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Explore our flagship evaporator systems engineered for maximum thermal efficiency, minimal energy consumption, and reliable industrial clean water recovery performance.
A deep-dive into the technology reshaping global water treatment and industrial liquid concentration.
A Multi-Effect Evaporator (MEE) is a highly efficient thermal separation system that uses the secondary steam generated from one evaporation stage (effect) as the heating medium for the next stage. By cascading multiple effects — typically 2 to 7 or more — the system dramatically reduces overall steam consumption compared to single-effect evaporation.
In desalination applications, MEE systems heat seawater or brackish water in the first effect using external steam. The resulting vapor passes into the second effect as heat, evaporating more water at a lower pressure and temperature. This chain reaction continues through all effects, recovering clean distillate water at each stage. The concentrated brine is discharged or further processed for zero-liquid-discharge (ZLD) compliance.
In industrial clean water recovery, MEE technology treats high-salinity wastewater, pharmaceutical effluents, chemical process water, and food-grade process streams — separating valuable water from dissolved solids, salts, and organic compounds with minimal energy input.
Compared to single-stage evaporation or reverse osmosis (RO) alone, MEE systems offer a unique combination of advantages: they handle high-TDS (total dissolved solids) feeds that would foul RO membranes, they recover near-pure distillate water, and they can be seamlessly integrated with waste heat recovery systems to achieve near-zero incremental energy cost.
🌊 A well-designed 6-effect evaporator system can reduce steam consumption by up to 80% compared to single-effect operation — making it the gold standard for energy-efficient industrial desalination and clean water recovery worldwide.
Modern MEE systems from leading manufacturers such as Jiangsu Zongheng incorporate advanced falling-film heat exchangers, Thermal Vapor Recompression (TVR), and Mechanical Vapor Recompression (MVR) to push energy efficiency to its theoretical limits, delivering the lowest possible operating costs per ton of water recovered.
Multi-effect cascade design reuses steam energy across 2–7+ stages, cutting steam consumption by up to 80% versus single-effect systems. MVR integration achieves minimal unit energy consumption.
Produces distillate-quality clean water from seawater, brackish water, and industrial wastewater, meeting stringent discharge or reuse standards including ZLD compliance.
Scalable from small pilot units to massive industrial installations handling tens of thousands of cubic meters per day, suitable for municipal desalination plants and large industrial facilities.
Designed to utilize low-grade waste heat from industrial processes — including exhaust steam, flue gas heat exchangers, and hot condensate — dramatically reducing operating costs.
Handles seawater, brackish water, high-salinity industrial wastewater, pharmaceutical effluents, food-grade liquids, chemical process streams, and more — including heat-sensitive materials.
Constructed from corrosion-resistant materials (duplex stainless steel, titanium, high-alloy options) with ASME-certified pressure vessel design ensuring long service life and minimal downtime.
The multi-effect evaporator market is experiencing accelerating growth driven by water scarcity, tightening environmental regulations, and the industrial push toward carbon neutrality.
The global desalination market is projected to exceed USD 32 billion by 2030. MEE technology accounts for a significant share of thermal desalination capacity, particularly in the Middle East, North Africa, and South/Southeast Asia where high-temperature waste heat is abundantly available from power generation and petrochemical industries.
Increasingly stringent environmental regulations in China, India, the EU, and North America are mandating zero-liquid-discharge compliance for chemical, pharmaceutical, textile, and mining industries. MEE systems serve as the core concentration stage in ZLD trains, paired with crystallizers to achieve full solid-liquid separation.
The combination of Multi-Effect Evaporation with Mechanical Vapor Recompression (MVR) and Thermal Vapor Recompression (TVR) is becoming the industry standard for new installations. This hybrid approach can achieve specific energy consumption as low as 8–15 kWh per ton of evaporated water — a critical step toward industrial carbon neutrality targets.
Next-generation MEE plants are increasingly equipped with real-time IoT monitoring, AI-powered process optimization, and predictive maintenance systems. These smart capabilities maximize uptime, optimize steam consumption dynamically, and enable remote diagnostics — transforming MEE from a static process unit into an intelligent, adaptive system.
Beyond traditional applications, MEE is expanding into lithium battery material production (lithium carbonate concentration), rare earth processing, semiconductor wastewater treatment, and green hydrogen production support — reflecting its versatility as a core industrial separation technology.
Chinese MEE manufacturers, led by companies like Jiangsu Zongheng, have achieved world-class design and manufacturing capabilities — holding ASME "U" Stamp authorization and ISO9001 certification — and are increasingly winning international contracts in Russia, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and beyond, competing directly with traditional European suppliers.
Multi-effect evaporators serve as mission-critical equipment across a wide spectrum of industries demanding reliable desalination and clean water recovery.
MEE plants produce potable water from seawater at coastal power stations, islands, offshore platforms, and water-scarce regions, leveraging low-cost waste heat from co-located power plants.
Textile dyeing, chemical synthesis, and mining operations generate high-TDS wastewater that cannot be treated by biological methods. MEE concentrates the brine for downstream crystallization, achieving full ZLD compliance.
Concentration of corn steep liquor, alcohol stillage, starch sugar syrups, glucose, fructose, sorbitol, trehalose, and erythritol — recovering clean condensate water for process reuse while concentrating valuable by-products.
Gentle low-temperature evaporation under vacuum conditions protects heat-sensitive active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) while recovering high-purity water and concentrating valuable solutions such as ammonium sulfate, threonine, and itaconic acid.
Treatment of produced water, desalter effluent, and oilfield brine. MEE systems recover clean water for injection or discharge while concentrating hydrocarbon-contaminated streams for safe disposal or further treatment.
Concentration of lithium carbonate mother liquors, nickel-cobalt-manganese (NCM) precursor wash water, and electrolyte recovery streams — a rapidly growing application driven by the global EV battery manufacturing boom.
Landfill leachate contains complex organic pollutants and high salinity that resist conventional biological treatment. MEE-based ZLD systems provide a reliable solution, producing clean water and concentrated solids for safe disposal.
Concentration of distillery stillage and DDGS (Dried Distillers Grains with Solubles) processing streams, recovering clean condensate water and producing high-value concentrated by-products for animal feed applications.
Incoming feed water or industrial liquid is preheated using condensate heat exchangers, recovering energy from downstream effects before entering the first evaporation stage.
External steam heats the feed in the first effect. The generated secondary steam flows to the second effect as the heating medium, while concentrated liquid advances to subsequent stages.
Each subsequent effect operates at progressively lower pressure and temperature, using the secondary steam from the previous effect. Clean water vapor is condensed and collected at each stage.
High-purity distillate water is collected from all condenser stages. The final concentrated brine or liquor is discharged for crystallization, further processing, or ZLD treatment.
Jiangsu Zongheng Concentration & Drying Equipment Co., Ltd.
Jiangsu Zongheng Concentration & Drying Equipment Co., Ltd. (formerly Yixing Yangxi Light Industry Machinery Factory), founded in 1992, is located in Zhoutie Town, Yixing City, on the shores of the beautiful Taihu Lake. The company covers an area of over 54,000 square meters, with a production workshop area of over 22,000 square meters.
Jiangsu Zongheng is a modern high-tech enterprise specializing in the manufacturing of concentration, drying, starch industry, alcohol DDGS, and Category III medium & low-pressure vessel equipment. It is currently a member enterprise of the China Starch and Alcohol Association. Its products are widely used in industries such as food fermentation, alcohol, chemical, pharmaceutical, environmental protection, and petrochemical.
The company's other main products include Tube Bundle Dryers, with design and manufacturing capabilities reaching 1600m² (making it a primary manufacturer of large tube bundle dryers). Other main products such as Single Screw Fiber & Germ Dehydrators and Wash Cyclones are recognized as high-quality products by starch manufacturers and the industry. High-quality products and a sincere service attitude have won consistent praise and trust from numerous users at home and abroad, fully demonstrating the company's first-class technical advantages and manufacturing capabilities for large-scale equipment.
Jiangsu Zongheng is always committed to exploration and innovation. Through years of sincere effort and user support, it has achieved sustained development. Main products include evaporation plants, comprising Multi-Effect Evaporators, Thermal Vapor Recompressors (TVR), Waste Heat Evaporators, and Mechanical Vapor Recompressors (MVR, achieving minimal unit energy consumption). These are widely used for liquid concentration, including distillates, alcohol stillage, ammonium sulfate, corn steep liquor, itaconic acid, threonine, starch sugar, sorbitol, glucose, fructose, trehalose, erythritol, organic wastewater, high-salinity wastewater, etc., making the company one of the domestic manufacturers with the most extensive product variety.
In March 2002, the company took the lead in obtaining ISO9001:2015 international quality system certification (Certificate No.: 45021), establishing a complete quality assurance system aligned with international standards. In July 2007, it became a Jiangsu Provincial High-Tech Enterprise. In April 2009, the company obtained the Special Equipment Manufacturing License of the People's Republic of China (License No.: TS2232C42). In August 2012, it acquired the ASME "U" Stamp authorization, marking the company's entry into a new phase of development. The company possesses strong R&D capabilities and advanced manufacturing processes, currently employing over 3 senior engineers and more than 20 engineers and assistant engineers. Multiple innovative technologies have been patented, and many products hold leading positions domestically.
The company currently holds an absolutely leading position in evaporation technology and has extensive cooperation with many renowned large domestic group companies, including Zhuofeng Biology, Meihua Group, Yufeng Group, Yihai Kerry, North China Pharmaceutical Group, Harbin Pharmaceutical Group, Shouguang Juneng, Qilu Pharmaceutical, Qiyuan Pharmaceutical, Xiwang Group, Shengtai Biology, Zhejiang Huakang, Kelun Pharmaceutical (Yili), and Shandong Tianli.
While meeting domestic market demand, the company's DDGS alcohol equipment and tube bundle dryer series products have been exported to Russia and Southeast Asian markets.
We are capable of providing professional technical support and after-sales service nationwide for our vast user base. High-quality products and their unique solutions not only enhance our corporate economic benefits but also bring us satisfaction by solving processing challenges for our clients.
We warmly welcome friends from various industries, both domestic and international, to visit us for cooperation and mutual development!
Discover our full range of waste heat and multi-effect evaporator systems designed for diverse industrial desalination and wastewater recovery applications.
