Treatment of industrial wastewater: a look to the future
With clean water an increasingly valuable resource, the treatment of industrial wastewater is becoming a vital process for providing useable water. Let’s look at what this could mean for your business…
Why wastewater treatment is necessary
There are many reasons why a business must effectively treat its industrial wastewater. On a practical level, it improves efficiency and saves money. On a statutory level, it ensures discharge consent levels are adhered to.
However, there are much greater implications when you consider the importance of clean and safe water in terms of human use and the environment – indeed, industrial wastewater presents a wealth of opportunities.
The answer to a global crisis
In 2021, a UN assessment of 89 countries found that only 60% of water bodies (rivers, lakes and groundwater) had good ambient water quality. What’s more, with no routine water quality data available for the majority of countries, the UN estimated over 3 billion people are at risk because the health of their freshwater ecosystems is unknown.
With population growth, accelerated urbanization and economic development producing more wastewater than ever, the effective treatment of this wastewater – particularly in industrial settings – offers an affordable and sustainable source of clean water.
A sustainable opportunity
As both a major consumer of water and discharger of wastewater, industry can play a huge role in harnessing the potential of wastewater treatment.
As discussed previously many businesses use sustainable industrial wastewater treatment methods, reusing their process water for cooling, heating, toilet flushing, irrigation and vehicle washing.
With businesses able to reuse and recycle their own wastewater, this ‘symbiosis’ will relieve industrial demand for fresh water.
What’s more, there are many industrial wastewater treatment processes and operational systems that use wastewater in municipal activities, sustainable agriculture, energy production and industrial development.
The wider impact of sustainable treatment of industrial wastewater
In producing wastewater that is safe to reuse, sustainable wastewater treatment has the potential to drive progress beyond an individual business or even sector.
Provision of clean, safe water will drive progress in public health, environmental sustainability and economic development by providing new business opportunities and creating more ‘green’ jobs.
Future proofing your wastewater treatment processes
Going forward, exploiting the opportunities offered by industrial wastewater will become increasingly vital.
Legislation regarding the effective treatment of industrial wastewater will likely become stricter, as governments begin to see it as an affordable and sustainable source of water – indeed, compliance for the removal of heavy metals from industrial wastewater is already set to become stricter.
With this in mind, any business with a wastewater treatment plant should consider how it can operate more sustainably. Industrial wastewater treatment experts like Aqua Advice can assess treatment processes and advise on any upgrades or replacement plants that are required.
Get your industrial wastewater treatment plant ready for a sustainable future – contact Aqua Advice today.