Wastewater treatment is an important process for any industry that relies heavily on water. In water-intensive sectors such as paper, textiles, chemicals, oil and gas, and mining etc it’s essential to ensure that wastewater is managed correctly. This blog post will discuss some key reasons for the importance of wastewater treatment for industries and how wastewater treatment plants help meet compliance standards and protect the environment.

What is a wastewater treatment plant?

A wastewater treatment plant is a facility that is used to treat water that has been used by households or industries, thereby altering its original qualities, including its purity. The goal of a wastewater treatment plant is to remove various contaminants from the water and make it safe to either reuse or safe discharge into the environment.

An industrial wastewater treatment plant is a facility that is used to treat water that industrial processes have contaminated. Depending on the kind of contamination & the ensuing effluent characteristics, different technologies are used in an industrial wastewater treatment plant, including physical, chemical, and biological treatment processes. The specific treatment process or combination of processes used will depend on the type and concentration of contaminants present in the wastewater, as well as the regulations and standards that apply to the discharge of the treated water.

Why is wastewater treatment necessary for Industries that rely on water?

There are two aspects to this section, firstly on its absolute need with respect to its environmental impact & compliance aspect & second sustainable reuse, re-cycle & additional benefits aspect.

• Industrial wastewater is water that is produced as a byproduct of industrial processes. It may contain dissolved or suspended contaminants, such as chemicals, heavy metals, inorganic pollutants & lubricants. These substances can be harmful to human health and the environment if not properly treated. Industrial wastewater is typically treated at an industrial wastewater treatment plant before it is released back into the environment or recycled. 
• Water is increasingly becoming a scarce resource & is attracting global attention on how stressed large parts of the population are with respect to its availability.  Hence effective management of water resources employing an integrated approach involving water treatment, reuse of process water, effluent treatment, recycling of treated effluent and waste minimisation addresses the burning issue of water scarcity.

Industries, especially in the energy sector, consume the lion’s share of their water for cooling requirements. The majority of industries use ‘once-through cooling systems’, in which water once used for cooling is discharged. Similarly, the reuse of non-contact steam condensate is also not favored in many countries, including India. However, it is virtually clean and can be reused by reducing the total dissolved solids. Indefinite reuse of the same water after treatment for the same purpose tapping up minimal ‘Makeup water’ to replace unavoidable losses is far more economical for businesses than continuous pumping from finite sources & installing new process technology.

Importance of industrial wastewater treatment

Industrial water use is closely linked to the economy of a country. Water consumption by industries is increasing. In fact, in high-income countries, industrial water use already accounts for as much as 59 percent of the total freshwater consumption, almost twice the amount used in agriculture. It is likely, then, that this will become a global trend even as more and more nations begin to choose industry over agriculture as a key to economic growth. (Source: cse.org.in)

• Environmental protection: Industrial wastewater can pollute rivers, lakes, and other bodies of water, which in turn harms plants, animals, and ecosystems. Treatment helps to remove pollutants and vastly reduce the impact on the environment. 

• Public health: It has been well documented that the ill effects of contaminated water affect not only those in the immediate vicinity of the effluent source but also several tens of miles downstream. Industrial wastewater may contain harmful substances that cause disease if consumed or if they come into contact with the skin. Proper Treatment helps to remove these contaminants and reduce the risk of exposure. 

• Meeting regulatory standards: Many countries have laws and regulations that set limits on the amount and type of pollutants that can be released into the environment. Industrial facilities are required to treat their wastewater to meet these standard.

• Economic advantages: Proper treatment of industrial wastewater reaps rich economic benefits too, such as reducing the cost of complying with regulations and avoiding fines for non-compliance, reuse or recycling of treated wastewater can save money by reducing the need to purchase freshwater & either transporting or pumping it from large distances.

• Conserving precious water resources: Reusing or recycling treated industrial wastewater can help to conserve freshwater resources, which is important in areas where water is scarce or where there are increasing demands on water supplies. 

• Sustainable operations: Proper treatment of industrial wastewater can help to protect industries from local turbulence apart from legal and financial liabilities. If an industry is releasing untreated or poorly treated wastewater downstream or causing its mix-up with groundwater sources, first-order discord will take root within no time in & around the facility. This may spiral out into long-drawn legal bottles & plant shutdowns threatening the operations of the plant in question. On the other hand, if adequate care is taken from the day of commencement of production, uninterrupted operations ensue.

Wipro Water Approach

Wipro Water provides comprehensive solutions for water and wastewater treatment. Solutions range from raw water treatment to wastewater recycling and reuse, including Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD). Wipro Water is a division of Wipro Infrastructure Engineering, an industrial engineering business with expertise spanning Hydraulics, Aerospace, Water Treatment, Additive Manufacturing, and Automation Solutions, with 16 state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities across 4 continents. 

Wipro Water provides diverse, technologically superior solutions across the industrial water treatment lifecycle, from raw water treatment to wastewater recycling and reuse. Being a Provider of Customized Solutions, Wipro Water helps businesses reduce their water footprint and improve their water management efficiency with a strong focus on sustainability and solutions that are cost-effective, energy-efficient, and environmentally friendly. 24×7 operations of Wipro Water, secure the availability and stability of critical equipment through highly skilled engineers monitoring systems proactively.

With over 40+ Years of Domain Expertise and having served 500+ Global Customers across 25+ Industry Segments, Wipro Water provides End-to-end, custom-designed integrated plants for various sectors. Wipro Water executes complex projects optimally by understanding business requirements by deep diving into the various processes.