wbcsd_iwa re-use initiative background paper may 2012

8/17/2019 WBCSD_IWA Re-use Initiative Background Paper May 2012

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Industrial Water Re-use Opportunities - Scoping Paper DRAFT)

WBCSD IWA

WBCSD and IWA have expressed the intention to work together on scoping andfostering industrial water re-use opportunities. This work would contribute to water

stewardship by optimizing water re-use through development and implementation ofcross sector innovative business solutions that are environmentally and sociallybeneficial while also commercially viable, taking into consideration the rapidlychanging business environment.

As a first step, a background paper will be produced jointly. The background paper

will provide an overview of the currents state of affairs on the megatrends and therole of re-use in water management. It will further define the current status of

industrial and utility (sewage treatment) water re-use practices, technology trends andthe critical steps in up scaling re-use. This will be illustrated by a number of successcases of water re-use in industry and beyond. As such the document provides astarting point for discussions amongst WBCSD members, in co-operation with IWA, to

review the potential and options to up-scale industrial water re-use in the comingdecade.

This background paper will specifically focus on: Water re-use framework providing a context for water re-use by / within

industry;

Defining the overall and industrial size water re-use potential; State-of-the-art of industrial water re-use technologies; Boundary conditions that obstruct or enable industrial water re-use; Economic and financial viability of industrial water re-use projects and

programmes; Research and Development agenda; Business case for industrial water re-use.

1. Water re-use framework providing a context for water re-use by / within industry

For large industrial companies, water presents an operational challenge, a cost itemand an opportunity for growth. As manufacturers, they must manage their operationsin a way that conserves and reuses water. As suppliers to other manufacturers, theyare investing in new technologies to take advantage of the evolving demand for watertreatment chemicals, services, and equipment. Especially, water reuse from wastewater(i.e. closed or short loop circuits) has been suggested as one solution for alternativewater resource in the future.

In recent years, different industry sectors have enhanced water efficiency through

major leaps in improving the technical processes. However, a further improvement ofthe total processes aiming at further cost, quality and quantity optimization requires a


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true integration of different technologies as a part of the solution. It is a fact thattechnical challenges related to sustainable recycling and reuse will manifold in thenear future. Who will take the lead to drive and focus the development towards new

business?

Many industries are faced with restrictions on their water usage or on the quality andquantity of water they can discharge from their facility, or both. This is particularlytrue in arid regions where water is scarce and the environment is very sensitive toindustrial discharges. To maintain or expand the operation of their facilities, these

industrial customers are forced to reclaim/ reuse their wastewater, and minimize theirdischarge to the environment.

Considerations for Developing an Industrial Water Reuse Framework

While supply and demand for water varies across regions, industrial production often

comprises a large share of the demand for water. The availability of water as aresource to industry is localized and can be limited, and so increasingly attention ispaid to opportunities for industrial water users to conserve, reuse, and share water.

Incentives for an industrial facility to conserve water, for individual or a number ofproduction lines within an owner fenceline, are fairly straight forward: minimizing wateruse can minimize cost of production, and reduces dependency on water resourcesupply. However, reusing water across various production lines, but still within thesame owner fenceline, can add layers of complexity to the equation. Here, tradeoffsare raised between fullfilling water quantity and quality requirements against the costof achieving those through reuse water.

Opportunities to share water across industry fencelines, and even beyond toagricultural and domestic water users, are increasingly contemplated and practiced,particularly in water stressed and emerging economies. In these cases, wateravailability is a critical component to business growth and socio-ecomonic welfare,and optiosn are persured where no drop is wasted.

As significant stakeholders in a water economy where demand is outpacing supply,industrial enterprises would benefit from a water reuse framework that both fostersthe development of conservation and water reuse at their facililties, is in alignment

with overall business priorities and informs policy and regulation.

Benchmarking to Industrial Stakeholder Priorities

As a first consideration, the industrial water user is concerned with the profitabilityand operating sustainability of its business. Water is an integral component of these

priorities to most production operations. At production facility sites, waterconservation and reuse is often driven out of necessity due to water scarcityconcerns. More fundamentally, however, it has to prove to be economically andenvironmentally beneficial. Taking this into account, businesses are more and moreemphasizing water stewardship practices as integral to their environmental and

sustainability programs.


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Depending on the situation, certain factors can limit the extent to which conservation

and reuse are deployed at industrial production facilities. Usually such factors

include:

Water Quantity Requirements Water Quality Requirements Techno-econonomic Considerations Commercial Considerations (Service Reliability and Risk Assurance)

Whether water serves as a cooling medium in a power plant or an oil refinery, or it’s

used as process water in the manufacturing of electronics or petrochemicals, the userdefines the water quantity and quality requirements to serve that intended purpose.For like business sectors, there is some opportunity to generalize those requirementsthat are typically applied to various industrial production facilities. Once defined, thesecould be further refined to serve as benchmarks and standards in evaluating industrialwater (re)use.

With respect to assessing water quantity requirements for a given production purpose,evaluating an industrial user’s specific benchmarks or operational values againstindustry specific benchmarks could raise the awareness for potentials in water useoptimization or reuse. Water quality requirements could be assessed in similar fashion,

including to better understanding water quality limits that (unduly) impose contraintson conservation and reuse options.

An industrial water reuse framework, could help to promote benchmarking againstindustry endorsed standards for water re-use quantity and quality. As such it couldevolve into a leading platform for engaging individual businesses and industrial

groups. With a mutual understanding of what could be possible, pathways forachieving optimization and reuse can be furhter evaluated and developed. This couldrange from internalized conservation and reuse approaches to shared wateropportunities between facilities and other users.

Techno-Economic Considerations

The means, methods and technologies for implementing water reuse best practicesare well known. However, in reality an iterative approach is commonly necessary indefining and refining technical reuse solutions as they relate to an array of water

quantity and quality objectives for any specific industrial user.

At the industrial production unit level, optimizing water use to a conservationobjective, can be a narrow exercise with a definitive outcome. It includesunderstanding modifications or technology applications for conservation and reuse,

and the costs and benefits of implementing the measures envisaged.


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As the scope of conservation expands to integrating water reuse across a number ofproduction units, the complexity of balancing water quantity and quality objectivesacross those units can be daunting. Sometimes it may very well effect production

priorities. In some cases, more equipment and operator attention required for reuseapplications may lead to the questions about the economic viability of water reuse.

In the case of addressing the opportunity to share water across fenceline boundaries,implementation of technical solutions that would facilitate the accommodation of eachparty’s water quality and quantity demands is usually weighed against the status quo

of conventional supply and associated standards. Here, water offset incentives aregenerally the financial impetus or the reliability of supply.

In order to assist industry in assessing opportunities to effectively apply water reusein a manner that provides more readily recognizable benefits, an industrial waterreuse framework would offer guiding principles and recommended evaluations. Thesewould help identifying technical approaches and assessing cost benefit outcomesacross various industries and the range of water conservation, reuse, and sharingpossibilities.

Commercial Considerations

Ultimately, the implementation of industrial water conservation and reuse projectshinges on establishing the business case for proceeding with such a pursuit. Manyexamples exist where the techno-economic cost benefit would seemingly favor a

progression forward on reuse projects. But, beyond life cycle assessments that mightsupport a validation of expected return on investment or payback period, commercial

considerations, those that industries focus on related to service reliability and riskassurance, can factor even more extensively into a decision to proceed with waterreuse.

At most all industrial production facilities, rigorous redundancy protocols andstandards are applied to prevent operational interruptions. When integrating waterreuse methods into such operations, system designs must take into account nearlythe same level of service reliability standards as those that are incorporated into theproduction units that the reuse system supports. Misalignment of such service

reliability requirement standards can result in failures, perceived and real, that mightburden the attractiveness of implementing water reuse.

In general, industrial businesses have a low tolerance for risk, and seek riskassurance measures aimed at preserving the commercial viability of their operations.

Throughout the history of industrial development, it is not an accident that productionfacilities have emerged proximate to lakes and rivers where the supply of water isabundant and constant. Access to an unencumbered source of water has always beenviewed as prerequisite to assuring the sustainability of production operations. But,more and more, access to abundant water sources is limited, and with that, thecertainty of water availability is critically analyzed as it relates to the certainty ofsustained operations.

Where water is increasingly in short supply, the circumstances that industrial waterusers face in this regard are not unlike those faced by other users. Water reuse


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applications implemented toward sharing water between users can bridge the mutualinterests of all to preserve their future, and technically there are few barriers toovercome to that end. Commercial considerations, though, often become the most

significant barriers in advancing opportunities to share water.

An industrial water user can be both an off-taker and supplier of reuse water. But,as an off-taker, the industrial user carries high demands for water quantity andquality, and often seeks to impose penalties where those demands might go unmet.

As a supplier of reuse water, the industrial user can be reluctant to carry the burdenof perhaps having to adjust its operations to accommodate water reuse demandsfrom end-users. It might also be reluctant to carry the cost of treating and supplyingwater to the demands of its water sharing counter-party.

Commercial considerations that address service reliability and risk assurance shouldbe incorporated into a framework for fostering industrial water reuse. This alongsidebenchmarks for industrial water users and a rationale for the techno-economicdimensions of industrial water reuse. The adoption of the industrial water reuseframework, and the proof of its utility, can only be fully recognized where itdemonstrates a complete perspective: a full range of details that need to be

addressed in pursuing the full potential of industrial water reuse.

Open topics include: overall re-use framework (inside ‘the fence’, outside ‘the fence’) specific industry water re-use (within different industries) specific industry water re-use (between different industries) specific industry water re-use (with non industry sectors) role and importance of vocabulary in water re-use different industry specifics and re-use benchmarks (i.e. oil&gas, food&beverage,

chemical, energy, pulp&paper, cement, mining)

2. Defining the overall and industrial size water re-use potential

A growing population as well as an increasing agricultural and industrial expansionhas more than tripled the water use since 1950. More than one third of the world’s

population live in areas with moderate to high water stress according to the United

Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), and access to water of adequate quality hasbecome a serious global challenge in the past 15 years. In areas with water scarcity,treated wastewater is increasingly reused.

Based on present consumption levels, the OECD projects that by 2030, about 47percent of the world's population will be living in areas with severe water stress. To

the OECD, the situation represents, "one of the greatest human developmentchallenges of the early 21st century.”

The demand for water is growing exponentially. With the world population expected togrow from 6.5 billion in 2010 to 9.5 billion in 2050—and the steadily increasingdemand for food and manufactured goods—the pressure on limited fresh waterresources is rapidly becoming unsustainable. The search for alternate water resources


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is more critical than ever. But the reality is that wastewater reuse and seawaterdesalination are currently the only significant alternatives to address this challenge.However, both techniques are strongly linked/dependent on energy availability,

especially the seawater desalination.

For big industrial companies, water presents both an operational challenge and anopportunity for growth. As manufacturers, they must manage their physical operationsin a way that conserves and reuses water. As suppliers to other manufacturers, theyare investing in new technologies to take advantage of the evolving demand for water

treatment chemicals, services, and equipment.

In recent years, different industry sectors have enhanced water efficiency throughmajor leaps in improving the technical processes. However, a further improvement ofthe total processes aiming at further cost, quality and quantity optimization requires atrue integration of different technologies as a part of the solution. It is a fact that

technical challenges related to sustainable recycling and reuse will manifold in thenear future. Who will take the lead to drive and focus the development towards newbusiness?

Specialty chemical companies have long played a key role in ensuring that industryhas high-quality water both for manufacturing products and for keeping plants runningsmoothly. When there was plenty of clean water, facilities could use as much as they

wanted, treat it, and emit it as a waste stream. That "once through" pattern haschanged. In dry areas manufacturers may have little or no access to clean water, andin some places where water is plentiful, regulations make wastewater discharge costly

or impossible.

Other treatment solutions, such as semipermeable polymer membranes for filtration

and purification, are the products of chemistry but don't involve the addition ofchemicals. In micro- and ultrafiltration, porous membranes filter out suspended solids.Reverse osmosis and nanofiltration membranes do not have pores; they removecontaminant salts as the water diffuses through them.

Today, customers can select systems that use energy in the form of electricity,ultraviolet light, or ultrasound to kill microbes and deionize water. Companies also

offer biological control, which uses beneficial aerobic and anaerobic bacteria to breakdown dissolved organic material.

There is also a regional restriction due to limited availability or sufficient quality ofsurface and clean water. This means further optimization of water re-usage in several

manufacturing steps such as influent, process and effluent. This is driven byenvironmental legislation, which is pushing for cleaner processes by less waterconsumption in more robust and stable processes. A more stable process at lowerwater consumption is challenging, since process cleanliness will be critical with higherprocess temperature and concentration of dissolved and colloidal substances in the

water system, originating from other raw materials in the process. Here, it might bevalid to ask if we still can do more with less water. Water certainly contributes to


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considerable amount of economical impact, where a sustainable approach is requiredto simultaneously improve environmental and economical efficiencies.

Many industries are faced with restrictions on their water usage or on the quality and

quantity of water they can discharge from their facility, or both. This is particularly

true in arid regions where water is scarce and the environment is very sensitive to

industrial discharges. To maintain or expand the operation of their facilities, these

industrial customers are forced to reclaim/ reuse their wastewater, and minimize their

discharge to the environment.

Open topics include: megatrends and the role of re-use in water management overall historical trends and current, future projections / potential specific industrial water re-use trends and opportunities:

o

global and regional breakdowno specifics for each major industry opportunityo with strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats/constraints

define by financials, water use, energy use and savings

3. State-of-the-art of industrial water re-use technologies

Water quality for the industrial usage depends on the specific industry, whichdetermine reuse processes. The membrane process seems to be most predominant

technology for the various industrial reuse; textile,

semiconductor, fertilizer, scooterand motorbike and so on. For example, NEWater project in Singapore has beensupplied recycled water to wafer fabrication plants and other industries for non-potable use. The main process of the NEWater factories is reverse osmosis after the

microfiltration pretreatment.

Currently, there are several technologies related to industrial water reuse.

Reverse Osmosis is a technique that is mainly applied during drinking waterpreparation from salty seawater. Besides that, Reverse Osmosis is applied for the

production of ultra pure water and boiler feed water. It is also applied in the foodsector (concentration of fruit juice, sugar and coffee), in the galvanic industry(concentration of wastewater) and in the dairy industry (concentration of milk forcheese production).

Nano filtration is a technique that has prospered over the past few years. Today,nano filtration is mainly applied in drinking water purification process steps, such aswater softening, decolouring and micro pollutant removal. During industrial processes

nano filtration is applied for the removal of specific components, such as colouringagents.

Ultrafiltration is a type of membrane technical filtration. Industries such as chemicaland pharmaceutical manufacturing, food and beverage processing, and waste water


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treatment, employ ultrafiltration in order to recycle flow or add value to laterproducts.

Ion exchange is widely used in the food & beverage, hydrometallurgical, metalsfinishing, chemical & petrochemical, pharmaceutical, sugar & sweeteners, ground &

potable water, nuclear, softening & industrial water, semiconductor, power, and a hostof other industries. Most typical example of application is preparation of high puritywater for power engineering, electronic and nuclear industries; i.e. polymeric ormineralic insoluble ion exchangers are widely used for water softening, water

purification, water decontamination, etc.

Membrane bioreactor MBR) is the combination of a membrane process likemicrofiltration or ultrafiltration with a suspended growth bioreactor, and is now widelyused for municipal and industrial wastewater treatment with plant sizes up to 80,000population equivalent. Recent technical innovation and significant membrane cost

reduction have pushed MBRs to become an established process option to treatwastewaters. As a result, the MBR process has now become an attractive option forthe treatment and reuse of industrial and municipal wastewaters, as evidenced bytheir constantly rising numbers and capacity.

One of the most promising water reuse technology today is membrane bioreactor(MBR). MBR has gained considerable attention due to their potential advantages over

those of conventional biological treatment processes. In comparison with the activatedsludge system, the MBR has merits with respect to the complete removal of solidsfrom an effluent, superior nutrient and organic removals, a high loading rate

capability, low/zero sludge production and small land requirement.

In case of low/medium water quality is required, only MBR directly or MBR with

disinfection process could be applied for the water reuse. If the higher water qualityis necessary, reverse osmosis or nanofiltration membrane could be considered afterthe MBR. In addition, ultrafiltration and ion exchange are used in large number ofindustries.

Recycled water can be used as process water for cooling towers and boilers invarious industries including chemical/fertilizer production, manufacturing, mining,

mineral processing and power generation, which may otherwise use drinking water forthese purposes. The following table illustrates some examples of water reuseapplications in various industries.

Industry Water reuse application

Paper industry Membrane filtration & membrane bio reactors (MBR)

Textile industry Membrane filtration

Poultry industry Membrane filtration


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Food & beverage ind. UV-disinfection & membrane filtration

Greenhouse horticulture Heat treatment, sand filtration & ozone- and UV treatmenr

Oil industry Membrane filtration & ozone/UV treatment

Cooling processes Open recirculation … …

Water reuse in the paper and cellulose industry

Because the increased environmental awareness and stringent legislation the paperand cellulose industry are forced to reduce their water consumption. Normally thewastewater from a paper plant is biologically treated, but the quality of the effluent

may be good enough for disposal but it is not high enough for reuse as process

water. One method to clean the water is to use membrane filtration. The types ofmembrane filters that can be used are; Micro filtration, Ultra filtration and Nanofiltration. There is some experience with a new type of membrane, the ceramicmembrane. This membrane is used because it is easier to clean this filter with thebackflushing principle compared to a carbon filer.

Water reuse in the textile industry

The textile industry is very water intensive. Water is used for cleaning the rawmaterial and for many flushing steps during the whole production. Produced wastewater has to be cleaned from, fat, oil, color and other chemicals, which are used

during the several production steps. The cleaning process depends on the kind ofwastewater (not every plant applies the same production process) and also on theamount of used water. Also not all plants use the same chemicals, especiallycompanies with a special standard (environmental) try to keep water cleaned in allsteps of production. So the concepts, to treat the water can differ from each other.

Water reuse in the poultry industry

In the poultry industry carcasses are cooled in water. The carcasses are immersed incold water, before being processed further. This cooling water gets turbid andcontaminated with microorganisms like E. Coli and Salmonella.

For reuse, the cooling water has to be transparent and free from bacteria. This canbe achieved by means of filtration and ozone treatment. Ozone is the second mostpowerful sterilant in the world and its function is to destroy bacteria, viruses andodors.

Water reuse in the food and beverage industry

The food and beverages processing industry requires a huge amount of water. One ofthe main problems is the amount of wastewater continuously produced in the foodplants. The water is used as an ingredient, a cleaning agent, for boiling and coolingpurposes, for transportation and conditioning of raw materials.

Spent process water in the food industry can be desalinated and organics can beremoved so as to fulfill the requirements for water reuse. Food industry standards


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specify that, spent process water intended for reuse (even for cleaning purposes)must be at least of drinking quality. Regulations for other applications, such as boilermake-up water or warm cleaning water, are even more stringent.

Water treatment and reuse of oily wastewater

For the disposal of mineral oil on surface water and sewage systems, mostgovernments have special requirements on the quality of wastewater. By means of awater-oil separator, a large amount of oil can be removed from the wastewater.However, chemically stabilized oil/water solutions should be managed in an

appropriate manner. These solutions can be purified by means of membrane filtration.(Ultra Filtration) To remove the organic compounds that remain in the permeate,ozone can be used.

Water recycling for cooling purposes by means of a cooling tower

Heavy industries such as the petrochemical and refinery industry used to be

responsible for 95% of the total water flow with once through cooling. Nowadaysbecause of environmental awareness this water use is decreased. Customers,shareholders and employees expect a sustainable approach from a company.When once through water-cooling is applied, it leads to massive volumes of water.This water is lead through the cooling process as a bypass of a river.

To further optimize water, food and energy synergies and ‘close the loop’ we have to

better define the ‘water-cascade’ where water is used for one purpose and re-used

for other purposes. Parallel to this we need to have a better understanding of the

nutrient cycles to increase nutrient availability for crop production to ensure food

security and its (un)intended impacts on water quality, environment, human health and

well-being. Therefore, better understanding of both global and local nutrient cycle

would be a key first step towards the development of policy options, based on sound

scientific facts.

Furthermore, there is a need to agree upon establishing a global framework on water

qualities that defines the appropriate water qualities for different water uses. In this

way, we can reuse water safely without needing all water to be of similarly very high

standards, avoiding for example the excessive energy costs related to very advancedwater treatment. In the following table, few benefits related to water reuse are

presented.

Water reuse examples

Company / City Action Benefit

Orb Electrical Steels Entire water management system £300,000 yearly savings

City of Tempe, Arizona Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) Doubling in water recyclingcapabilities

National Reverse osmosis and electrodeionization 500,000kW of electricity


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Semiconductor Ltd systems for reuse of water savings and lowering carbonemissions by 215 tons peryear

Open topics include:

examples of successfull and less successful application of re-use technologiesby different industries

opportunities for energy and nutrient optimization / efficiency overview of critical steps and lessons learned of developing, applying and up-

scaling industrial water re-use

4. Boundary conditions that obstruct or enable industrial water re-use

Regulation is one of the main drivers of the water market. It defines what ispermissible, and ought to set the framework for long-term business development.

However, this is not necessarily true if regulations are not monitored and enforced.Large number of regulations and standards, published by eg. WHO and EU, arefocused on the quality of the water intended for consumption (eg. drinking water). Inaddition, water reuse has major psychological barriers that stem from the 'toilet totap' concept. In the US, strict EPA standards make the process inefficient and for theprocess to become mainstream it needs more infrastructure investment.

Future opportunities for business will arise from enforcing existing regulations throughimprovements in monitoring and compliance, rather than from standards beingtightened or new parameters being added. That is particularly true for wastewaterregulations, as they are more complex than drinking water regulations and have beenimplemented more recently. Ultimately, stringent regulation, coupled with enforcementand penalties for noncompliance, must inevitably lead to investment.

The Europe 2020 flagship initiative for an Innovation Union proposed the launch of anumber of potential European Innovation Partnerships (EIP), including one on water.The aim of EIP on Water is to position Europe as a world leader in water technologyand services by boosting innovation, promoting the creation of new marketopportunities and by contributing to achieving the sustainable and efficient use ofwater, while at the same time use innovation to develop adequate and state of theart European water policy, enabling Europe to become a major exporter ofenvironmental technology.

Open topics include: current and emerging standards and regulations stakeholder / public perceptions degrees of control and security availability and applicability of ‘standard’ model contracts technical and institutional capacity to develop industrial water re-use projects

and programmes


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cooperation mechanisms between government, industry and other stakeholdersfor successful project and programme development and implementation

5. Economic and financial viability of industrial water re-use projects and programmes

One fundamental advantage of water re-use is the fact that in many cases theresource employed is available in the vicinity of its prospective new use, i.e. urbanagglomerations and industrial sites. The limiting factor for water re-use can in many

circumstances be the quality of the water available linked to the treatment processes(technology) and potential hazards for secondary users. To examine the economicviability of water re-use a careful cost-benefit analysis for the various parties involvedneeds to be carried out.

Open topics include: project and programme economics considering: ROI, (local) regulation,

incentives, subsidies, etc. methodologies for project and programme feasability studies examples of project economics and financial feasibility levels of investment per unit of re-used water, saved energy, recovered

nutrients timelines for discounting investments incorporating externalities in industrial water re-use economics

6.

Research and Development agenda

An increasing number of companies are turning to water reuse, desalinating water,

and implementing new technology that makes its economical. The industry is alsoconsolidating merging manufactures with service providers. And the trend is picking uparound the world. A new report by Citi Investment Research & Analysis (May, 2011)has culled 10 trends to look for in the water market.

Water reuse will become a new source of water supply

Water reuse has major psychological barriers that stem from the 'toilet to tap'

concept. Strict EPA standards make the process inefficient and for the process tobecome mainstream it needs more infrastructure investment.The trend however is catching on San Diego has invested over $300 million in waterreuse systems. Outside of the US, Beijing has committed $5 billion and aims to reuseor recycle 100% of its city wastewater by 2013.

Desalination systems are growing around the world

The technology used to create fresh water from seawater or brackish water hasimproved and become more economical as a drought-proof supply solution. There are543 projects in various stages, across 90 countries. Saudi Arabia, UAE, U.S., Spain

and China have the highest desalination capacity but India and Israel have seen asignificant growth since 2002 when most of their capacities were installed.


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Highly contaminated water is energizing water treatment

North America has a $5 billion produced water market. Produced water is the highly

contaminated water that comes from fracking, The spread of natural gas drilling andthe use of hydraulic fracking has pushed for treating and disposing of produced

water. The two main options include point-of-use treatment, where water is treated foruse at the site, and, transportation and disposal.

Membranes are displacing chemicals in water treatment

Advances in filtration membrane technologies have been displacing chemical treatmentsystems. The membrane water treatment market is expected to grow from $1.5 billionin 2009 to $2.8 billion in 2020.

Forward osmosis is the new form of desalination

Forward osmosis uses a semi-permeable membrane to separate water from dissolved

solute and relies on natural pressure. It's also a greener option and doesn't consumeas much energy as reverse osmosis that relies on pressure from highly engineeredpumps or turbo changes. The question however is will the technology be scalablebeyond the realm of science experiments.

Ultraviolet light disinfection is replacing chlorine

20% of North American wastewater treatment plants use UV technology. Ultraviolet

light neuters parasites in water, but the effect only lasts as long as the water ispassing through the UV light.

Chinese competition in high-tech sectors like filtration is growing

There has been increased Chinese and Asian competition in higher-end of waterproducts and services. While the companies previously focused on low-end

infrastructure products like pumps and valves they are now venturing to sectors suchas filtration. This boom has stemmed from an attempt on the behalf of the NationalPeople's Congress to increase the access of safe drinking water to China's ruralpopulation.

Growth opportunities in water efficiency products

Water efficiency products include bio-gas recovery systems, water meters that could

help companies gain from water footprint initiatives, ultrasonic sludge pre-treatment,pipe rehabilitation and relining systems, and water derivative products like water-freetoilets.

Point of use treatment becoming more popular

A critique of municipal water systems is that once clean water gets contaminated asit travels through old pipes and is exposed to contaminants.

Distinction between water service and equipment providers changing

The competition to land big water, wastewater, and desalination construction projects

requires a bidding process on the basis of the build, operate and transfer (BOT)


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arrangement. Now equipment manufacturers and service providers are partnering tobuild desalination plants or companies are branching into both segments.

Despite the fact that the above mentioned trends in industrial water reuse in general,it also reflects the current trends in global water reuse landscape.

In the table below, the main activity trends in research and development for years2004-2009 are illustrated. The ranking and direction of arrows are based on thenumber of patents and articles published in the particular field of technology.

Technology Patents Articles

Membranes

Removal of Drugs and Residues

Advanced Oxidation (AOP)

Desalination

Biogas

Removal of Pesticides

Reuse

Removal of nutrients & heavy metals

Based on number of publications (patents & articles in Chemical Abstracts) Search

made: August 2009

In the following table, main players in the most active technology field, namelymembrane technology, are presented. It is worth mentioning that in the membranetechnology field over 90 percent of the most active players are coming from Japanor China.


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Based on number of publications (patents & articles in Chemical Abstracts) Search

made: August 2009

Currently. there are several active international organisations and water sector actors.These include eg. EC, AQCUEAU (Eureka cluster for water), WSSTP (Water Supply and

Sanitation Technology Platform), Water-Technology.net (Web site for water industry),WWAP (World Water Assessment Programme, UNESCO), World Water Council, IWA(International Water Association), EWA (European Water Association), AWWA (AmericanWater Works Association), etc. The emphasis and commitment of these actors toindustrial water reuse related issues will be investigated further during the preparationprocess of the document.

Open topics include: main areas for future research constraints and opportunities for research including geography, funding, key

research partners etc.

7. Business case for industrial water re-use

There is growing demand for water in today’s world, no doubt about that. Water

reuse is one of the most promising alternatives to answer to this demand. Thepotential for water reuse will also drive expenditure in the industrial water market.Perhaps the greatest opportunity is in treating produced water from the oil and gas

industry to process water quality. This represents a paradigm shift for the energy

industry, and will generate significant revenues for water technology companies.


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Open topics include: ‘low hanging’ opportunities for industrial water re-use (i.e. geography, type

industry, type of re-use, project/programme size&scale)o main supportive arguments (i.e. reliability, quality, low costs, supply security,

energy savings, regulator and public perceptions, environment benefits ...)o main constraining factors (i.e. critical challenges, ommercial relationships,

right quality of water for re-use options, matchmaking, value of water (cost benefit analysis of water re-use projects), regulatory drivers ,perceptions, ............. .....)

conclusions: what IS / IS NOT the opportunity

wbcsd_iwa re-use initiative background paper may 2012

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