Industrial Water Users

Case Studies

Client:Multinational consumer goods corporation

Project Title:Water Reuse Study: Feasibility and Technology Scan

Technology Asset Mapping for Water Reuse in Consumer Goods Manufacturing

1. Water Reuse Study: Feasibility and Technology Scan

Client: Multinational consumer goods corporation

Client Needs:

The client was looking to advance internal sustainability goals through reduced water use by reusing site wastewater as process make-up water. This required a review of suitable treatment technology that could treat wastewater to process water specifications, while being innovative enough to potentially skip steps in the internal sustainability roadmap by means of higher water recovery, reduced cost, or reduced waste. This was complicated by the fact that wastewater generated at site contained highly recalcitrant organics that standard treatments had failed to address in the past. Overall, the client was looking to review a combination of earlier stage, innovative technologies (where they could be an early adopter), as well as more well-established technologies that had been proven in other industries or market applications. A surrogate site was selected for the analysis, with the idea that the client would be able to replicate the results of the study at multiple sites across their global asset base.

Our Approach:

To achieve our client’s needs, BlueTech sourced suitable technologies from our online Innovation Tracker of differentiated technologies and contacted our network of Subject Matter Experts to obtain their opinion on suitable technologies. An overview of all technologies considered was provided to the client. Vendors were contacted and provided water quality data and treatment specifications so cost estimates and expected water quality after treatment with their process could be provided. This was done for several possible treatment train combinations for the segregated waste streams at the site (to realize synergies in treatment efficiency and decreasing treatment cost). After vendor data was returned, BlueTech modelled several treatment trains for different waste stream combinations, providing expected final water quality, and estimated costs.

Results:

BlueTech made final recommendations on prioritized solutions and the specific vendors that stood out in the analysis. The client began bench-scale testing with several of the technology vendors presented to select which process to advance to pilot-scale testing, prior to finalizing a selection for full-scale deployment.

Industrial Water Users

Case Studies

Client:Multinational food and beverage corporation

Project Title:Beverage Wastewater Treatment Technology Scan

Flavor change CIP, and Warmer Water Treatment Feasibility

2. Beverage Wastewater Treatment Technology Scan

Client: Multinational food and beverage corporation

Client Needs:

To review possible technologies suitable for treating specific waste streams from the beverage bottling process including Clean-in-Place (CIP) wastewater produced after each flavour change and a “Warmer Water” cleaning loop (greywater). The goal was to identify innovative treatment technology options to maximize water reuse while minimizing cost and making use of available energy in the wastewater via biogas production from the high BOD waste streams. This approach was to be compared to a traditional aerobic biological treatment approach.

Our Approach:

BlueTech set out to review suitable technology and develop an economic model for several possible treatment trains. A technology horizon scan was provided based on BlueTech’s internal Innovation Tracker database, subject matter expert interviews, and patent searches, followed by rationale as to why solutions were selected or rejected. Vendors of selected technologies were contacted for cost estimates based on water quality and flows of several treatment train scenarios. A model was produced that detailed expected treated water quality, sludge production, biogas production, chemical use, labor, and capital investment of each unit operation of several treatment options for the two waste streams of interest.

Results:

Through this work, BlueTech determined that the target waste streams lacked the necessary organic loading to be effectively and economically treated for carbon upcycling and energy recovery. An innovative water reuse treatment train was identified and the client proceeded to demonstration scale work with an innovative ceramic membrane vendor that BlueTech had prioritized and recommended following the study.

Industrial Water Users

Case Studies

Client:Multinational Mining and O&G corporation

Project Title:Technology Horizon Scan and Mapping to Asset Challenge Areas

Solution mapping and technology shortlisting workshop

3. Technology Horizon Scan and Mapping to Asset Challenge Areas

Client: Multinational Mining and O&G corporation

Client Needs:

As part of the client’s Water Stewardship initiative, the client was interested in identifying and developing innovative technological solutions focused on de-risking water treatment and water recovery challenges at various assets. The client provided summary overviews for 13 distinct challenge areas across its various assets, ranging from management of near-capacity tailings ponds, pit water, contaminated groundwater, and the need for increased efficiency in legacy zero-liquid-discharge systems. The overall objective was to identify and leverage technology solutions to drive a step-change reduction in water-related risks and/or materially improve cost efficiencies to enable water re-use opportunities.

Our Approach:

The BlueTech team helped complete a “water technology scan” focused on identifying the current landscape of emerging and existing innovative water treatment solutions that could potentially achieve the targeted objectives for the various asset challenges. The scan spanned a huge variety of categories, including biological, chemical, electro-chemical, evaporative, membrane, and ion exchange among others. Upon completion of the divergent scan, our team of subject matter experts conducted a “challenge area – solution mapping” exercise to identify which technologies should be shortlisted for each mining asset/challenge area based on technology readiness, cost, experience in mining applications, and several other factors. BlueTech provided advance preparatory materials and co-facilitated multi-stakeholder workshops with the client, operations teams and external consultants, to discuss the shortlisted technologies and potential treatment trains for the various challenge areas one-by-one. For each asset site, a further shortlisting of technology options was developed out of the workshop for the client to focus on going forward.

Results:

Following the final workshops, the client was armed with a shortlist of 3-5 technologies to be assessed at each asset site from an original list of around 200 different technologies. The client proceeded to undertake site-specific bench and/or pilot-scale trials to further assess the potential of the prioritized technologies in the specific applications. This will ultimately inform decisions regarding technology selection for full-scale deployment.

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1. Water Reuse Study: Feasibility and Technology Scan

2. Beverage Wastewater Treatment Technology Scan

3. Technology Horizon Scan and Mapping to Asset Challenge Areas

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