Industrial Water Use “Consumption”

Industrial Water Use “Consumption”

Contents

1. Introduction

2. Water Use In Industry

3. Industrial Water Sustainability

4. Where Water Is Sourced From

5. Water Re - Use

6. Conclusion

Introduction

Worldwide, industry accounts for 22 percent of total water usage, compared to domestic use at 8 percent and agricultural use at 70 percent. However, according to a 2003 U.N. water report, industrial water use of high-income countries can be as high as 59 percent. In 1997/98 the UK consumed just over 16.8 billion cubic meters of water (see chart 1). Non-domestic usage accounted for 13.5 billion cubic metres, while only 3.3 billion cubic meters were used by households through the public water supply network. While In 1995, U.S. industry alone was using approximately 27.1 billion gallons per day of water for processing purposes (U.S. Geological Survey).

Water Use In Industry

Manufacturing industry obviously requires large amounts of water that’s for a wide range of uses, apart from what’s needed by staff for hygiene, firefighting purposes etc. which is often drawn from the public system. The main uses can be grouped into three categories. (as demonstrated by Lea 1967) Keith Smith, 1972 “water in Britian”, 1st edition, pp149-150

1.Energy production from boilers, some boiler feed water is used by most industries for steam rising. In most cases small low pressure boilers are required. But for industries that produce and use electricity on a large scale, massive high pressure units are employed.

2.Processing and production, the most complex category of industrial use. This includes water used for cleansing at all stages of manufacture, as a chemical medium for dissolving and diluting soluble substances, as a transport agent for substances in solution or suspension, (especially for waste disposal). And finally as a basic raw material that is required for the finished product, as for food, drink and pharmaceutical industries.

3.Cooling water, as water is the mmost economical and efficient medium for the removal of excess heat generated by industrial processes, and cooling water is the largest single gross requirement for the manufacturing inustry, though never the less large differences exsist beetween individual industries, and a high proportion of the water is returned to source

Industrial Water Sustainability

In the UK the 1945 water act placed a requirment on abstractors to keep records, and then in 1948 liscences where reqiured for the sinking of any boreholes or wells in conservation area’s, that was then extended across the board in 1963, where all abstractions required a liscence.

Where as In the U.S many states didn’t developed permit programs untill the 1990s that require reporting of industrial withdrawals and return flows, and many wastewater treatment utilities, established U.S. Environmental Protection Agency industrial pretreatment programs, to regulate and monitor contaminants released into collection systems. Though better water quality regulations regarding wastewater discharges have helped to reduce industrial water demands, industrial water needs are increasing with the rate of manufacturing production. As freshwater resources continue to become scarce and costs for waste disposal rise, there is growing interest within the industrial sector in the benefits of industrial treatment and reuse of process water.

Where Water Is Sourced From.

In general, large industries obtain water directly from wells, rivers, lakes, and estuaries, and may supplement resources by purchasing water from a public supplyвЂ"as small industrial manufacturers do. Almost every manufactured good requires water during production for processing, washing, cooling, and other stages, and in many instances, industry must still pre-treat public supply water for required manufacturing purity levels, such as boiler feed. Treating water at the front-end both contributes to in-plant quality control and reduces wastewater treatment at the back-end. Many manufacturers have also begun to recycle water within their plants