How to meet environmental responsibilities in process water and wastewater treatment
Key points
Standards for health and safety and environmental compliance are of critical importance in industrial processing operations. Industrial processing uses vast volumes of water, and treatment of water and wastewater is essential to every production plant across industries including mining, pharmaceuticals, pulp and paper, textiles, food and beverage, along with water utilities. Processes are complex and costly, with every site required to meet specific environmental discharge regulations.
A critical process
Manufacturing, pharmaceutical, food and beverage and other industries use water during the production process for either creating their products or cleaning equipment and facilities. At the other end of the production line, wastewater must undergo high levels of treatment prior to discharge or reuse. Companies that opt to treat wastewater onsite, rather than through a trade effluent service, face ever-tightening environmental standards before emission to watercourses.
Variability is a factor that can present significant challenges to wastewater treatment systems. That includes seasonal changes, production increases or decreases and modifications to products and production lines, all of which can cause sudden changes to the volume or character of a waste stream. It is essential that fluctuating waste stream volumes or pollutant concentrations can be accommodated by a safe, flexible and intuitive wastewater treatment system.
In a competitive marketplace, standards for health and safety and environmental compliance are critical. Consumer-facing sectors are particularly exposed and putting customers, staff, products or the environment at risk through poorly managed systems and processes would have significantly damaging consequences.
Legally binding environmental regulations, rooted in legislation like the European Water Framework Directive, are in place to protect rivers, lakes, estuaries, coastal waters and groundwater from pollution. They stipulate that treated effluent must meet high quality standards before being released into the environment. Industrial companies in breach of water quality requirements risk prosecutions, large fines and even having their discharge permits revoked.
Dosing best practice
The wide range of critical onsite treatment requirements across industrial production sites need to be reliable, efficient, accurate and safe. Companies are also under pressure to keep costs to a minimum. In this context, accurate and reliable chemical dosing that ensures flows meet precise parameters is essential.
Chemicals are used for a range of applications including pH control; chlorination of feedwater; cleaning process equipment; foam control and adding flocculants and coagulants. Systems with a high level of automation help ensure accurate and repeatable levels of dosing that optimise chemical usage.
Dosing pumps operating in industrial production can require high levels of resolution, accuracy and control. This is to ensure that the correct amount of fluid is delivered, even in varying process conditions, removing any risk of under-dosing or over-dosing.
Peristaltic pumps, such as Watson-Marlow’s Qdos peristaltic chemical metering pump, provide highly accurate dosing by enabling precise, incremental adjustments. They can handle applications requiring dosing at 0.1ml/min, right up to 2,000ml/min. By only using what is needed, chemical quantities and costs are reduced.
The health and safety profile of this vital equipment is an important consideration for any plant manager. Qdos pumps feature leak detection which automatically stops the pump in the event of pumphead failure. The units are self-contained and once the valves are shut off, the pumphead can be quickly removed and replaced without spillage. This minimises the possibility of operators coming into contact with chemicals and prevents chemical spills into the environment. By comparison, failure of a traditional diaphragm dosing pump means the unit needs to be taken apart, risking chemical spillage and exposing staff to potential contact.
Case study
Qdos pump for polymer dosing proves itself at leading brewery
At a major UK brewery, environmental solutions provider, SUEZ – Water Technologies & Solutions, uses the Qdos ReNu PU for dosing polymer as part of its wastewater treatment processes. The process of dewatering the sludge at this stage means that the volume of sludge transported offsite is reduced, which dramatically reduces transportation costs.
The Qdos pump reliably doses polymer for around 12 hours every day. When the pumphead reaches the end of its life, replacement is simple and quick. Chemical containment in the event of pumphead failure is also assured; this is an important point as cleaning up polymer spillages can be very time-consuming.
Case study
Qdos pump for polymer dosing proves itself at leading brewery
At a major UK brewery, environmental solutions provider, SUEZ – Water Technologies & Solutions, uses the Qdos ReNu PU for dosing polymer as part of its wastewater treatment processes. The process of dewatering the sludge at this stage means that the volume of sludge transported offsite is reduced, which dramatically reduces transportation costs.
The Qdos pump reliably doses polymer for around 12 hours every day. When the pumphead reaches the end of its life, replacement is simple and quick. Chemical containment in the event of pumphead failure is also assured; this is an important point as cleaning up polymer spillages can be very time-consuming.
Operation and maintenance
Equipment that is easy-to-install, operate and maintain will help minimise the procedural load and the risk of human error. This is especially important in a hazard-critical area like chemical dosing. Low cost of ownership and accurate dosing are factors to consider in pump selection.
Peristaltic pumps meet a range of requirements including value for money, low cost of ownership, reliability and ease of maintenance. Qdos pumps require virtually no ancillary equipment and the patented pumphead can be replaced quickly and easily without tools, for fast and safe maintenance.
Advantages of peristaltic pumps
• Easy to install and maintain
• No risk of contamination or chemical spillage
• No specialist training required
• Remote management and monitoring
• Requires small site footprint
Assessing lifecycle cost
A number of variables impact on the amount of energy consumed by a pump system, including specification, configuration and installation as well as how the system is operated and maintained. These factors are interdependent and must remain carefully matched and managed throughout the lifecycle of the pumping system.
Where projects are undertaken within limited capital budgets, priority may be given to upfront costs, with little consideration of ongoing expenditure. Lifecycle cost (LCC) analysis can give companies deeper understanding of the elements that make up the total cost of a system throughout its lifespan from purchase to decommissioning, including installation, operations and downtime.
Another opportunity for significant cost-savings from systems’ efficiency is in chemical consumption. Not only do pumps that dose more accurately reduce total chemical use, the health and safety risk from storing and processing chemicals is also reduced.
Peristaltic pumps, such as the Qdos pump, are capable of accurate and consistent chemical metering. This leads to efficient use of treatment chemicals and, because the fluid is fully contained within the pumphead, maintenance is safe, simple and quick, leading to a low total LCC.
Locking in sustainability
Water is a finite and an increasingly scarce resource that needs to be sustained for future generations. It is also essential, in high volumes, to keep industrial processes operating, providing many opportunities to reduce the quantity used.
A reduction in water demand in manufacturing and industrial processing is most likely possible through efficiency gains within processes – along with effluent reuse. Manufacturers are increasingly looking to reduce their exposure to risk from their water requirements through conservation, reuse and sustainability measures, and some are undertaking localised whole-site reviews. The advantages are not only in reducing water footprint, but also in substantially reducing the cost of water supply, wastewater treatment, chemicals and even the energy bills arising from pumping, heating and cooling water.
As with any sustainability activity, changing company culture is an ongoing process and requires leadership and goalsetting across the business. It is a particularly important consideration in industrial processing where onsite management of water may impact directly on the local community and end-customers are increasingly proactive around environmental concerns.
By adopting best-practice for process water and wastewater treatment and plant cleaning, and by identifying opportunities for water efficiency at every stage of the process, producers can move towards more sustainable practice.
Contact us
Speak to our team of experts: 01326 370362
wmfts.com/en/cwt/
Whatever the process and application – wastewater, clean water or recycled water – the dosing requirements remains the same. Production plants need robust and accurate systems with repeatable levels of dosing that mitigate the risk of permit breaches through underdosing, overdosing or system failure.
Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Solutions
- 01326370370
- info@wmftg.co.uk
- https://www.wmfts.com/
- Bicklandwater Road, Falmouth Business Park, Falmouth, Cornwall, TR11 4RU GB
About us
Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Group (WMFTG) peristaltic tube and hose pumps meet requirements including: value for money; low cost of ownership; reliability and ease of maintenance to the food and beverage, chemical, pharmaceutical, mining and many other industries.
We demonstrate how pumps deliver significant process efficiencies over the lifetime of the equipment. Whether performing flavouring addition in food processing, chemical metering in water treatment or mineral recovery, we have a solution which can cut pump downtime and reduce costs through higher accuracy metering and transfer. WMFTG has dedicated application engineers available to help customers make the right pump and tubing choice from a range providing microlitres per minute to 80 cubic metres per hour flow rates.
The only part of the pump to come into contact with the product is the tube or hose. This means there are no seals or valves that can wear or fail. Replacing the tube or hose can be performed quickly and safely. Peristaltic pump benefits include:
Total fluid containment with no seals No ancillaries Handle viscous and abrasive slurries and sludge Self-priming capability Dry running without damage to the pump In addition to their range of positive displacement pumps, Watson-Marlow Fluid Technology Group has added PTFE-lined chemical and industrial hoses to their range. Aflex hoses are reinforced to withstand the most severe conditions and use.
Where we supply to
Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, South America, North America
Industries we supply to
Automation, Chemicals, Consultants, Components Electronics, Energy and Power, Food and Beverage, Glass Ceramics Cement, Metals and Minerals, OEM, Paper and Pulp, Pharmaceutical Cosmetics Toiletries, Plastics and Rubber, Recycling, Textiles, Tobacco, Water and Wastewater
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