A holistic framework for design of cost-effective minimum water utilization network

Area of Science:

• Chemical Engineering
• Environmental Engineering
• Industrial Ecology

Background:

• Water pinch analysis (WPA) primarily focuses on maximum water recovery (MWR), not true water minimization.
• Existing WPA methods fall short of achieving minimum water targets by not holistically integrating all water reduction strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a novel holistic framework for designing cost-effective minimum water networks (CEMWN).
• To address the limitations of WPA in achieving comprehensive water minimization.

Main Methods:

• The proposed CEMWN framework involves five steps: specifying water data, determining MWR targets, screening process changes via the water management hierarchy (WMH), applying the Systematic Hierarchical Approach for Resilient Process Screening (SHARPS) strategy, and designing the water network.
• Development of a hierarchical approach for process change screening guided by WMH.
• Introduction of four new heuristics for implementing process changes, considering interdependencies and utility impacts.
• Utilizing the SHARPS cost-screening technique for customized process changes.

Main Results:

• The framework successfully generated cost-effective minimum water utilization networks.
• Demonstrated applicability on semiconductor and mosque case studies.
• Achieved results within the designer payback period criterion.

Conclusions:

• The developed CEMWN framework provides a comprehensive and cost-effective solution for holistic water minimization.
• This approach integrates various water reduction strategies, leading to more efficient water management in industrial and urban settings.
• The SHARPS technique ensures the economic viability of the designed minimum water networks.