Waste Water Management

Identify problematic runoff and

connection issues
One of the many ways industrial facilities can reduce its wastewater volume is by
identifying any point of the process where groundwater, rainwater, or fractured pipes
might be leaking fresh water or untreated process waster into your effluent streams.
What might seem an unlikely place to find and reduce excess wastewater, it’s fairly
common for extra water from these sources to seep directly into your effluent
stream.
It’s also common for facilities to find that process piping has been routed inefficiently
or that valves and connections are fractured or poorly sealed, which can all pose an
issue when a facility is looking to tighten up its wastewater volume. Complete a
thorough water usage audit that takes into consideration how much water is used at
various parts of your production process and continue to set goals to tighten them.
Also keep in mind that some of your process and wastewater will evaporate. Each
small fix can add up to big savings over time.

Reuse and recycle water at various

parts of your operation
Implementing water recycling and reuse as part of your process can greatly reduce
the volume of effluent your plant will have to discard. This approach can come with a
high investment upfront, but the long-term savings are often worth the cost. This is
becoming especially true, too, with the growing call for facilities to be more
responsible with their water usage, which is, as mentioned earlier in the article, taking
the form of costly fees and stringent regulations. For this reason, many facilities are
setting goals to make sure they’re not taking more water than they are able to
(cleanly) replace. A thorough analysis can help determine which recycling measures
will pay off for you.
Shift to waterless processes when able
There are countless technological advancements that are replacing water-intensive
processes with those that little water or even no water at all. Look into some of these
solutions for your own facility.
When it comes to treating your process water and wastewater for specific instances
where you can’t discharge water at all, your facility might benefit from zero liquid
discharge, a range of technologies that work to recover all fluid waste, leaving the
facility with a solid cake of waste that is easier to discard

Incorporate biological wastewater

treatment technology
If your industrial or municipal facility generates organic-laden wastes, biological
wastewater treatment might be an appropriate choice for your facility. These systems
can be efficient and economical technologies for breaking down and removing
organic contaminants from wastes such as those produced in the food and beverage,
chemical manufacturing, oil and gas, and municipal industries. Bonus for facilities able
to use this method: it’s a natural process that produces a useful biogas that can be
used as energy for other parts of the facility’s process