEA bilge Separators with integrated direct drive achieve residual oil content of 15 ppm across all performance classes – without the need for an additional adsorption filter or chemicals. This is made possible by:
- Optimized product feed into the bowl and disk stack for gentler processing.
- Increased clarifying area for superior oil-water separation.
5 ppm with a filter
As global environmental regulations tighten – especially in ecologically sensitive areas – many shipping companies now require bilgewater with residual oil content below 5 ppm. GEA meets these stricter standards with optional filtration add-ons, ensuring compliance with even the most demanding national and international regulations.
Recycled oil: a cost-effective & sustainable advantage
Unlike traditional separation methods that require expensive chemicals, frequent manual cleaning, or filter replacements, the GEA bilge Separator system offers:
- Self-cleaning & fully automated operation – requires no additional personnel.
- Economic efficiency – recovered oil can be reused as fuel.
- Environmental sustainability – reduces hazardous waste and chemical usage.
Invest in a sustainable, cost-effective bilgewater treatment solution.
Products & Technologies
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Centrifugal Separator
GEA separators are designed for liquid-based applications. Using centrifugal force, they are used for separating suspensions consisting of two or more phases of different densities, i.e. they can be used for liquid-liquid separation, for liquid-liquid-solid separation or for liquid-solid separation. They are equally as effective at separating liq...
Hygienic valves & components
Hygienic valves from GEA form the core component of matrix-piped process plants. Thanks to a pioneering valve concept that sets standards for its flexibility, as well as the latest control and automation functions, our valves offer manufacturers maximum product safety and process reliability. All GEA hygienic valves are designed to be efficient a...
Water Treatment Systems
Water treatment on the high seas must meet strict economic, technical, and environmental regulations. GEA provides advanced, IMO-compliant systems that protect marine ecosystems while ensuring cost-effective, smooth operations for ship owners and operators.
Other applications
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GEA Insights
Beyond the firewall: Securing what matters at GEA
Companies like GEA process and store large amounts of sensitive data. However, security incidents, from ransomware attacks to physical intrusions and industrial espionage, are ever-expanding. GEA’s effective protection of its business partners’ data – as well as its own proprietary information – is evolving into a competitive advantage. We spoke with Iskro Mollov, GEA’s Chief Information Security Officer, about what it takes to protect a global business in a volatile world.
Smart, stylish, circular: polycotton recycling with Circ
Resource-efficient fashion has been a long-sought ambition amid the fashion industry’s considerable contributions to global carbon emissions. The need to close the loop by recycling textile fibers into virgin-like materials is higher than ever but seemed like a distant dream until now: Circ, GEA’s American customer and pioneer in the field of textile recycling, might be rewriting the future of the fashion industry.
New food tipping point
Alternative proteins are promising – yet still expensive to produce. The usual response is that scaling up will solve this issue. But what if the solution was really about getting better, not just bigger? From more efficient, high-yield processes to upcycling waste heat, engineers are reshaping how we grow food.
