Clean water for all

IN JUNE, specialty chemicals company LANXESS introduced the Lewabrane seawater reverse osmosis membranes at the Singapore International Water Week 2014. This technology, according to LANXESS’ Dr Rita Dicke, VP, Asia-Pacific of the Liquid Purification Technologies business unit, is an alternative source of water in Asia where methods of groundwater extraction has raised concerns of the ‘sinking city effect’ in some countries. 

Why should water management be a priority and how should organizations go about it efficiently?

Of the water on earth’s surface, less than 3% is fresh water. Of this, less than 1% is easily accessible for consumption, leaving only a fraction of water supply in the world available for human use[i]. The available water resources are shared among municipal, agricultural and industrial purposes. The resulting shortage of clean water for both industrial and personal consumption is a complex global issue for governments, corporations and individuals.

The increasing global population and industrialisation are putting even more pressure on the earth’s water resources. The global supply of clean water is being stretched thin as the world's water consumption rate is doubling every 20 years, about two times the rate of population growth. It is projected that by the year 2025, water demand will exceed supply by 56%[ii].

Apart from food production, it has been estimated that approximately 500 litres of water is used to produce one kilogram of paper, whilst some 10,000 to 20,000 litres of water is consumed to build a car, and as much as six metric tonnes of water is needed to manufacture one metric tonne of steel. Globally, over 20% of all the water extracted from the earth’s surface sources such as rivers, lakes, and groundwater - is used for industrial purposes.

Organisations need to reduce the amount of water used in industrial processes. Companies need to include proper wastewater treatment solutions from both municipal and industrial use. It has become an imperative for organisations to reuse, reduce quantities and recycle water at every point of their manufacturing processes, especially in heavy use operations such as power plants and wafer fabrication manufacturing. With proper wastewater management, companies will be able to reduce water usage. With proper treatment solutions, certain industries may also be able to recycle and reuse wastewater.

What is water usage in industrial processes like, especially in high growth regions? How can organisations efficiently manage and provision for the demand and supply of water management?

Asia’s middle class population is expected to rise to over 60% of its total population and is predicted to add 2.5 billion people to the world’s middle class by 2030. With the region’s spending on the rise, it is expected that there will be a corresponding increase in demand for consumer products. Water usage is expected to increase in industries such as food and beverage, water treatment and industrial production. Densely populated areas such as Bangkok and Jakarta are already fast sinking due to over-tapping of groundwater. Water needs to be used more efficiently in such high growth regions.

The importance of good quality water has never been greater, and alternative water sources like seawater desalination have taken on more prominence. Seawater treatment has come on as a very attractive solution. Seawater makes up 97% of all the water on the earth. Being able to tap on this resource will reduce problems of over-tapping groundwater. The energy-efficient and eco-friendly solution is fast catching on, especially in China, which holds half of the world’s market share for reverse osmosis technology.

It is the responsibility of organisations to develop and maintain efficient water management systems in order to ensure long-term sustainability. There are several different processes available to treat water, including various filtration methods and sedimentation. It is important for organisations to find the most efficient and economical option that meets both environmental, as well as business cost targets.

Water treatment solutions have come a long way, but how are those such as LANXESS technology more effective in desalination?

LANXESS is unique in that it is one of the only two companies in the world that offers both ion exchange (IX) as well as reverse osmosis (RO) solutions. These two solutions complement each other in the desalination process by providing users with high-performance polymers and system configurations for advanced water treatment. This dual treatment functionality is enhanced by LANXESS’ LewaPlus^TM software, which enables planning and designing of complex water treatment plants. This proprietary software combines the two technologies into one single planning tool to offer water treatment plant designers significant added value in water analysis and aids their selection of the most effective treatment solution for their manufacturing plants.

The Lewatit IX resins remove heavy metals and recover precious metals through metal recovery processes

We are going a step further with our seawater desalination solution. The seawater RO membranes show high salt rejection even under fluctuating temperatures, salt contents, and pH values. This will ensure that they deliver permeate in consistently high quality. By tapping on the world’s largest source of water available and through proper treatment processes, we will be able to provide water fit for industrial and municipal use.

The Lewabrane seawater RO membrane 

Water treatment may have issues on reliability. How can smooth processes be guaranteed?

The best way to ensure reliability is to use tested and proven solutions. It is also important to be able to design, monitor, and track customised water treatment systems specific to company requirements and regulations. LANXESS has garnered a good reputation over the last 75 years from serving industrial water treatment processes globally and in the region due to the stringent checks we put our products through.

When it comes to testing, certain suppliers do it in batches. However, this method does not guarantee that all products are tested and reliable. It important that every single RO membrane is tested to ensure it is safe for use. This is why we ensure every single RO membrane undergoes in-house testing for quality assurance.

Especially when both IX resins and RO membranes are used, being able to seamlessly model both implementations through a single software platform aids the management of treatment processes. The software solution allows companies to be able to predict changes and make the necessary adjustments to ensure that treatment processes flow smoothly. Most water treatment software solutions only cater to either RO or IX. However, the two solutions are increasingly being used together to achieve the best results, and software solutions need to be able to support this as well. Being one of only two companies globally to offer both IX and RO solutions, we developed the LewaPlus software. It is currently the only software in the market that enables customers to simulate both RO and IX for water treatment.

Individual companies have differing requirements and it is through working closely with our customers, that we are able to refine our products to ensure the delivery of reliable solutions.

In terms of cost benefits, how do the latest technologies compare?

LANXESS product lines – Lewabrane and Lewatit – have great qualities that reduce the build-up of contaminants such as silica and total organic carbon (TOC). Such qualities are essential in ensuring that corrosion and fouling do not occur in machineries that use pure water. By providing higher quality water and reducing the ingress of contaminants, our products enable longer and more efficient use of such machinery, which can be extremely expensive to replace. Our Lewabrane membranes also last longer due to the high cross-linking – the stronger structure translates into higher durability.

Our LewaPlus software incorporates both IX and RO, and efficiently manages solutions on a single platform. This gives our customers an overview of their water treatment processes and helps customers optimise their systems in terms of chemical as well as energy cost control.

Can these technologies be incorporated in a company’s existing treatment process?

Yes, these technologies can be easily incorporated into existing treatment systems. The flexibility of our solutions does not require customers to revamp their existing treatment systems. We work closely with our customers to ensure the smooth transition to the use of our products so that they can witness improvements in water quality, energy consumption and cost efficiency as soon as possible.