Top 5 Water Treatment Circuit Board Recycling Equipment Suppliers in Japan [2025]

First off, let’s talk about EcoTech Japan. These guys have been in the game for over 20 years, and they’ve built a reputation for making recycling equipment that’s both tough and gentle on the planet. What really sets them apart? Their focus on integrating water treatment right into their circuit board recycling systems. You don’t just get a machine that shreds and sorts—you get a complete package that cleans the water used in the process, so you’re not left scrambling to handle wastewater. One of their star products is the circuit board recycling plant WCBD-2000A . If you’ve ever toured a recycling facility, you know that consistency is key, and this plant delivers. With a capacity of 500 to 2000 kg per hour, it’s flexible enough for small to medium operations. But what really impresses is the dry separator built into it. Dry separation uses air and vibration to sort metals from non-metals, which means it uses less water than traditional wet methods. But even with dry separation, there’s still water involved in cooling and cleaning, and that’s where EcoTech’s water process equipment shines. Their water treatment system is like a mini water purification plant built right into the recycling line. It starts with a series of filters to catch solid particles—think bits of plastic and metal dust—then uses activated carbon to pull out any dissolved chemicals. The result? Water that’s clean enough to reuse in the process or safely release back into the environment. I visited a client of theirs in Osaka last year, and their plant manager told me, “Before EcoTech, we were spending a fortune on third-party water treatment. Now, the WCBD-2000A handles it all in-house, and our water bill has dropped by 30%.” Another thing to love about EcoTech is their commitment to innovation. They recently upgraded the WCBD-2000A with a smart monitoring system that tracks water usage in real time. If the system detects a spike in contaminants, it automatically adjusts the treatment process—no human intervention needed. For busy facility managers, that’s a game-changer. It means less time troubleshooting and more time focusing on what matters: recycling efficiently. EcoTech doesn’t just sell equipment—they build partnerships. They offer on-site training for your team, so everyone knows how to keep the water treatment system running smoothly, and their tech support team is available 24/7. When you’re dealing with tight environmental regulations (and Japan’s regulations are pretty strict!), having that kind of backup is priceless.

Next up is GreenCycle Industries, and if you’re running a high-capacity recycling plant, you’ve probably heard of them. While some suppliers focus on dry separation, GreenCycle has doubled down on wet processes—and for good reason. Wet separation uses water to float non-metals (like plastic and resin) while heavy metals sink, which can be more efficient for certain types of circuit boards, especially those with a lot of mixed materials. But wet processes use a lot of water, so GreenCycle knew they needed to nail water treatment to make it work. Enter their 2000kg/hour circuit board recycling plant WCB-2000C with wet separator. This plant is a beast. At 2000 kg per hour, it’s built for big operations—think facilities processing truckloads of circuit boards daily. The wet separator uses a combination of water jets and centrifugal force to separate metals from non-metals, and it’s surprisingly precise. But here’s the kicker: the water treatment plant that comes with it. GreenCycle didn’t just slap on a basic filter; they designed a closed-loop system that recycles up to 95% of the water used in the process. That means for every 100 liters of water that goes in, 95 liters get cleaned and reused. The other 5%? It’s treated to meet Japan’s strict discharge standards, so you’re not wasting a ｄｒｏｐ. I spoke with a GreenCycle engineer, Yuki Tanaka, who walked me through how it works. “The key is in the multi-stage treatment,” he explained. “First, we use a sedimentation tank to let heavy particles settle. Then, an ultrafiltration membrane catches the tiny stuff—down to 0.1 microns. Finally, we use reverse osmosis to remove dissolved salts and metals. By the end, the water is cleaner than most tap water.” That’s a bold claim, but when he showed me the water quality reports, I was convinced. Their clients in Tokyo and Nagoya have passed every environmental audit with flying colors, even in areas with tough local regulations. What’s really smart about GreenCycle is that they don’t ignore the dry parts of recycling, either. The WCB-2000C comes with a pre-shredder that breaks down circuit boards into smaller pieces before they hit the wet separator. This makes the separation process more efficient and reduces the load on the water treatment system—less gunk in, less work for the filters. They also offer auxiliary equipment like water level sensors and automated chemical dosing systems, so you can tweak the treatment process based on the type of circuit boards you’re recycling that day. One thing to note: wet processes do use more energy than dry ones, but GreenCycle has offset that by adding solar panels to their equipment. Many of their WCB-2000C plants come with optional solar kits that power the water treatment pumps, cutting down on electricity costs. It’s a small touch, but it shows they’re thinking about the whole lifecycle of their machines.

If you can’t decide between dry and wet processes, Nippon Recycling Systems (NRS) has the solution: hybrid recycling. Their approach? Use dry separation for the initial breakdown and sorting, then switch to wet processing for the finer separation—all in one system. And of course, they’ve built a water treatment system that handles both. It’s like having the best of both worlds, and it’s why NRS is a favorite among facilities that recycle a wide variety of circuit boards, from thin phone boards to thick computer motherboards. Their star system is the compact granulator with dry separator equipment paired with a wet finishing module. The granulator first shreds the circuit boards into small granules (about the size of rice grains), then the dry separator uses air to blow away lightweight plastics. What’s left is a mix of metal and heavier non-metals, which gets fed into the wet module. Here, water is used to separate the remaining plastics from metals, and the water process equipment jumps into action. NRS’s water treatment is unique because it has two separate loops: one for the dry separator’s cooling water (which is mostly clean) and one for the wet module’s process water (which is dirtier). This way, they’re not wasting energy over-treating clean water, and they can focus on deep cleaning the dirtier stuff. I visited NRS’s demo facility in Kyoto, and watching the hybrid system in action was eye-opening. The dry separator was so efficient that it removed about 70% of the plastics before the wet module even touched them. That meant the wet module had less work to do, and the water treatment system ran more efficiently. “We designed it this way to cut down on water and chemical use,” said the facility manager. “Why use a sledgehammer when a scalpel works better?” Another standout feature is their air pollution control system , which is integrated right into the hybrid plant. When you’re shredding circuit boards, you don’t just get dust—you get fumes from heated plastics and resins. NRS’s system captures those fumes, filters them, and releases clean air back into the facility. Combined with their water treatment, it makes for a recycling line that’s tough on waste but gentle on the environment (and the people working there!). NRS also offers customization, which is a big plus. If your facility has limited space, they can shrink the system to fit. If you need higher capacity, they can scale it up. One client in Fukuoka wanted to add a third water treatment loop for a special cleaning step, and NRS made it happen in just 6 weeks. That kind of flexibility is hard to find, and it’s why NRS has a loyal customer base.

Let’s shift gears a bit and talk about power—specifically, hydraulic power. TechnoEco Solutions is all about using hydraulic presses to make recycling more efficient, and their circuit board recycling systems are built around this idea. Here’s how it works: after shredding, the circuit board granules are fed into a hydraulic press machine , which compacts them into dense briquettes. This not only makes storage and transport easier but also helps separate metals from non-metals by squeezing out air and weakening the bonds between materials. Then, the briquettes go through a wet separation process, and TechnoEco’s water treatment equipment takes over. Their flagship model, the HPR-3000, combines a hydraulic press with a wet separator and a compact but powerful water treatment system. The hydraulic press runs on low energy (surprisingly, hydraulic systems are more energy-efficient than you might think), and the water treatment uses a membrane bioreactor (MBR) to clean the process water. MBR systems use bacteria to break down organic contaminants, which is more sustainable than using harsh chemicals. TechnoEco claims their MBR system reduces chemical use by 60% compared to traditional water treatment, which is a win for both the environment and your wallet. What I love about TechnoEco is their focus on user-friendliness. Let’s be real: recycling equipment can be intimidating. But the HPR-3000 has a touchscreen interface that walks operators through every step, from loading circuit boards to monitoring water quality. If something goes wrong with the water treatment—say, a filter gets clogged—the system sends an alert to the operator’s phone and even suggests fixes. It’s like having a tech support team in your pocket. A client in Hiroshima told me, “We used to have two operators just watching the water treatment system. Now, with the HPR-3000, one operator can handle the whole line. The interface is so simple, even our new hires pick it up in a day.” That’s the kind of practical innovation that makes a difference for busy facilities. TechnoEco also offers training workshops for operators, which is a nice touch. They bring in experts to teach not just how to run the machine, but how to optimize it for different types of circuit boards. After all, a machine is only as good as the person running it.

Last but definitely not least, we have EcoRecovery Japan. These guys don’t just sell equipment—they build entire recycling plants from the ground up. If you’re starting a new facility or upgrading an old one, EcoRecovery will design a custom system that fits your space, budget, and recycling goals, with water treatment baked in from the start. It’s a one-stop shop, and it’s why they’re trusted by big names in the electronics industry, including some major phone manufacturers. Their most popular package is the circuit board recycling plant with dry separator (500-2000kg/hour capacity) paired with a full water treatment plant and air pollution control system . It’s a turnkey solution: they handle everything from design and installation to training your team. What really sets them apart is their focus on scalability. Start with a 500 kg/hour system, and as your business grows, you can add modules to boost capacity up to 2000 kg/hour. No need to buy a whole new system—just plug in the new parts. One of their clients, a recycling facility in Yokohama, started with a small 500 kg/hour plant and expanded to 1500 kg/hour in just two years. “EcoRecovery designed the plant with expansion in mind,” the facility owner told me. “When we were ready to grow, they added a second dry separator and upgraded the water treatment system in a week. We barely missed a day of production.” That kind of flexibility is invaluable in an industry that’s always evolving. EcoRecovery also prides itself on using locally sourced materials for their equipment, which reduces their carbon footprint. Most of their steel, electronics, and even the filters for the water treatment systems are made in Japan, which means shorter supply chains and less emissions from shipping. It’s a small detail, but it shows they’re committed to sustainability from the factory floor to the finished product.