INDUSTRIAL

WATER:
OUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO
POLLUTION, TREATMENT &
SOLUTIONS
 Without water, many companies and the
products they provide would fail to exist.
Water use is a fundamental commodity for
nearly every step of the manufacturing and
production processes around the world.
Whether it's deionised water for electronics
and pharmaceutical sectors, or softened water
for boiler feed applications, water is necessary
and comes embedded in the footprint of
virtually item created on the planet. And to
put it into perspective: industry accounts for
around 40% of total water abstractions. Yet,
at the same time, many global companies
have manufacturing facilities operating in
water scarce parts of the world, with over two
thirds of companies now reporting exposure to
water risks. This article is designed to provide
an essential guide to everything you need to
know about industrial water and wastewater.

Industrial
uses of water

1 | INDUSTRIAL WATER: OUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO POLLUTION, TREATMENT & SOLUTIONS

 What is
industrial water?

Manufacturing and other industries use water during the production process for either creating their
products or cooling equipment used in creating their products. According to the United States
Geological Survey (USGS), industrial water is used for fabricating, processing, washing, diluting,
cooling, or transporting a product.

Industrial water and wastewater is a by-product of industrial or commercial activities. Whether it's
the food we eat or the products we consume, water is required for nearly every step of production
across a multitude of different industries. The resulting wastewater must be carefully managed.

Depending on the product being manufactured and the raw water quality in the region, different
levels of treatment technologies will be needed. For example, for medical, electronics
manufacturing and food processing, deionized water is an essential ingredient. Called ultra pure
water (EUP), this has almost all of the minerals, dissolved gas and dirt particles removed from the
water which could otherwise interfere with the manufacturing of precise and sensitive products,
such as circuit boards.

Meanwhile, feed water is used in boilers and cooling towers to ensure efficiency, maximise boiler
and system life, reduce maintenance costs and maintain levels of operational performance.

Industries that have a high usage of water and need for treatment include: brewery and
carbonated beverage water; dairy industries; sugar mills and refineries; textile manufacturing; pulp
and paper mills; oil and gas; the automotive and aircraft industries and many others

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 Water
positivity: a
barometer of
corporate
sustainability
efforts
As part of broader water stewardship goals,
multiple multinationals have made commitments to
become “water positive” by 2030, meaning that
within the decade they will be returning more
water to communities than they use in direct
operations.

One example is Amazon Web Services (AWS),

which plans to become water positive across four
key areas: water efficiency, sustainable sources,
water reuse in communities and water
replenishment. Meanwhile, Microsoft’s water
positive 2030 strategy is the fourth pillar of its
environmental plan, also including to become
carbon negative, as well as zero waste ambitions.

Elsewhere, computer chip giant Intel has already

achieved its water positive ambitions in three
countries: the US, Costa Rica and India. As a
result, the organisation claims to be putting 13
billion gallons of water, out of the 16 billion gallons
used annually, back to “surrounding communities”.

As many industrial facilities use freshwater to carry

away waste from the plant and into rivers, lakes
and oceans, there is a responsibility to ensure
pollutants are removed and minimised.

Given the heavy manufacturing taking place,

industrial water can contain a multitude of
pollutants, including: lead, mercury, nitrates,
phosphates, sulphur, oils and petrochemicals.

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 Four Industrial
uses of water

Heavy water using industries can include food, paper, chemicals, refined petroleum, or primary
metals. Below is a list of how water is used within several different industries.

1. Ultrapure water use in semiconductor manufacturing

Water is an essential component for the manufacturing of semiconductors and chips which are
used everyday in computers, cell phones and automobiles. Ultrapure water is used throughout
the process, including to remove impurities from silicon wafers. For example, a single 8” wafer,
which is the foundation for approximately 100 chips, may require up to 2,000 gallons of UPW.
As a result, semiconductor producers are focusing on ways to recycle, reuse and reduce the
amount of water needed for operations. One notable case study is US firm Intel, which is
creating its biggest water-reuse development as part of its new D1X factory in Hillsboro.
2. Cooling water
Cooling systems are used to remove heat from processes or equipment. Heat removed from one
medium is transferred to another medium, or process fluid, which most often is water.
According to the SUEZ Water Technologies Handbook, the driving force for the transfer of heat
is the difference in temperature between the two media, which in most cooling systems, is in
the range of 10-200 degrees F. Many of the properties of water, including the behaviour of the
contaminants it contains, are affected by temperature. As a result, the tendency of a system to
corrode, scale, or support microbiological growth is also affected by water temperature.
3. Water use in the oil & gas markets
Globally the oil and gas industry represents less than 5% of total withdrawal but the sectors
have an important role to play in protecting the quality of water in the areas they operate.
Water is a raw material used and produced in high quantities in the oil industry, from extraction
activities through to refineries and petrochemicals. Uses include: injection water, production
water, process water, wastewater, rainwater, cooling water, tank cleaning water, and others.
4. Water use in pulp & paper mills
Despite digitalisation prompting a move away from printed products, the pulp and paper sector
remains one of the largest users of industrial process water in the US and the second largest in
Europe. Water is intricately associated with 85% of all the three stages of paper production
namely, pulp making, pulp processing, and paper/paper board manufacturing, and their
associated activities of cooking, bleaching, and washing. A high quantity of water consumed in
the pulp and paper industry is used only for processing, thus, leading to the generation of large
volumes of contaminated wastewater.

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4 | INDUSTRIAL WATER: OUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO POLLUTION, TREATMENT & SOLUTIONS
 What is
industrial
water
pollution?
As well as consuming vast quantities of fresh
water for manufacturing, industries also produce
wastewater often laced with waste by-products
used during the process. Depending on the
country and region, there are differing levels of
regulations governing what can and cannot be
discharged to the local waterways. The following
are some examples of worst case water pollution,
although should not be read as a blanket
statement for that entire industry globally.

Textile manufacturing water pollution

Textile manufacturing has been called “one of the

biggest polluters on the planet,” with textile mills
said to generate one fifth of the world’s industrial
water pollution. In China, for example, up to 20%
of the country’s industrial water pollution comes
from textile dyeing and treatment. It’s estimated
that up to 20,000 chemicals are used globally for
textile manufacturing.

Despite the high water usage of textile production

plants, it is the wastewater being discharged –
which can contain a cocktail of chemicals – that is
equally a cause for concern. This wastewater can
contain lead, phthalates, organochlorines and
other chemicals that when disposed of into water
bodies that will eventually reach water bodies for
consumption, and can cause severe health
problems and diseases in human beings.

Petrochemical water pollution

Petroleum refining has been one of the world’s

largest industries. However, potential
environmental hazards associated with refineries
have caused increased concern for communities,

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 according to the EPA. The process of oil refining
involves a series of steps that includes separation
and blending of petroleum products.

Refineries are a potential major contributors to

ground water and surface water contamination.
Some refineries use deep-injection wells to dispose
of wastewater generated inside the plants, and
some of these wastes end up in aquifers and
groundwater. These wastes are then regulated,
depending on which country/region the site is
operating in.

Wastewater in refineries may be highly

contaminated given the number of sources it can
come into contact with during the refinery process
(such as equipment leaks and spills and the
desalting of crude oil). Taken together, land-based
river and urban runoff sources constitute over half
of the petroleum pollution introduced to North
American coastal waters due to human activity,
and 20 percent of the petroleum pollution
introduced to ocean waters worldwide.

When wastewater from these sources enters the

marine environment it is usually by means of an
estuary, an area where freshwater from land
mixes with seawater.

Coal plant water pollution

Coal-fired power plants have been responsible for

toxic metals, such as arsenic, boron and mercury,
entering waterways, according to the Sierra Club.
At one stage, 72% of toxic water pollution in the
US came from coal-fired power plants. It was in
2015 when the EPA issues a rule to halt discharges
in a move that was estimated to halt the release of
1.4 billion pounds of toxic metals, nutrients and
other pollutants per year. However, under the
Trump administration this regulation has been
weakened, according to Scientific American.

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 Industrial water
treatment

There are many uses of water for industry. Raw water entering an industrial plant often needs
treatment to meet tight quality specifications. Meanwhile, used water also needs treatment to
make it fit for reuse or disposal. In a nutshell, an industrial water treatment system treats water so
it is more appropriate for a given use, whether it’s consumption, manufacturing or even disposal.
Common industrial water treatment systems typically include:

Raw water treatment systems

Cooling tower treatment
Boiler feed water systems
Wastewater treatment systems

Raw water treatment systems are used to pre-treat and optimize source water, usually with the
aim to improve production efficiency and process performance for particular applications.
Suspended/colloidal solids, iron, bacteria, and hardness are typically removed during raw water
treatment.Examples include pre-treating cooling tower/boiler feed water, process/production water,
and/or water for drinking. Often, raw water treatment is focused on protecting downstream
equipment from scaling, fouling, corrosion, and other forms of damage or premature wear due to
contaminants present in the source water.

Meanwhile, boiler feed water treatment systems are used to protect boiler unit components from
damage from certain contaminants present in makeup feeds. These could include dissolved solids,
suspended solids and inorganic matter such as iron, copper, calcium, magnesium, aluminium and
dissolved gases. An effective boiler feed water treatment system works by both removing harmful
impurities prior to entering the boiler as well as controlling the acidity and conductivity of the
water.

Due to contaminants present in feed water, circulation water, and/or blowdown water, cooling
tower water treatment systems are used to protect cooling tower components from damage.
Suchcontaminants can include chlorides, hardness, iron, biological materials, silica, sulfates, TDS,
and or TSS.

Within the industrial water context, a wastewater treatment system is used to treat waste streams
into an effluent that can either be reused within the operation or safely discharged to the
environment. Treatment system complexity will largely depend upon the compliance regulations
impacting the plant and the waste stream composition. However, in many operations the following
steps represent the common technologies you can expect to see: clarification; disinfection;
softening and distribution.

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 Industrial
water quality
requirements
Industrial water quality requirements will vary
considerably depending on the application, region
and local governance. For example, ultrapure
water for food & beverage manufacturing will differ
to water needed for oil & gas extraction and
treatment. Even within these segments, water
quality will vary between foods – for example dairy
to confectionary, and drinks, from soft beverages
to alcoholic beverages. Coupled with local
regulations and globally it is a complicated mixture
of quality requirements. However, water in the
food industry should meet the requirements of
local standards for safe drinking water or meet the
requirements of the World Health Organisation
(WHO) Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality.

Even under ultrapure water classification, there

can be five grades of pure water available, each
defined by various standards and conventions.
Even the definition of ‘high purity’ water is used to
describe a range of pure water specifications. Each
grade of pure water is used in a number of
applications, that include:

Deionised Water – medium pressure boiler

feed, renal dialysis make-up, battery top-up;
Purified Water – pharmaceuticals, cosmetics,
chemical manufacturing;
Apyrogenic Water – vial washing, tissue
culture, water for injections;
High Purity Water – high pressure boilers,
combined heat and power systems,
laboratories;
Ultrapure water – micro electronics,
supercritical boilers. Ultrapure water typically
has a TOC limit of 0.05 mg/l as C and a
resistivity of 18 Megohm.cm.

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8 | INDUSTRIAL WATER: OUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO POLLUTION, TREATMENT & SOLUTIONS
 Industrial water
solutions

A number of industrial water solutions are available and the choice will be governed by several factors:
the raw water quality in the region, regional regulations governing the facility, the type of product being
manufactured and purity of water needed, among many others. For example, the solutions need to
obtain ultrapure water for semiconductor manufacturing will vary considerable to the solutions needed
to treat wastewater from pulp & paper manufacturing. Often water solutions used for municipal water
treatment, such as membranes, are used for industrial applications as well. Furthermore, industrial
water treatment solutions tend to be move diverse than municipal alternatives due to the wider range of
pollutants, their concentrations and temporal variability in industrial effluents. Below we have listed five
industrial water solutions and processes.

Anaerobic digestion (AD)

Large amounts of organic waste matter are generated at industrial sites, including pulp and paper mills,
which can be converted to renewable energy in the form of methane. Anaerobic digestion is the process
by which organic matter is broken down in the absence of oxygen, in a sealed, oxygen-free tank called
an anaerobic digester.

Anaerobic treatment of mill wastewater is widely accepted but is only applied to a few selected streams.
Chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal rates in full-scale reactors range from between 30% to 90%
with highest COD removal rates achieved with condensate streams from chemical pulping (75-90%) and
paper will effluents (60-80%).

Deionization (DI)

Deionization (DI) is the removal of all ionized minerals and salts from a solution through the process of
ion exchange. Because most non-particulate water impurities are dissolved salts, deionization produces
a high purity water that is generally similar to distilled water. Deionization filters operate by exchanging
positive hydrogen and negative hydroxide molecules for the positive and negative contaminant
molecules in the water. Positive chemicals like sodium, calcium, iron, and copper change places with the
hydrogen molecules, and negative chemicals like iodine, chloride and sulfate change places with the
hydroxide molecules.

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9 | INDUSTRIAL WATER: OUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO POLLUTION, TREATMENT & SOLUTIONS
This process is typically done by two ionized resin beds that are opposite in charges: cationic (negative)
resin and anionic (positive) resin. Positively charged ions are removed from the solution by the cation
resin in exchange for a chemically equivalent amount of hydrogen ions. Negatively charged ions are
removed by the anion resin in exchange for a chemically equivalent amount of hydroxide ions. The
hydrogen and hydroxide ions introduced in this process unite to form pure water molecules.

Membranes

Membrane technology has a significant part to play in the production of all grades of pure water.
Depending on the feed water available, additional membrane technologies may be incorporated as pre-
treatment technologies. Ultra filtration (UF) or microfiltration (MF) technology can be effectively used as
a pre-treatment for reverse osmosis (RO) depending on the nature and variability of the feed supply to
the water treatment system.

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