Professionals in the wastewater sector rely on water treatment chemicals and associated services to help them meet regulatory limits. However, if not properly managed, these solutions can incur additional and unnecessary costs.
Industrial Water Treatment Challenges
Industrial wastewater treatment professionals rely heavily on specialised chemical solutions and expert services to meet increasingly strict regulatory requirements. With energy prices continuing to surge and compliance becoming more demanding, treatment facilities face mounting pressure on their operational budgets. Additionally, the growing focus on environmental responsibility and net-zero targets has pushed sustainable water treatment to the forefront of operational planning.
Industrial Water Treatment Solutions
New technological developments are adapting how industrial facilities approach water treatment processes while reducing regulatory charges. Advanced chemical solutions, combined with smart monitoring systems, enable treatment plants to operate at peak efficiency levels. These innovative treatment approaches help facilities maintain consistent compliance while optimising chemical usage and reducing operational costs.
Developing an effective water treatment chemical programme requires specialised expertise and comprehensive system analysis. Professional water treatment specialists begin with a detailed assessment of existing facility operations, analysing current effluent chemical composition and treatment effectiveness. Using advanced monitoring technologies, specialists evaluate crucial parameters including:
- Wastewater flow rates
- Total suspended solids (TSS)
- Chemical oxygen demand (COD)
- pH level optimisation
Success Story: AAK Foods
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The Runcorn-based food production company had become unsatisfied with its existing effluent water treatment regime. The previous system had been run on a month-to-month basis, and as a result, the costs associated with the service fluctuated, and it was not performing at an optimum level. Furthermore, the chemical solution required evaluation to avoid unnecessary costs.
Conducting a chemical composition review of the effluent stream allowed our team of experts to carefully select the necessary chemical solutions. After reviewing the chemical composition of the wastewater, the number of chemicals required was reduced. Hydrex 6861 organic coagulant and its Hydrex 6903 water-based polymer were supplied. The Hydrex 6861 chemistry was particularly well-suited to the effluent profile at AAK Foods because of the small capacity of the treatment plant and the low pH level of the stream.
Optimising water treatment chemical performance at the site has had a number of advantages. For one, chemical dose rates are far more predictable. As a result, the company has been able to reduce MOGDEN charges. Similarly, wastewater sludge management has been improved on-site, which has helped the dissolved air flotation unit to operate at a higher flow rate. Finally, the update has removed the need for the client to purchase expensive polymer dilution equipment. All in all, by working closely with AAK Foods, we helped to reduce the number of water treatment chemicals they require. In turn, this means the company has to pay less money to United Utilities in MOGDEN charges, and less money on sludge handling.
The project at AAK Foods highlights what is possible when water treatment chemicals are properly assessed and the performance is optimised. Our partnership has helped AAK Foods save money and reduce MOGDEN charges. Additionally, plant engineers now have to spend less time checking if the effluent water stream is within consent limits. To ensure that results remain stable post-installation, our team maintains regular contact with engineers at the plant. Together, engineers from both companies meet to discuss performance and to ensure any further alterations to the chemical levels are enacted upon.
What Next?
The water treatment sector's evolution towards sustainability continues to accelerate, with advanced chemical recovery systems and intelligent dosing controls becoming standard practice. Success in modern treatment facilities relies on strong partnerships between water treatment experts and facility engineers, as demonstrated by the AAK Foods project. This collaborative approach, combined with innovative technologies, delivers measurable benefits:
- Reduced operational costs
- Enhanced compliance
- Improved system reliability
- Better environmental performance
As we look to the future of industrial water treatment, facilities that embrace these green chemical programmes - supported by expert knowledge and advanced technology - will be best positioned to meet both operational and sustainability goals.
Our team of technical experts are able to advise on the right systems and technologies based on specific requirements. Click here to contact us.
Author | Robert Denny
Rob started his career working for Anglian Water, before moving on to become a technical sales specialist within the industrial water treatment sector designing water treatment programs for a number of industrial applications across the UK and Australia. Over the last 10 years he has been responsible for leading sales teams within this market, and for the last 3 years has been leading the Water Treatment Chemical services team for Veolia Water Technologies in the UK.
