A Brief Guide to Industrial Water Filter Solutions
Water filtration serves as a commonly used process in daily life but is not given much attention. Water filtration solutions are vital for not just generating fresh and uncontaminated water to nourish humans but also have wide and versatile uses for industrial applications.
What is filtration?
It is the procedure of the separation of solids and liquids. It consists of passing fluid through a system of filtration wherein the liquid will be permitted to flow via a membrane in which the solids are collated. Following the passage of fluid via the membrane, all impurities are discarded, leaving behind only the pure, filtered fluid. Throughout history, humans have always sought clear and clean drinking water and tried to accomplish this through different modes of filtration.
Benefits in industrial applications
The process of filtration is utilized in almost every industrial application and has wide usage. It is a critical step used in the processes of production of nuclear industry, oil & gas, water treatment, building & construction, coatings & chemicals, pharmaceuticals, food & beverages, and automotive industries.
Filtration systems used in industries can make the process of manufacturing cost-effective and easy with the option to implement environmentally friendly, state-of-the-art practices. Following are some benefits:
- Lowered costs of maintenance
Industrial water filters have the capacity to lower costs in almost any application. It will help in protecting the durability of equipment in most applications. Filtration protects all equipment from harmful contamination, permitting their proper functioning. Any equipment that functions optimally will be more productive and lead to less downtime since there will be a need for fewer repairs.
- Reduction in energy costs
There is potential to save money on costs for energy by using fresh industrial systems of filtration. One can find economical solutions by exploring various options for filtering water.
For instance, Dow’s Benelux, which is the biggest chemical plant in the world external to the US and located in the Netherlands, has accomplished much progress in the use as well as re-use of industrial wastewater, aided by a local facility for water treatment.
Recycling water saves this company a significant amount on costs of water and electricity. Every day, this facility re-uses 30,000 cu.m. of wastewater from the municipality. Through recycling of water, one litre of water can be utilized thrice instead of once.
Thanks to this, the energy usage of the plant linked to water treatment was lowered by 95%. The process has even diminished CO2 emissions of the plant by a quantum of 60,000 tons yearly. As per an article in the magazine- ‘Environment Leader,’ Dow claimed that it saves annually $1.5 million by re-use of the wastewater of the city in place of desalination of seawater.
- Enhances efficiency of the process
When water is recycled and re-used from streams of wastewater, it reduces the risks of potential shortages of water and makes for superior water security through lowering dependence on freshwater. Such a facility of industrial water filters is especially beneficial for areas facing water shortages and droughts.
Several industrial plants have set up a policy of ZLD (Zero Liquid Discharge) which implies that the plant will not allow even a water droplet to be discharged from its premises as waste. Such a ZLD policy may be used nowadays in arid and dry locations of industrial plants all over Australia, where water happens to be a resource facing much shortage. ZLD is a policy with global applications in factories worldwide.
Yet another cause for the adoption of ZLD is its potential to recover resources that are contained in the wastewater. As such, some manufacturers opt for ZLD policy to process their wastewater since they can re-sell solids recovered from the water or re-use them in the industrial process.
Take, for instance, Lithium which can be plentifully found in oil field brines, and Gypsum, which can be extracted from water from mines. Both these can be sold to other industries like drywall manufacturing.
Opportunities for innovative and sustainable approaches
Freshwater supply on the planet is facing grave danger thanks to the rapidly booming population, industrialization, climate change, and urbanization. Such a strain renders sources of water for industrial applications expensive and tough to tap into.
Manufacturers have tuned into more sustainable and complete designs for industrial filtration systems which concentrate on the total functionality of the plant, not simply pre-treatment. Many businesses are taking more responsibility for the treatment of streams of wastewater and attempting to make additional use of such water wherever possible.
When companies use cutting-edge and environment-friendly tactics like ZLD as well as processes adopted in the Dow Benelux factory, they are helping businesses not only to save finances but also promote their public brand image.
In current times, concerns for the sake of the environment as well as the adoption of sustainable practices are the dominant trends. Consumers often conduct research on the practices of companies, and their failure to use environmentally friendly methods can affect sales of products negatively and will damage the image of the brand.
Points to note
It is vital to note what impurities you need to remove using the filtration systems of industries and how they will fit into your application. Various industrial filtration systems feature various limitations and strengths, and for getting the best system for your application, the critical fact to know is the particular needs of your process of production.
In sum, these are some of the top facts about industrial water filtration solutions. In the current state of the environment, they are a pressing need.
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