Reflection

Reuse of industrial water: challenges and innovative solutions for sustainable management

The reuse of industrial water is becoming essential to deal with water shortages and increasing regulatory requirements. Thanks to its vacuum flotation technology, Coldep is working on a mobile and flexible solution to effectively treat effluents while reducing energy consumption and operating costs.

The reuse of water in industry has become an unavoidable priority in the face of growing threats of water scarcity around the world. Droughts, exacerbated by climate change, are forcing businesses to rethink their water consumption. Industry is responsible for a significant part of freshwater extraction, accounting for up to 45% of withdrawals in Europe.

Faced with this reality, the reuse of industrial water appears to be not only an ecological but also an economic solution, allowing companies to continue their activities while reducing their water footprint and complying with increasingly stringent regulations.

The main challenge lies in the quality of wastewater produced by industries, often loaded with various pollutants that require specific treatments. Here we have listed some of the major challenges by type of effluent.

Process water (chemical, agri-food, cosmetic industries)

These waters are often rich in organic matter, COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand), BTEX (Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, Xylenes), PAH (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons) and AOX (Absorbable Organic Halides). The purification of these pollutants is essential to reuse water in production processes, in particular to avoid the contamination of products or equipment. Technologies must therefore effectively eliminate these components while ensuring the safety of downstream processes.

Rinsing water (textile, stationery, laundries)

Rinse water often contains detergents, soaps, as well as solid particles. They may also have high levels of COD. Treatment must therefore include steps to remove these compounds in order to allow reuse in other production steps without compromising product quality or equipment performance.

Cooling water (industrial sectors with high energy consumption, metallurgy)

These waters generally contain residual oils and fine particles. They require specific treatment to reduce organic load and avoid contaminations that could affect the efficiency of cooling systems.

Effluents from industrial wastewater treatment plants (STEP)

These effluents are often composed of micropollutants, including heavy metals, microplastics, or persistent chemicals such as PFAS (Perfluoroalkylated and Polyfluoroalkylated). The treatment of these contaminants has become a priority, especially with increasing legislation concerning the release of PFAS into the environment. The solutions must therefore be robust and flexible to treat these components that are difficult to degrade.

Condensed water

Used mainly in heating or cooling processes, these waters may contain residual solvents that require treatment to ensure their reuse in closed industrial cycles. The management of these effluents makes it possible to reduce the consumption of water and energy in these processes.

Technological solution with the VAL SKID

Faced with these challenges, Coldep is currently developing its vacuum flotation technology in SKID mode. It must allow its solution to be applied in a flexible way to treat industrial water in addition to other processes while offering significant advantages in terms of energy consumption, compactness and reduction of consumables.

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