Patent ID: 8425639

Claim:
A method of recycling a water-based wire saw cutting slurry waste fluid comprising abrasive particles and waste solids in an aqueous carrier, the process comprising the steps of: (a) providing the water-based wire saw cutting slurry waste fluid, wherein the aqueous carrier has a water content of about 75 wt. % or greater, a polymer having an average molecular weight of greater than about 2000 Da, and free of at least one preconditioning agent selected from the group consisting of oxidizing agents, pH adjusters, coagulants, and surfactants; (b) separating the water-based wire saw cutting slurry waste fluid into a first fraction and a second fraction, the first fraction being enhanced for the abrasive particles, and the second fraction being enhanced for the waste solids and said water-based carrier; (c) optionally, separating the second fraction from step (b) to form a waste solids portion and a recovered water-based carrier portion; and (d) suspending particles from the first fraction of step (b) in an aqueous suspending medium to generate a recycled water-based wire saw cutting slurry, wherein the process further comprises a preconditioning step prior to step (b), the preconditioning step comprising adding at least one preconditioning agent selected from the group consisting of oxidizing agents, pH adjusters, coagulants, and surfactants to the waste fluid.