Discover How Water Reuse Empowers Industries and Communities to Act Sustainably

Water scarcity is a growing global challenge that has the potential to harm communities and cripple economies. Fortunately, there is a solution. Water recycling and reuse methods treat industrial and municipal wastewater to the degree that it can be used repeatedly as process, irrigation, and drinking water. In addition to the treatment stages that wastewater plants currently use to purify wastewater, any facility can transform its wastewater into a resource with an extra step: tertiary treatment. Equipped with the solutions and resources needed, industries and communities globally can be better stewards of their local environment and protect freshwater resources in the face of climate change and growing demand.

Treatment Options

While tertiary solutions polish wastewater to be reusable, an effective reuse system starts at the beginning of the wastewater treatment process. This can be achieved with both biological and chemical treatments to ensure that as many impurities are removed as possible. The higher the water quality at the end of the secondary treatment stage, the more hassle-free and cost-effective the tertiary stage can be.

After treating industrial or residential wastewater to meet environmental standards, tertiary treatment gives wastewater new life and allows it to be used again on-site or sold to others. The water reuse and recycling technologies typically included in the tertiary stage are:

• Microfiltration (MF)/Nanofiltration (NF) – These membrane systems feature ultrafine pores to physically filter suspended solids, bacteria, and even viruses. Reverse osmosis systems often use MF and NF as part of their pretreatment stage.

• Reverse Osmosis (RO) - RO membranes remove finer impurities than MF and NF membranes, including salts. This level of contaminant removal has made it the standard for drinking water reuse and desalination projects.

• Ozonation – This process injects ozone into clarified wastewater to remove remaining organics, industrial contaminants, and bacteria from previous treatment stages. Ozonation is often paired with other tertiary technologies to achieve reuse standards.

• Advanced Oxidation Processes - These systems combine hydrogen peroxide with ultraviolet light or ozone to degrade organics, micropollutants, and bacteria from treated wastewater to achieve reuse quality. This solution can also eliminate contaminants of emerging concern in drinking water.

• Activated Carbon Filtration – Activated carbon is commonly used in water treatment processes to adsorb organics, taste, and color to polish drinking water quality. Activated carbon filtration offers the same purpose in refining wastewater effluent to meet reuse standards.

Where to Reuse

Once a wastewater facility equips itself with the tertiary treatment stage, what was once a burden is now an asset. Reuse water can be used however facility owners see fit. For industries, pumping reuse water to their cooling towers cuts water demand tremendously. Municipalities may use reuse water for cleaning their facilities and landscaping or sell it to a local industrial user to offset their water demand. In general, reuse water applications fall into three categories:

• Drinking Water – Direct and indirect potable reuse rely on wastewater to augment water supplies from reservoirs, streams, and aquifers. Water reuse provides local water utilities with an additional water source to meet the demands of growing population centers and industry without stressing natural water resources.?

• Industrial Process Water – Power, food and beverage, petroleum, and many other industries use reuse water to operate their boilers, cooling towers, and cleaning processes. This allows them to meet their production quotas while reducing water demand on local waterways and municipalities.
• Irrigation – Reuse water can also benefit surface and groundwater supplies for agricultural use. Many municipalities sustainably landscape their communities with reuse water, including public fountains and street cleaning.

Reuse In Action

Water reuse is already spurring collaboration between industries and communities worldwide. In The Netherlands, for example, a large industrial plant in a freshwater-scarce community needed to find a new water source as saltwater intrusion and population growth threatened the existing one.

The industrial plant approached the local water board and suggested a solution for both entities. After treating its wastewater to environmental standards, a local municipality began to send its wastewater effluent to the industrial user in place of ocean discharge. With this high-quality effluent, the industrial user saved 96% on treatment energy consumption compared to its previous process and reduced its dependence on local water supplies. The reuse system allowed the plant to reuse the same water three times in the manufacturing and cooling tower processes.

Ultimately, the municipality and industrial user reduced their environmental impact by diverting 2.5 million m3 of wastewater annually and cutting chemical use by 50% while securing a renewable water resource for the local employer indefinitely.

Getting Started

Water reuse offers communities and industries the ability to be good environmental stewards while lowering their water bills. Its many applications allow wastewater generators to turn what was a hassle into a flexible resource that can benefit the community.

Depending on your facility, tertiary treatment may include one or all the listed treatment solutions to convert wastewater into fresh water. BW Water’s team of experts have a diverse background in designing, fabricating, and constructing reuse systems to deliver best-value solutions that solve water shortages and wastewater pollution. Our full-suite service can make your water reuse ideas a reality.?

If your facility or community would benefit from water reuse, contact BW Water’s experts today. Our vast industry knowledge and experience can give your project insights from similar situations around the world, allowing you to make an informed decision that will best suit your situation.