The Industry Reduces its Thirst for Water

Related Vendors

The French startup Magpie Polymers has developed a highly efficient filtration method for capturing re-usable substances even if they are only present in minute amounts. Various filters made of polymer beads are installed, and the metals form selective bonds with the beads. The technique is already being deployed at several European companies to filter out minute amounts of precious metals.

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The chemical group Lanxess also provides techn ology for recovering re-usable materials. Ion exchangers function as selective adsorbers for fine purification of wastewater flows and process electrolytes. Heavy metals and other substances such as boric acid, chromate, arsenate, fluoride and ammonia in salt solutions can be selectively captured.

Little use has been made so far of wastewater as a heat source. In the past, utilization of this energy was seldom possible, one of the constraining factors being the 65°C flow temperature limit for heat pumps. Ochsner now markets high-temperature heat pumps with flow temperatures up to 100°C, opening the door to totally new industrial and commercial heat pump applications.

Water and Hygienic Management

Cooling systems play an important role in industrial process flows. Cooling water needs to be treated to prevent deposits and corrosion and also to maintain hygiene standards. The water in the cooling loop is permanently infested with legionella and pseudomonads, creating a health hazard for staff working at industrial companies and also putting neighbors at risk. The hazard can be minimized by reducing aerosol release and implementing active legionella control measures.

VDI guideline 2047-2 dated January 2014 contains a code of practice for hygienically sound operation of systems which release heat through the evaporation or spraying of water. The guideline recommends that a risk assessment be carried out for the complete system. The measures include inspection and documentation as well as identification, evaluation and minimization of risks. Companies such as EnviroChemie and BWT offer legionella management solutions. The Cillit CEE Facility Management & Risk Analysis Package includes holistic risk analysis and verified monitoring of evaporative chilling systems. To eliminate water-related deposits and corrosion as a potential source of biofilm formation, Dipolique recommends installation of a properly designed water treatment system, use of suitable conditioning agents and management of total salt content based on data acquired with inductive conductivity probes.

For further ACHEMA trend reports see our ACHEMA-Special

Resource conservation and economic considerations make it imperative to make intelligent “use” of industrial process water and to “consume” as little as possible. Water should not be transported, heated or contaminated more than is absolutely necessary to meet process needs. Water re-circulation and re-use are two crucial aspects of “smart water”. Companies will be putting proven, enhanced and recently developed products, technologies and system solutions on display at ACHEMA 2015 on June 15th – 19th in Frankfurt/M. Panta rhei – “everything flows” and water technology is no exception.

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ACHEMA 2015 - Trend Report: Water Management

The Industry Reduces its Thirst for Water

Water and Hygienic Management