Flowrate targeting for threshold problems and plant-wide integration for water network synthesis

Area of Science:

• Environmental Engineering
• Chemical Engineering
• Industrial Sustainability

Background:

• Growing concerns for environmental sustainability and increasing costs of freshwater and wastewater treatment necessitate efficient water management.
• Process integration techniques, particularly water network synthesis, are established methods for reducing freshwater consumption and wastewater generation through in-plant reuse and recycling.
• Limited research exists on addressing threshold problems within water network synthesis, despite their realistic occurrence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address targeting for threshold problems in water networks using water cascade analysis (WCA).
• To extend the application of WCA for plant-wide water integration and targeting.
• To investigate methods for simultaneous reduction of freshwater and wastewater flowrates in industrial settings.

Main Methods:

• Application of the numerical tool, water cascade analysis (WCA), for targeting threshold problems in water networks.
• Development and application of plant-wide integration strategies for water networks.
• Analysis of water source distribution across different geographical zones within a plant.

Main Results:

• Successfully targeted threshold problems in water networks using WCA.
• Demonstrated the effectiveness of plant-wide integration for optimizing water networks.
• Achieved simultaneous reduction in overall freshwater and wastewater flowrates through strategic water source management across geographical zones.

Conclusions:

• Water cascade analysis (WCA) is an effective tool for addressing threshold problems in water network design.
• Plant-wide integration offers a viable strategy for enhancing water reuse and recycling efficiencies.
• Optimized distribution of water sources across different plant zones can lead to significant reductions in both freshwater intake and wastewater discharge.