RENEWABLES
n a speech by chief executive of the Environment Agency, Sir James Bevan, the ex-diplomat warned that in around 20 to 25 years, England’s demand for water will outstrip supply. In some countries this will happen even sooner.
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More than 80 per cent of the world’s wastewater flows back into the environment without being treated or reused, according to the United Nations. It is abundantly clear that the crisis is imminent, so much so that businesses around the world have already begun to make significant investment in preparing for the inevitable.
Gary Richards, sales director at wastewater treatment technology and advisory company, Arvia Technology discusses how eecve wastewater treatment can form part of a worldwide eort to reduce the water gap and how building services engineers can play their part
Industries which rely heavily on water are one of the main culprits contributing to an ever-growing water gap. More often than not, water which is used across industries such as the pharmaceutical, chemical and oil and gas sector is simply discharged directly into the environment. To many, the thought of water reuse is an alien concept.
Treating wastewater so that it can be reused can play a significant role in preventing further pollution of water sources, reducing the amount of water that is consumed, and helping reduce the water gap.
Current regulation
In the face of an impending water crisis, regulators are trying their utmost to keep the public safe and protect the environment.
They’ve responded by increasing the incidence and frequency of testing and analysis and have introduced stricter wastewater treatment regulations. It’s reasonable to expect that in the not-too-distant future, regulation and controls will tighten rather than relax. Countries such as China, who historically have been one of the worst offenders have introduced stringent fines and even jail time for business owners who are found to be polluting the environment with their contaminated wastewater. Generally, failure to comply with existing regulations leads to huge fines and damage to an organisation’s reputation.
Reusing water
The whole concept of reusing water that previously has been discharged to the nearest sewer or waterway may never have been considered by businesses.
By reusing water in a closed loop system, rather than bringing in new fresh water, organisations can improve their sustainability and help to reduce the depletion of our global water supplies. As adequate natural water supplies come under increasing pressure in the coming decades, the ability to reuse treated or processed water will be critical.
Before water can be reused, it must be treated to reduce contaminants.
Contaminant limits
The current unit of measurement used to gauge the level of contaminants present in wastewater is known as the Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), which measures organic pollutants in water as milligrams per litre (mg/L) or parts per million (ppm).
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The regulations stipulate strict limits of COD for water to be discharged to sewers or the environment, and failure to comply with regulation can result in a loss of permit, operational downtime, limited production volume and severe fines.
Primary and secondary treatment removes around 75-85% of the COD, but the hard-to-treat COD remains. Typically, legislation for COD discharge is from below 120ppm in the EU.
Traditional Wastewater Treatment
Traditional wastewater treatment methods can partly eliminate or remove industrial chemicals, but some traces are still detectable in effluents. The final stage of water treatment, when only trace levels of pollutants reside in wastewater, has always been a challenge to various industries. In traditional wastewater treatment processes such as Advanced Oxidation Processes (AOPs) combined with Hydrogen Peroxide, Fenton’s reagent (a combination of chemicals), and Reverse Osmosis, large doses of chemicals including biocides are used to eradicate contaminants or prevent the processes from fouling and blocking. This comes at a high price and also produces a hazardous sludge which must then be transported and incinerated.
The Green Alternative
There are now modern, greener alternatives for the reduction of hard- to-treat organics from water and wastewater streams.
Arvia’s Nyex™ solution uses adsorption and electrochemical oxidation, providing an
environmentally considerate process that treats water without the need to use chemicals. This also means that treated water is safe for reuse for other purposes around the manufacturing facility, such as for cleaning or irrigation; uses which chemically dosed water is often unsuitable.
It is now possible to tackle parts per million to part per billion ranges of APIs, pharmaceutical residues, endocrine disruptors, personal care products, manufacturing chemicals and pesticides.
Fortunately, the technology exists to make a tangible difference at the source of wastewater contamination and allow wastewater to be reused for a variety of industrial processes.
Positive signs
The magnitude of the issue means there is no catch all solution, however businesses which use water in their manufacturing processes must take responsibility for their wastewater treatment and water reuse.
By removing these hard-to-treat pollutants from industrial wastewater, we can begin to tackle the global issue of fighting the water gap.
It’s undeniable that the time to act is now.
Ultimately, ensuring that water is conserved for this and future generations will require corroboration from governments, industry and water treatment providers. Water treatment which enables water reuse is one solution to a global problem which must to be acknowledged by governments, businesses and consumers alike.
Working holistically, the water gap can be significantly reduced with wastewater treatment providing a significant contribution.
The onus now falls on the various industries which use water in their manufacturing processes to reassess their wastewater treatment procedures ensuring they are in line with the most environmentally friendly and cost- effective options.
Arvia Technology works with companies in the UK, Europe and Asia. It has treated challenging wastewater from the agricultural, chemical, electronics, oil and gas and pharmaceutical industries in Europe and Asia.
www.arviatechnology.com BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER JANUARY 2020 29
BSEE Fighting the Water Gap with water reuse
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Ulmately, ensuring that water is conserved for this and future generaons will require corroboraon from governments, industry and water treatment providers
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