Total Water Management
Increasing industrial demand for water recycling technology

Before water is used in industrial applications, untreated water, which is extracted from wells and rivers or other surface water sources, must first be treated or conditioned. This is often the case for municipal drinking water as well. Reliable water treatment technologies (filtration, ion exchange, membrane, UV and ozone systems) can be used to meet the diverse requirements of industrial users. Some applications require extremely complex systems and combinations of technologies.

The increased cost of obtaining fresh water and disposing of waste water is forcing corporate decision-makers to look at new ways of treating industrial and process water. The focus in the future will be on achieving production-specific quality requirements for treatment of industrial and process water rather than on adhering to waste water requirements. There is growing recognition that the “total water management” concept has significant advantages. Of course, appropriate software support is available, such as WADO (Water Design Optimization) from Siemens. This tool supports cost-effective design of process water systems. According to information provided by Siemens, WADO differs from the usual end-of-the-pipe solutions by analyzing downstream usage and re-use of water, thereby reducing consumption by up to 30% and optimizing treatment performance.

Growing market
The term “process water” covers a wide spectrum. At one end of the spectrum, it is important for the water used in breweries to contain many natural minerals. Ultra-pure water for medical products in the pharmaceutical industry is at the other end of the spectrum: all particulate and dissolved substances including microorganisms must be completely removed from the water. Process water is also used for cooling, heating, rinsing and washing. Despite the divergence of applications, there is one common thread: the market for water treatment systems continues to grow.
Suppliers benefit from a number of factors, including the increasing importance of super-pure water as a standard requirement, a cross-industry trend towards an independent water supply and a shift from chemical to physical treatment. Products and processes, which have been optimized to meet economic and ecological requirements and reduce or even eliminate the use of chemicals, as well as treatment technologies that reduce water and energy consumption, are experiencing above-average growth.

New ion exchange resins
An ion exchanger system releases ions from an insoluble, permanent material (resin) into the medium and then extracts other, undesirable ions from the water. The most common use of ion exchangers is desalination of water, for example the generation of boiler feed water or water used in pharmaceutical production (normally for pretreatment prior to reverse osmosis). The increase in quality requirements placed on water treatment has led to demand for higher performance ion exchangers and more efficient treatment technologies. Water quality requirements in the pharmaceutical industry relating to residual conductivity and TOC, for example, are so high that only specially purified ion exchangers are used. Bayer Chemicals has developed resins using polishing cycles that meet this more stringent requirement profile to a very high degree (ultra pure). Chelating Lewatit TP 207 exchange resin is another specialty product. In a study supported by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF), this ion exchanger was the only product capable of removing nickel from drinking water. Following the commencement of operations at the world’s largest production facility for mono-dispersed ion exchangers in Bitterfeld and the takeover of Sybron Chemicals in the USA, Bayer is now among the world’s leading producers of ion exchange resins.

Membrane technology
Membrane filtration includes physical processes to separate substances with the aid of a semi-permeable membrane: microfiltration, ultrafiltration, nanofiltration and reverse osmosis (listed in order of increasing selectivity). The cross-flow principle is a common characteristic of a membrane filter. Part of the pressurized, untreated water penetrates the semi-permeable membrane as clean water (permeate). The rest leaves the membrane as a concentrate. Membrane filtration is used for applications such as the supply of ultra-pure water in the pharmaceutical and electronics industries. Filtration of waste water is a new application for microfiltration and ultrafiltration. Government regulations requiring treatment of waste water before it is released into sewage systems is driving this trend. If the waste water contains valuable substances, there is a possibility that they can be recovered in the concentrate. It can make sense to reuse concentrate containing valuable substances in the appropriate industry or for other purposes. Filtered water (permeate) can also be re-used in other ways, for example for washing or rinsing rather than simply being discharged into the sewage system. Permeate created during microfiltration or ultrafiltration can also be subjected to an additional reverse osmosis process, creating pure water. Development activity in the field of membrane technology is concentrated on the creation and testing of new membrane materials, improving resistance to pressure and finding solutions to fouling and scaling problems. The search is also on for ways to selectively separate substances contained in water, for example to recover chemicals from process water.

Sea water desalination
Worldwide capacity at desalination facilities to treat brine and sea water is on the increase. A study showed that global capacity of all facilities increased by 105% between 1998/1999 and 2000/2001. The increase was actually 140% for facilities that process sea water only. According to the EUWID information service, Wangnick Consulting in its “2002 IDA Worldwide Desalting Plants Inventory, Report No. 17” estimates current total output to be 24 million cubic meters per day and reports that a new turnover record was set in 2001, with plant capacity reaching 3.5 million cubic meters per day. In 2000, turnover was 2.5 million cubic meters per day, and in 1999 it was 1.5 million cubic meters per day. There has been an increase in the use of both thermal and membrane technology in new facilities. Thermal technology was the dominant method used in the past, but membrane technology is gaining market share. With the exception of the Arabian Gulf region, membrane technology is increasingly becoming the solution of choice. Due to difficult water conditions in the Arabian Gulf region, thermal technology is the more suitable solution there. Currently, membrane systems have a 36.5% share of the market. For the period 1990 to 1999, Wangnick Consulting reported a 34.8% share.

Ozone treatment for cooling water
In addition to avoiding corrosion and build-up of deposits, there are other factors that enhance fault-free operation in cooling systems. It is also important that biological deposits be prevented. Temperature levels and impurities introduced into cooling circuits provide a very favorable environment for bacteria, algae, fungi and mussels to develop, and this leads to the creation of a microbiological coating in the system, which results in corrosive damage and reduced heat transmission. To contain biological growth, inorganic and organic biocides have been used in the past with the familiar disadvantages. To ensure the effectiveness of chlorine, for example, the pH value must be kept in the neutral range. During operation in the alkali range, significantly higher doses must be used to compensate for the resulting reduction in effectiveness. Chlorine also promotes corrosion of steel components, and by introducing chloride it increases the desalination rate. The generation of adsorbent organic halogen compounds represents a serious problem when organic biocides that separate chlorine or bromine are used, as does a rise in COD in the cooling circuit water caused by biocides/biological dispersion agents. Treating cooling water with ozone offers an alternative. Ozone generators create ozone directly at the point of usage. Ozone dosages are automatically added to the cooling water as required. This eliminates the cumbersome acquisition, transportation and handling of hazardous chemicals. The use of ozone can significantly reduce germ colony counts (CFU, colony forming units) in cooling systems. Ozone treatment can substantially reduce existing biological growths within a few weeks, and it often can eliminate growths altogether within a few months.
An in-situ ozone generator creates ozone from atmospheric air, or from industrial oxygen in very large cooling systems. A very effective blending system is used to introduce ozone into the cooling system.

Outsourcing
Industries such as water supply, process water treatment and waste water treatment have not escaped the trend towards outsourcing. According to an analysis performed by Frost & Sullivan, the outsourcing contract volume in Europe is expected to rise from $US 590 million in 2001 to nearly $US 1.5 billion in 2008, which equates to 14.1% annual growth. The highest demand comes from companies in the food and beverage industry (20% of turnover in 2001), the chemical industry (18%), energy providers, the petrochemical and pharmaceutical industry and paper and cellulose companies (around 10% each). Companies outsource principally to reduce costs and to improve efficiency and performance. The customer does not make any investment in personnel, equipment and technology. Instead, the company acquires a supply of process water as a product at a fixed price and at the desired quality level. Contracting is, however, not limited to situations where funds are in short supply. The often-heard admonition to concentrate on core business, along with associated continual reduction in engineering, product and maintenance know-how within a manufacturing company, promotes the concept of contracting. It facilitates conformance to legally binding regulations and orders and qualitative and quantitative requirements. Efforts to adhere to the EU Water Quality Framework Directive (2000/60/EG) may result in increased outsourcing.

Contracts
A large chemical company in the German Hochrhein region has f.i. already found a suitable partner. It has signed a contracting agreement with Gelsenwasser AG for the supply of fully desalinated water. The term of the agreement is ten years, and the agreement contains an option to expand cooperation between the companies to include other supply facilities. The chemical company manufactures special chemical products for the cosmetics industry, among others. Some of the products are very sensitive and require the use of highly sterile water. A modification to the production process led to increased demand for fully desalinated water. Gelsenwasser will construct and operate a dual-line reverse osmosis facility with an annual capacity of 500,000 m³. Modern process technology and the use of high-grade RO membranes will ensure a fully continuous supply of water with very high availability. According to information provided by the company, telecontrol and the creation of an emergency service that can always be contacted will provide a high level of support for water treatment operations. A modular process will be used, which can be expanded at short notice to supply greater volumes. Untreated water will be extracted from the Rhine and subjected to mechanical sedimentation and filtration prior to use.
Another contract has now been finalized as well. Aventis Pharma Germany has awarded a contract to Infraserv Höchst to provide the entire media and energy supply for a new insulin production facility at the Höchst Industrial Park. The task is very complex, because it involves not only standard energy generation and distribution, in other words electricity and steam, but also the supply of refrigeration, compressed air, nitrogen, drinking water, ultra-pure water, fully desalinated water, ammonia and recooling water. Infraserv was able to complete this ambitious investment project in somewhat less than twelve months following contract award.
Although contracts for the provision of ultra-pure water are now very common, outsourcing of wastewater treatment is still relatively new. Integrated water management from supply through the production process right up to and including the discharge of wastewater is still in the early stages, but it is widely recognized as being a fundamentally sound approach. However, it may entail the risk of increased dependency on a contractor, and this aspect must be watched carefully. It is vital that a very thorough appraisal be made of any potential partner.
Source: Dechema Trendreport No.3 ‚Water Treatment Technology’

Current trends in the water technology industry
* Water technology that uses little or no water.
* Increasing worldwide demand coupled with more stringent environmental and health regulations for drinking water and waste water.
* A significant increase in industrial demand for water recycling technology.
* Internationalization of the business as a result of customer globalization activities.
* Holistic water management: customers prefer total solutions from a single source.
* A move towards increased concentration in a very fragmented industry.

Approximately 200 to 250 companies are active in the overall industrial process water treatment market. According to information provided by Frost & Sullivan, the market leaders are Vivendi Water Systems, Ondeo Degrémont and the Best Water Technology (BWT) Group.