Welcome to the May/June edition of Industrial WaterWorld. Water is a precious resource and as access to it becomes constrained — whether by quantity or quality — industrial users are being challenged to optimize both their water usage and their wastewater generation, striving ultimately for zero waste. This is a central component of the circular economy model, which dictates keeping resources in use for as long as possible. In the article on page 10, we’ll share insights from industry experts on key considerations. Through innovation, technology, and thoughtful water management strategy, achieving a circular economy may be closer than we think.
Proper chemistry control is essential for steady heat transfer in cooling towers and for their physical stability as well. But even with diligent chemical feed and monitoring, cooling towers, and especially the tower fill, can accumulate scale and microbiological deposits that inhibit heat exchange and, in worst case scenarios, may induce partial collapse of the tower. On page 12, Brad Buecker examines methods to clean tower fill before fouling causes irreversible damage.
In today’s era of sustainability, consumers are well-informed and increasingly gravitate toward companies that are environmentally friendly. Most large companies recognize the importance of having goals and processes in place to decrease corporate water consumption but, as Marc Pégulu explains on page 16, few have actually implemented smart technology to manage and monitor their use of water. Here’s one example of a retail giant that implemented an Internet of Things (IoT)-based water management solution to help it reduce water waste — and its monthly bills.
8 Feathers Distillery produces premium whiskeys from locally sourced grains and water from a nearby artesian well. When its method of disposing of grain slurry waste became unsustainable and couldn’t scale up to meet production, the distillery needed to find a way to separate the fine grain solids from its wastewater. After careful evaluation, the company opted for centrifugal separation. Read more on page 30.
As always, we have a collection of products for your consideration, starting with our spotlight on pumps on page 18 and SCADA/process control on page 19. It’s followed by our new product section on page 20 and our resource spotlight on page 24.
We hope you enjoy this edition of Industrial WaterWorld. Thanks for reading!
