Having the required quantity and quality of water to be used throughout the facility is a critical element to ensure uptime and product consistency.
Process water is broadly defined as water used in industry, manufacturing processes, power generation and similar applications. It can be used for the process operation or the creation of products.
Here are just a few examples of industrial process water use:
- Pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries: process water is required that continuously meets stringent regulatory requirements.
- Food and beverage industries: flexible water purification and contaminant removal systems support the need for ingredient water.
- Chemical and petrochemical industries: process water is used for cooling tower systems, makeup water and blowdown treatment systems.
- Automotive industry: vehicle production plants have a significant demand for process water of known quality.
The specific process water requirements of various industries and plants vary enormously. Water is therefore produced using a variety of process water technologies depending on the feed water and final water quality and volume requirements.
How Veolia is committed to helping its industrial clients produce high-quality process water
Meeting specific process water requirements is crucial to maintain efficient and reliable production for various industries and plants. Manufacturing companies need to ensure high standards in production output while maximizing cost savings. We understand these needs and work with you to ensure that your operations are efficient, compliant and cost-effective.
Process water is usually sourced from surface water, groundwater, municipal treatment plants, or some combination of these water sources. In many cases, the water from these sources needs to be treated to remove contaminants and minerals to protect equipment and ensure consistent conditions for end-products.
Our process water technologies are designed to meet your needs, producing high-quality process water from a range of feed water sources and significantly reducing water consumption.
Combining digital services with quality process water to prevent disruption
Thanks to its industry leading Hubgrade digital monitoring system, Veolia Water Technologies UK (VWT UK) was recently able to rectify a water systems breakdown at Halton General Hospital. Resolving the issue within half an hour and without needing to dispatch system engineers, VWT UK utilized Hubgrade to prevent significant on-site disruption that could adversely affect the hospital’s level of care for its patients.
With Hubgrade, healthcare facilities can benefit from a smart digital solution that allows its users to monitor pure water production, address specific water optimization needs and respond to challenges throughout the water cycle.
Discover our technologies for process water treatment
Would you like more information about our technologies for process water?
Users are always looking for ways to save energy and water, and lessen operator involvement whilst reducing risk and maintaining quality, to give them the edge over their competition. Technologies such as LED UV, nanotechnology and graphene oxidized membranes lead the way in new technologies. How we ultimately deliver services to the customer has also evolved immensely.
Kalpesh Shah
Head of Sales, Process WaterHead of Sales, Process Water
Veolia Water Technologies UK
Contact Kalpesh through his LinkedIn account
More services for process water treatment
FAQ about process water
How much treatment does my process water need?
This depends on the market and what the process water is used for. The process water needed for the composition of cosmetics contrasts vastly from what would be needed in a cooling tower. This is where expert guidance is needed to ensure the correct systems and technologies are installed to provide desired results.
How can I ensure compliance on process water treatment?
There are numerous ways to achieve compliance with each case depending on the market and local regulations in that area. Regular servicing and expertise are confident methods to achieve compliance with systems that are scalable to each customer’s regulatory needs. However, another option is to implement a digital monitoring system, such as Hubgrade.
Hubgrade can constantly monitor water throughout an entire process to ensure it remains compliant and works synonymously with the entire system to avoid downtime, streamline processes and provide real-time statistics.
How does water become “process water”?
There are multiple different avenues to achieve process water depending on the desired result.
- Reverse osmosis is a water treatment process that removes impurities using a semi-permeable membrane.
- Filtration is where solid particles are entirely removed from the water. This can be from groundwater, surface water or even pre-treated wastewater.
- Ultrafiltration goes a step further and removes smaller substances such as bacteria and viruses from feed water.
- Water softening is where hard water filters down through a bed of ion-exchange resin. The ion exchange resin attracts the calcium and magnesium ions (hardness) and replaces them with sodium ions. This is a benefit for water systems and plants because it prevents scale build-up.
- Deionization removes total dissolved solids from water using ion exchange. Technologies control an electric charge of ions in water by attracting non-water ions and replacing them with water ions, removing the solids and leaving pure water.
What technology should I use for process water treatments?
The technology needed varies according to each customer and the market they belong to. We offer a wide range of technologies that provide solutions to all process water-related needs. Some of our products are designed for a specific singular purpose and some can be implemented to achieve multiple demands. From small laboratories to large-scale industrial sites, we have the capability to implement, refurbish or replace a scalable process water system to reach your needs.
What size process water system do I need?
This can be distinguished by what market your company belongs to. Whilst there are always exceptions, a laboratory requires far less water than an automotive factory. This is where consultation with one of our process water experts is key as they have the knowledge and understanding to select the correct products and equipment that suit the volume and flow rate you require.
What is the difference between reverse osmosis (RO) and deionization (DI)?
The two main treatment processes are reverse osmosis and deionization, but they are very different in process and result.
- RO filters water using a semi-permeable membrane where a pump creates pressure which forces the feed water through the membrane against its natural flow. These water molecules pass into a purified water tank, while contaminants are held back and discharged through a reject stream achieving up to 99% water purity.
- Deionized water is even purer and uses a multi-stage water purification process that removes total solids from water using ion exchange. Our technologies control the electric charge of ions in water by attracting non-water ions and replacing them with water ions instead, removing the solids and leaving pure water.
Each has benefits that are better suited depending on the requirement and purity quality needed. Many of our technologies infuse both processes for maximum results.