The Future of Industrial Wastewater Reuse in Circular Manufacturing

2025: A Turning Point for Wastewater

As we progress towards a circular economy, wastewater treatment and water recycling systems are becoming increasingly important strategic assets.

Public demand and tighter regulations, plus the pressing business case for climate-change resilience and cost savings, are driving innovation and decision-making among water-dependent manufacturers and wastewater treatment providers.

Current Wastewater Landscape

Like other industrial emissions and waste streams, wastewater is tightly regulated, with multiple pieces of legislation and government agencies involved.

Key Water Regulators: EA, SEPA, NRW, DAERA

The main regulatory body in England is the Environment Agency (EA), who work closely with Natural Resources Wales (NRW). Scotland has the Scottish Environment Agency (SEPA) and Northern Ireland the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA).

“Recycling your industrial wastewater into reusable process water is the perfect example of circularity, saving resources at both supply and disposal ends.”

The aims of these organisations and others across the EU, are similar and share common concepts from the EU Industrial Emissions Directive, such as Best Available Techniques (BAT).

Combined Sewage Overflows and Industrial Impact

At the practical level, most wastewater still goes into regional sewage treatment plants, where the mix of sewage, road run-off and industrial effluent goes through multiple mechanical, chemical and biological processes.

The UK, like many developed countries, has a combined sewage system, where rainwater runoff mixes with household sewage and industrial effluent. The result of this today is that our sewage treatment plants are often overwhelmed during periods of high rainfall, leading to “combined sewage overflows” (CSOs), commonly known as “sewage spills”, into rivers and coastal waters.

Transporting Wastewater by Tanker: A Carbon-Heavy Legacy

An alternative to the sewer pipe network is road tankers. Transporting wastewater via road tankers, rather than through sewer networks, is a common practice in overcoming capacity constraints in onsite storage, sewer systems and within the treatment facilities themselves.

Environmental and Social Impacts of HGV Wastewater Transport

However, this approach contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. In 2022, heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), including wastewater tankers, accounted for 17% of the UK's domestic transport emissions, totalling 19.1 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent. (DfT Statistics, published 12 Dec 2024).

In addition to emissions, increased heavy traffic is a major concern that’s raised whenever a planning or permitting application comes up for public consultation. The strain on local infrastructure and community relations can be very costly.

Campaign groups are forming around the issue, with complaints of tanker movements impacting sleep, retail trade and traffic and even damage to roads and pavements, according to an April 2024 report in The Times.  

Although CSO prevention is the number one concern at the moment, the road tanker issue will likely ‘bubble to the surface’ once the water industry is up to speed on this.

“Treating wastewater at source enables simpler, more resource-efficient treatment based on the specific contaminants, before the ‘cocktail mix’ becomes more complex and challenging downstream.”

As the next step in circularity, forward-thinking companies and ESG professionals are exploring new onsite water treatment and recycling options. Treating wastewater at source enables simpler, more resource-efficient treatment based on the specific contaminants, before the ‘cocktail mix’ becomes more complex and challenging downstream.

Reducing the demand on freshwater supplies

Most wastewater ‘producers’ are also freshwater ‘consumers’. This presents an ideal opportunity for implementing the circular approach.

Recycling your industrial wastewater into reusable process water is the perfect example of circularity, saving resources at both supply and disposal ends.

The End of Cheap Water?

The supply of fresh water and apparent ‘ease’ of wastewater disposal, have perhaps been taken for granted in some arenas. Compared with the steep increases in electricity and gas costs over the past decade, you could say that the price of water is at low tide right now.

Water and sewage companies (WaSCs) are facing a steep “population-equivalent” growth rate and increasingly high ESG (environmental, social and governance) demands. Calls for record-breaking infrastructure investment point towards increased fees for water supplies and wastewater disposal.

Ofwat, the water industry regulator, has already agreed to price increases for combined water and wastewater, resulting in the average bill increasing by 26% in 2025-2026, according to Water UK.

Thanks to innovation in treatment equipment, post-process water and grey-water recycling are becoming viable for many more industrial applications, reducing the dependency on freshwater abstractions.

Even where wastewater has to be disposed of via sewer or surface water, treating it to within specific limits is crucial to compliance with environmental law and licensing (or permitting) requirements. It streamlines downstream treatment and enhances environmental outcomes from the whole supply chain.

Growing demand from industrial users (e.g. C&D waste recycling, food, pharma, chemical) for recycled process water

Closed-loop water circulation systems are becoming increasingly common, with new technologies making the process more feasible and cost-effective for a wider range of applications.

The remediation of process water back to its desired properties often involves the removal of solids or chemicals, pH adjustment, cooling, or a combination of these.

Atlantic Pumps has developed several solutions for treating water on site, enabling its reuse in a closed-loop circular system, secondary process, or environmentally sound discharge.

A key pillar in this is EnviroHub, a modular system that treats various flow volumes for solids removal, pH adjustment and other parameters based on live monitoring.

Selecting the modules required for the specific remediation keeps the capital cost down and the live data prevents both ‘over-treatment’ and the onward release of out-of-spec water.

EnviroHub natively connects with Senteos and is interoperable with other common SCADA and Modbus applications. This enables management to control their site process equipment more easily and provides live and historical data on flow volumes, timings and sensor readings.

Hydro-cyclones, spirals and centrifuges can remove chemicals and ultra-fines from wastewater, utilising differences in their molecular weight. This is especially the case where the contaminants are familiar and repetitive, as is typical with many industrial processes.

Other techniques to remove suspended solids include filter-pressing, flocculation, membrane filtering, laminar settling and thickener clarifiers.

“Transporting wastewater via road tankers, rather than through sewer networks, is a common practice in overcoming capacity constraints in onsite storage, sewer systems and within the treatment facilities themselves.”

Reducing water drawdown and site discharge volumes with grey-water and post-process water recycling

As a case study, a forward-thinking aggregate and asphalt plant installed an EnviroHub system that treats yard-water runoff (silt and high pH) to feed a dust suppression system. This reduced dust emissions, tanker truck movements, water consumption and site discharge volumes, making it a win at many levels.

Another example is a wash plant for field-grown produce that uses recycled, closed-loop water. The soil and grit is removed in a compact laminar settlement tank and returned to the field, while the water is tested (via conductivity measurement and pH) and topped-up accordingly with fresh cleaning agent.

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FAQs: Wastewater Recycling and Treatment in 2025

Why is 2025 a turning point for wastewater?
2025 marks a pivotal year due to increasing regulatory pressure, rising public concern, and the growing need for circular water solutions. Combined with higher utility costs and ESG expectations, wastewater treatment is becoming a strategic priority for industry.

What is driving innovation in wastewater treatment?
Tightening regulations, climate resilience goals, cost savings and sustainability targets are pushing water-intensive industries to adopt smarter and more efficient wastewater management and recycling technologies.

Who regulates wastewater treatment in the UK?
In the UK, wastewater is regulated by:

• Environment Agency (EA) in England
• Natural Resources Wales (NRW)
• Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA)
• Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland
  These agencies enforce standards based on EU frameworks like the Industrial Emissions Directive.

What is a Combined Sewage Overflow (CSO)?
A CSO occurs when rainfall overwhelms the sewer system, causing untreated sewage and industrial wastewater to spill into rivers or coastal waters. These events are increasingly common and a major environmental concern.

Why is road tanker transport of wastewater controversial?
While used to bypass infrastructure constraints, transporting wastewater by tanker:

• Increases greenhouse gas emissions
• Strains local infrastructure
• Causes community disruption
  In 2022, HGVs contributed to 17% of UK domestic transport emissions.

What is the alternative to transporting wastewater by tanker?
Treating wastewater on-site at the source is a cleaner, more efficient alternative. It simplifies treatment by addressing specific contaminants before wastewater is diluted in the broader system.

What is circular water use in industry?
Circular water use means treating and recycling industrial wastewater for reuse in processes, reducing the need for freshwater intake and lowering wastewater discharge volumes.

Is water becoming more expensive for industry?
Yes. The era of cheap water is ending. From 2025–2026, average UK water bills are set to rise by 26%, according to Water UK and Ofwat, due to growing demand and infrastructure investment needs.

What technologies support industrial water recycling?
Key technologies include:

• Filter-pressing
• Flocculation
• Membrane filtration
• Hydro-cyclones and centrifuges
• pH adjustment and laminar settling
  These systems help remove solids, adjust water quality and reduce chemical use.

What is EnviroHub and how does it work?
EnviroHub is a modular water treatment system by Atlantic Pumps. It enables:

• On-site water remediation
• Real-time flow and quality monitoring
• Automated control via SCADA and Modbus systems
  It helps manage costs and ensures compliance by treating wastewater to the required standard.

How does onsite treatment support ESG goals?
Onsite treatment reduces:

• Water consumption
• Carbon emissions from tanker transport
• Pollution and discharge volumes
  It aligns with environmental goals and helps companies meet stricter ESG and permitting expectations.

What is grey-water recycling?
Grey-water refers to relatively clean wastewater from processes like cleaning or rinsing. Recycling it reduces demand for potable water and minimises discharge volumes.

Are closed-loop water systems becoming common?
Yes. More industries are adopting closed-loop systems where water is treated, reused and circulated within the plant, especially in food, agriculture, construction and chemical sectors.

What are the compliance benefits of treating water on-site?
By treating wastewater before discharge, companies:

• Simplify permitting
• Avoid fines
• Protect local ecosystems
• Improve downstream treatment outcomes

What are some real-world examples of circular water use?

• An aggregate plant uses treated yard runoff for dust suppression, cutting water use and tanker traffic.
• A wash plant for field crops recycles rinse water using a laminar settlement system, reducing soil loss and chemical waste.