Industrial Water Treatment Explained

Gloved hand gathering water sample in a test tube for industrial water treatment

The world is facing increasing challenges related to water scarcity, stringent environmental regulations and the rising costs of raw water. Industries are shifting their focus from mere wastewater treatment and disposal to a more proactive approach—reclaiming, reusing, and preserving this invaluable resource.

Ranging from the textile and packaging industries to food and beverage, construction, paper, and chemicals, industrial water treatments have expanded in both method and purpose. This shift is driving economic efficiencies but also aligns with broader goals of corporate social responsibility, water stewardship, and sustainable development. This article will explain what is achieved at an industrial treatment plant, the benefits of efficiently recovering high quantities of processed water and how NuWater’s industrial water treatments can add immediate value to your operations.

What Is Industrial Water Treatment?

Industrial water treatment refers to the comprehensive processes used to treat the wastewater generated by industries. This involves overcoming significant purification challenges to remove contaminants, ensuring that the treated water is safe for reuse or release into the environment.

On an industrial scale, water treatment is a complex series of processes designed to guarantee a continuous supply of treated water for use within a facility. Effective industrial water treatment safeguards against risks, escalating operational costs, and the long-term sustainability of your business. Inadequate water treatment can lead to severe consequences, including corrosion of expensive equipment, subpar product quality, regulatory fines or even shutdowns and numerous other costly issues. By gaining a deeper understanding of industrial water treatment, you can enhance the effectiveness of these processes at your facility.

The Purpose of Industrial Water Treatment

Industrial water treatment is employed before or after certain industrial processes, depending on the specific requirements. For instance, water may need to be treated before it is sent to a boiler or a cooling tower. Boilers and cooling towers are widely used in petrochemical and refinery facilities. By preventing scaling and fouling, treating water helps to maintain efficient operations. In the food and beverage industry, it is used for ingredient water, while in other cases, it treats wastewater for reuse or disposal.

Key Processes in Industrial Water Treatment

Industrial water treatment can involve a variety of processes. Although not all water chemistries will require every process, it’s essential to understand the available options. When recommending a treatment plan, the primary goal is to minimise our client’s risk at each stage of any water-based industrial process. Common methods include:

  • Filtration: Removes sediment, organic material, and turbidity.
  • Softening: Reduces water hardness.
  • Dealkalization: Reduces alkalinity to slow the formation of scale.
  • Reverse Osmosis: This process eliminates a sizable portion of dissolved solids by using a semi-permeable membrane.
  • Nanofiltration: Similar to reverse osmosis, it removea hardness and bacteria by allowing some smaller ions to flow through.
  • Ion Exchange: To provide the necessary water chemistry, undesirable ions are swapped out for more desired ones.
  • Mineral removal and desalination: As the name implies removing minerals and extracting salt from water, which is crucial for any industry requiring high-purity water. 

 

NuWater’s systems are designed to be mobile, modular, and scalable, making them adaptable to diverse industrial needs, including textiles, packaging, food and beverage, construction, and more. We also offer rental fleets, allowing businesses to reduce costs while managing specific projects efficiently.

Selecting the Best Industrial Water Treatment Method For Your Facility

These methods are essential tools for treating water in industrial applications. By understanding industrial water treatment, you can apply these processes to purify your water effectively. Our experts can determine the best industrial water treatment for you, so don’t hesitate to contact Nuwater.

The Importance of Industrial Water Treatment

Industrial wastewater treatment is determined by regional standards, but it is more than just ticking regulatory boxes. It’s a critical component in optimising industrial water use. With water becoming an increasingly scarce resource, wastewater treatment is emerging as a one of the keys to sustainable development.

Benefits of Effective Industrial Water Treatment

Implementing a robust industrial water treatment system offers numerous advantages, including:

  • Reduced Waste Discharge: Minimizes the amount of waste released into the environment.
  • Conservation of Water Resources: Reduces or eliminates water loss due to pollution.
  • Environmental Protection: Prevents harmful contaminants from entering the environment.
  • Resource Recovery: Allows for the recovery of methane and natural fertilizers from sludge, which can be used in agriculture.
  • Cost Reduction: Simplifies waste disposal, significantly lowering the associated costs.
  • Regulatory Compliance: Ensures that regional wastewater treatment and effluent standards are met and maintained, with ongoing regulatory compliance monitoring.

NuWater’s Role in Industrial Water Treatment

NuWater provides a comprehensive range of industrial water treatment systems tailored to meet the stringent requirements of industries such as food and beverage, automotive, mining, pharmaceutical, petrochemical, and power. Our solutions are designed to address challenging wastewater treatment needs across industries in South Africa. The appropriate treatment approach is selected based on your specific needs which may include evaporation, filtration, clarification, and both aerobic and anaerobic technologies, all capable of treating and removing high levels of oil, grease, heavy metals, and toxic or corrosive chemicals.

Unlocking Value from Industrial Wastewater

Our advanced industrial wastewater treatment technologies not only purify water but also extract valuable substances from process water before discharge or reuse within a plant. This approach enhances sustainability, reduces carbon footprint, and helps our clients save energy and optimise costs in their production processes.

By reimagining wastewater as a resource, NuWater helps industries achieve greater sustainability while meeting their operational and environmental goals.

Conclusion

Industrial water treatment stands as a crucial element in both environmental stewardship and operational efficiency. By treating wastewater as a valuable resource, industries can not only meet stringent regulations but also drive cost savings and contribute to a more sustainable future.

At NuWater, we are committed to providing innovative, adaptable solutions that help industries reclaim, reuse, and preserve water resources. Ready to enhance your water management strategy? Contact Nuwater today for industrial water treatment and discover how our tailored solutions can support your business goals.

 

About NuWater Water Treatment

NuWater is a smart water treatment solutions company. We have evolved from a dynamic new start-up to becoming industry leaders who are at the forefront of intelligent water treatment solutions. We provide real solutions, solutions that are sustainable, mobile, adaptable, resourceful and efficient. Solutions that are changing lives, communities, businesses, ecosystems, and environments for the better.

NuWater is your business partner when it comes to water treatment and liquid waste management. Our appetite for innovation and our constant drive to search for new, cutting edge, novel technologies ensures that we can meet the needs of our customers. We are a technology-led engineering company that designs, builds, finances, operates and maintains water treatment plants. Plants that treat contaminated water for the provision of high-quality drinking and industrial process water from almost any water source.