Industrial water recycle/reuse

Water is used in most process industries for a wide range of applications. Industrial processes and systems using water are being subjected to increasingly stringent environmental regulations relating to the discharge of effluents. There is a growing demand for fresh water, which makes it precious in more and more countries very precious and in some parts of the world a crucial commodity. The changes and the pace of these changes have increased the need for improved water management and wastewater minimisation. The adoption of water minimisation techniques can effectively reduce overall fresh water demand in water using processes and subsequently reduce the amount of effluent generated. This can result in reducing the cost incurred in the acquisition of fresh water and the cost of the treatment of effluent streams. This paper provides a brief overview of the recent techniques and methodologies, grouped in several topics: Water footprints and LCA; water/wastewater minimisation – including Water Pinch, Mathematical Programming techniques and combined water-energy minimisation. Case Studies demonstrating the significance of those techniques are briefly mentioned.

Graphical abstractFigure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slideHighlights► Increased recent research on water use minimisation. ► Overview of water footprint (WFP) and LCA in industry. ► Water and waste water minimisation including techniques for water recycling, water reuse and water pinch analysis. ► Water and waste water minimisation with mathematical and multiobjective optimisation. ► Combined energy and water – simultaneous minimisation. ► Industrial examples of water use optimisation.