Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 30, 2026
10:22
Designed for Molecular Recycling: A Lignin-Derived Semi-aromatic Biobased Polymer
Published on: November 30, 2020
Process innovations and circular strategies for closing the water loop in a process industry
Efthalia Karkou1, Athanasios Angelis-Dimakis2, Marco Parlapiano3
1School of Production Engineering and Management, Technical University of Crete, Chania, Greece.
Journal of Environmental Management
|October 3, 2024
Summary
Implementing advanced wastewater treatment and digital tools enables industrial water reuse, boosting efficiency. A Solvay plant study found that a cross-sectorial symbiotic network for water reuse significantly reduced environmental impact and enhanced circularity.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Engineering
- Industrial Ecology
- Chemical Engineering
Background:
- Industrial water reuse is crucial for sustainability and resource efficiency.
- Advanced wastewater treatment technologies coupled with digital tools offer solutions for closing water loops.
- The Solvay chemical plant context provides a case study for evaluating these innovations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of process, circular, and digital innovation tools in a chemical plant.
- To assess the environmental and circularity performance of different wastewater treatment and reuse scenarios.
- To identify the optimal strategy for industrial water reuse and effluent management.
Main Methods:
- Deployment of four WAPEREUSE wastewater treatment technologies.
- Process modeling and simulation using the PSM Tool to predict performance.
- Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for environmental impact evaluation.
- Assessment of circularity through three distinct closed-loop scenarios.
Main Results:
- WAPEREUSE technologies achieved high pollutant removal: 98.3% COD, 91.4% TOC, 94.5% nitrates.
- Scenario 1 (baseline) had the lowest efficiency and an environmental footprint of 0.93 mPt/m³.
- Scenario 3, involving advanced treatment and a cross-sectorial symbiotic network for reuse, achieved the best results with a 0.72 mPt/m³ footprint, a 21% reduction from baseline.
Conclusions:
- Advanced wastewater treatment and industrial water reuse significantly enhance process efficiency and sustainability.
- Cross-sectorial symbiotic networks are key to achieving higher industrial circularity and minimizing environmental discharge.
- The integration of advanced treatment, digital tools, and collaborative networks presents a viable pathway for sustainable industrial water management.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Microbial Wastewater Treatment
Microbial communities in aquatic ecosystems play a key role in the natural breakdown of contaminants introduced through domestic and industrial effluents. Acting as biological catalysts, these microbes change and mineralize a wide range of organic and inorganic pollutants under different redox conditions.In oxygen-rich surface waters, aerobic heterotrophs lead organic matter breakdown, using oxygen as the terminal electron acceptor to efficiently oxidize substrates to carbon dioxide and water.
01:14Scale-Up Processes
The scale-up of microbial fermentation processes is essential in industrial biotechnology, allowing the transition from laboratory-scale experiments to commercial-scale production while aiming to maintain product yield and quality. This process requires meticulous adjustment of equipment design, process parameters, and contamination control strategies to accommodate increasing culture volumes.At the laboratory scale, cultures are typically maintained in 1 to 10-liter glass or autoclavable...
01:27Upstream Processing
Upstream processing represents a critical phase in biomanufacturing, wherein biological systems such as microorganisms, mammalian cells, or insect cells are cultivated to produce therapeutic proteins, vaccines, enzymes, or other biologically derived products. This phase encompasses all steps from the selection and genetic manipulation of the production organism to the cultivation of cells in bioreactors under tightly controlled environmental conditions.Host Selection and Genetic OptimizationThe...
01:27Production of Alcohol
Continuous fermentation is a key strategy in industrial ethanol production, particularly when efficiency, scalability, and high yields are essential. This approach allows for uninterrupted operation and optimized resource utilization. The primary feedstock, corn starch, undergoes enzymatic hydrolysis facilitated by α-amylase and glucoamylase. These enzymes break down the starch into fermentable sugars such as glucose, which are readily assimilated by fermentative microorganisms.Fermentation...
01:30Biological Treatment of Effluent and Waste Water
Biological wastewater treatment relies on the metabolic activity of microorganisms to remove pollutants from sewage. In modern treatment systems, this process is organized into sequential stages that progressively reduce solid material, dissolved organic matter, and microbial contamination. Each stage plays a distinct role in improving water quality and preparing the effluent for safe discharge or reuse.Primary and Secondary TreatmentPrimary treatment is a physical process that removes large...
01:29Downstream Processing
Downstream processing begins once fermentation is complete and involves a series of steps to recover and purify products such as acids, vitamins, antibiotics, or proteins.Cell HarvestingFor example, for intracellular protein-based products, the first step is harvesting the cells. This is typically achieved using centrifugation or filtration to separate the cells from the liquid phase.Cell Disruption for Intracellular ProductsIf the target product is intracellular, the harvested cells must be...