Enhancing Industrial Efficiency with Top Water Purification

South Africa’s water purification market is making waves, projected to reach 276.3 million US dollars by 2030. The demand for top water purification is rising at an astonishing rate, which is being driven by growing awareness on a consumer level as well as industrial demands. There is an urgent need for better water quality, nevertheless, as water supply systems struggle to fulfil the requirements for providing safe, potable water. Both the public and commercial sectors are making investments in improved water management in spite of the obstacles. As leading specialists in water solutions, we will unpack how businesses can enhance their purification systems.

Understanding the Water Purification Process

A general industrial water purification system typically involves these steps:

• Screening: Removing large materials to prevent clogging.
• Coagulation/Flocculation: Adding chemicals to form sticky particles (floc) that attract larger particles, which then settle or are skimmed off.
• Industrial Water Filtration: Pumping water through filters made of materials designed to trap remaining particles and address clarity.
• Disinfection: Using chemicals like chlorine or UV light to destroy bacteria and microorganisms. Other technologies include ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis.

Key Processes in Industrial Water Treatment

• Filtration: Removing sediment, organic material, and turbidity.
• Softening: Reducing water hardness.
• Dealkalisation: Reducing alkalinity to minimise scale buildup.
• Reverse Osmosis: Eliminating a significant portion of dissolved solids using a semi-permeable membrane.
• Nanofiltration: Removing hardness and bacteria.
• Ion Exchange: Swapping unwanted ions for more suitable ones to achieve the desired water chemistry.
• Mineral removal and desalination: Removing minerals and salt from water, crucial for industries needing high-purity water.

Industry-Specific Examples

• Laboratory and Medical Facilities: These applications require high-quality water that is free of minerals and organic contaminants and often use water purification systems that purify water through physical or chemical means.
  *Water purification methods to consider: microporous filtration, carbon filtration, deionization, distillation, membrane processes, and water softening.
• Food and Beverage Industry: Water treatment is essential for ingredient water.
• Automotive Plants: Water treatment is used to treat process water for reuse or disposal.

Key Benefits Of Using The Best Industrial Water Purification

• Reduced Filtration Media Fouling Wastewater can become contaminated, but water filtration systems can remove a high percentage of contaminants. The right filtration system can maximise water filtration and improve water flow, increasing manufacturing efficiency and decreasing operating costs1.
• Lower Waste Disposal Costs Efficient industrial water filters extend the lifespan of filter media, reducing the frequency of replacements and disposal costs. Sand filtration tends to create solid balls of mud, reducing the filter’s efficiency and requiring frequent replacement of the sand and filters, at a significant cost and loss.
• Improved Water Quality Industrial water filtration systems successfully remove pollutants and impurities, providing cleaner water for industrial processes, manufacturing, and consumption.
• Extended Equipment Lifespan Industrial water filtration systems prevent clogging, reduce scale and silt accumulation, and prevent corrosion, keeping equipment in top working condition for longer. Equipment that is kept clean is less likely to require repairs or replacements, which reduces maintenance costs.
• Increased Efficiency Cleaner water ensures that industrial operations work more smoothly, reducing downtime due to equipment failures and keeping production disruptions to a minimum, leading to increased efficiency and productivity. Optimizing industrial processes can uncover opportunities to reduce water consumption by identifying and addressing inefficiencies in equipment, production lines, and workflows, which minimizes water wastage and improves overall process efficiency.
• Cost Savings Industrial water filtration systems can lead to considerable long-term cost savings due to reduced maintenance, longer equipment lifespan, and fewer production interruptions. High-quality water can be accessed through more efficient methods by utilizing the latest water purification technology, offering a high ROI.
• Environmental Compliance and Sustainability Industrial water purification systems help companies adhere to regulations and sustainability initiatives through water reuse. This is especially important in regions facing water stress and reduces the requirements of fresh water supplies for industrial process water requirements, saving the fresh water resources for drinking water purposes for municipalities.
• Maintaining Product Quality Industrial water filtration ensures that water used in production processes meets stringent quality standards, protecting the integrity of products and maintaining consumer trust.

Reverse osmosis is a cornerstone of industrial water purification, removing up to 99.9% of contaminants and reducing energy consumption by up to 15% compared to traditional systems.

Strategies for Optimizing Water Purification Systems

• Match Water Quality to Actual Needs: Avoid over-purifying water, as it wastes water and energy. Evaluate the level of water quality required to ensure that the system does not deliver a higher level of purification than is needed.
• Monitor Filtration Processes: For filtration processes, base backwash phases upon the pressure differential across the filtration media. A pressure drop will indicate that the filter requires backwashing.
• Optimize Regeneration Schedules: For carbon filtration and deionization processes where regeneration occurs off site, work with maintenance professionals to determine an optimal schedule for removing and regenerating units based on incoming water characteristics and the amount and quality of purified water required daily.
• Regularly Clean Distillation Systems: Periodically clean the boiling chamber to remove accumulated minerals to ensure efficient operation.
• Monitor and Adjust Water Softeners: Work with a plumbing professional or the product manufacturer to account for and program regeneration based upon the incoming water hardness and/or flow through the system and monitor and adjust settings periodically.
• Consider Reject Water Reuse: Consider reusing water purification system reject water as alternative onsite water.

By implementing these best water treatment strategies, industrial plants across various sectors can improve their water purification operations, ensuring efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and environmental responsibility.

Conclusion

Is your South African industrial plant facing water scarcity or quality issues? NuWater provides smart, adaptable water treatment solutions for agriculture, mining, power, and more. Contact us today to learn how we can help you reclaim, recover, and re-source water to meet your exact needs.