Chemical manufacturing vessel-washing equipment
In this guide:
- Chemical manufacturing water efficiency
- Chemical manufacturing water use responsibilities
- Chemical manufacturing water use reduction step-by-step
- Techniques to cut water use in chemical manufacturing
- Chemical manufacturing vessel-washing procedures
- Chemical manufacturing vessel-washing equipment
- Chemical manufacturing equipment cooling and vacuum pumps
- Chemical manufacturing effluent treatment and reuse
- Chemical manufacturing alternative water supplies
Chemical manufacturing water use responsibilities
Authorisations your business needs in order to abstract or impound water when manufacturing chemicals.
Your business may use water in chemicals manufacturing, for example for cooling purposes. Using water wisely can help reduce your environmental impact and save you money.
Check if you need an abstraction or impounding licence
If you take (abstract) water from surface waters or groundwater you may need to get an abstraction licence from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA).
If you store (impound) water, for example to create a reservoir, you may need an impoundment licence from the NIEA.
Good practice for saving water in chemical manufacturing
You could save up to 30 per cent of your business' water costs, and help to preserve water resources and protect the water environment, by taking simple low cost steps to cut your water use.
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Chemical manufacturing water use reduction step-by-step
How to use a logical approach to help your chemicals manufacturing business to reduce water use effectively.
The most effective way to cut water use in your chemicals business is to take a step-by-step approach:
- Win the support of senior managers and carry out an initial review of water use, waste and effluent production - gather evidence to make a business case.
- Appoint a champion who will make the process effective, give them a team if necessary and the authority and time to get things done.
- Gather information by taking meter readings, monitoring key processes and developing a mass balance - see our guide on how to monitor your water use.
- Analyse the data and investigate potential problems with a specific focus on improving efficiency and saving money. Look at the effect of product changes and compare water use and effluent generation in similar processes or plants.
- Look at options for improvement in each process or for each product. For example, see if you could:
- eliminate water use completely
- reduce water use by optimising the process
- reuse water where possible
- dispose of effluent only as a last resort, and make sure it is done efficiently
- Produce an action plan setting out problem areas, priority improvements, targets and timescales. Communicate the plan and potential benefits to everyone concerned and get comments.
- Implement the plan using teamwork so there is widespread 'buy-in'. Maintain interest and motivation by regular communication.
- Review progress regularly and adapt the plan to take account of business changes or to improve the effectiveness of monitoring and success of implementation.
For more information, see our guide on water reviews, policies and action plans.
If you operate an environmental management system, or intend to set one up, you should manage your water use as part of your environmental management systems.
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Techniques to cut water use in chemical manufacturing
Some of the key areas that businesses in the chemical industry should focus on when trying to reduce water use.
You can identify ways to reduce the cost of water use and effluent generation in your chemicals business by reviewing your processes and creating an action plan - see step-by-step approach to reduce water use in chemical manufacturing.
Areas you may want to focus on to reduce water use include:
- vessel washing - see vessel-washing procedures for chemical manufacturing
- equipment cooling and vacuum pumps - see equipment cooling and vacuum pumps for chemical manufacturing
- reusing water from effluent and recovering raw materials - see effluent treatment and reuse in chemical manufacturing
- using different sources of water for processes where mains water is not necessary - see alternative water supplies for chemical manufacturing
- product recovery, cleaning and rinsing techniques, process evaluation and process plant techniques - see how to save water at industrial premises
- commercial facilities such as washrooms, catering facilities and vehicle cleaning - see how to save water at commercial premises
- heating and hot water systems, water meters, leakages and overflows, water pressure and pressure-reducing valves and reducing mains water use through rainwater harvesting - see water reviews, policies and action plans
- preventing spills and leaks and handling materials securely, thus avoiding the need to waste water cleaning up after accidents - see preventing water pollution
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Chemical manufacturing vessel-washing procedures
How to ensure that you have effective procedures for washing vessels used by your chemicals business.
Businesses in the chemical industry use a lot of water when washing vessels, but it is possible to achieve cost savings of between 25 and 95 per cent. You could save significant quantities of water by using the following procedures and measures:
- communication - make sure your staff understand the most effective washing methods
- batch formulation - processing the same types of chemical in batches can reduce the frequency of vessel washing
- mixing outside the vessel - this may reduce the need for vessel washing
- dedicated equipment - using specific vessels for specific products can reduce cleaning requirements
- production scheduling - batching compatible products together will minimise the washing needed between them
- high-pressure cleaning - systems that direct dense sprays and jets of wash liquor can help reduce the amount used, while improving wash efficiency by 90 per cent
- automated vessel washing - you can use this to control water use more precisely and reduce emissions, especially in enclosed vessels
- optimising cleaning levels - ensure that you use only the required level of cleaning for particular products - you may not need to wash at all, or you might be able to reuse wash liquor
- optimising cleaning agents and solvents - using different cleaning agents and solvents may reduce washing
- using wash liquor in product - look into using wash liquor to dilute subsequent product batches where this is required
- material recovery - where you can't reuse wash liquors, look at ways of recovering materials from the effluent
You should review your cleaning procedures regularly to minimise water use and effluent production.
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Chemical manufacturing vessel-washing equipment
How to redesign vessel-washing equipment in your chemicals manufacturing business in order to cut water use.
Opportunities for chemical businesses to reduce water use by redesigning vessels will be limited. They usually occur when new processes are being designed or existing vessels are refurbished. However, by being aware of good practice you can take advantage of opportunities when they arise.
Basic design aspects that you should focus on to reduce water use include:
- positioning valves at the lowest point to improve drainage
- replacing flat-bottomed vessels with vessels with smooth contours and no corners
- designing vessels with a cone-shaped bottom to assist drainage and cleaning
- fully enclosing vessels to reduce evaporation
- using polished stainless steel or plastic-lined vessels to make cleaning easier
- carrying out inline monitoring of the wash liquor to optimise the amount of water used
You should use high-pressure spray wash and cleaning-in-place (CIP) systems as faster washing reduces downtime and increases productivity. Using sprays as an alternative to fill-and-flush techniques can reduce water use by up to 90 per cent. You can also use brush systems with high-pressure water, while automatic and semi-automatic CIP systems enable you to optimise control.
Linking vessels and wash/holding tanks to form a closed-loop wash system - where the liquor is kept instead of being disposed of - makes it easier to reuse wash liquor, as well as reducing odours and emissions.
For more information on washing and rinsing techniques, see how to save water at industrial premises.
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Chemical manufacturing equipment cooling and vacuum pumps
How to reduce the water used by cooling systems and liquid ring vacuum pumps in your chemicals manufacturing business.
There are several ways in which chemical manufacturers can reduce and optimise the use of water in cooling systems:
- reuse - the water is usually relatively uncontaminated and can often be recirculated or reused, eg for cleaning
- control use - fit thermostats to cooling circuits to control coolant flow and use only the minimum amount
- cooling water composition - prevent build-up of solids and chemicals in water recirculation systems, and where possible fit an automated system, eg a total dissolved solids controller
- reduce solids in cooling water - have a settlement or treatment stage in the circuit
- condensate - improve recovery of condensate from condensers and steam traps and reuse it for cleaning or dilution
You can reduce water use in liquid ring vacuum pumps by:
- interlocking the seal and cooling-water supply with a solenoid valve to shut off the water supply when the pump is not operating
- using alternative seal liquids such as organic solvents with high boiling points instead of water, reducing the need to purge solids
- using dry-vacuum technology such as lobe pumps, screw pumps and claw mechanism pumps
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Chemical manufacturing effluent treatment and reuse
Treating and reusing effluent from your chemicals business to enable resources to be recovered and reused.
Effluent treatment plants (ETPs) are used by chemical manufacturers to treat water-based waste so that it can be discharged or reused, and valuable raw materials and product recovered.
Effective management and control of effluent treatment will help you to:
- reduce your operating costs and increase profits
- comply more effectively with legislation
- improve the public image of your business
Before reviewing your ETP operation, look at reducing the amount of effluent that your business produces.
Reusing effluent and wash water
Cooling waters and most effluents (treated and, in some cases, untreated) can frequently be reused - for example in toilet flushing, for cleaning and in some cases in the product itself. Simple treatment methods such as settlement and filtration increase opportunities for reuse. With careful planning it is possible to reuse wastes more than once.
You can avoid long pipe runs and high pumping costs by reusing effluent and wash water close to where they are produced. You should also monitor use of wash waters and treated effluents as necessary.
Sludge management
Many effluent treatment processes generate a sludge, and treating and disposing of this often forms most of the operating costs of an ETP. Reducing sludge production will save significant costs. Sludge treatment - for example thickening and dewatering - will reduce both transportation and disposal costs.
Your waste contractor may be able to provide help and advice on dealing with sludge.
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Chemical manufacturing alternative water supplies
How to use alternative sources of water to the mains supply in your chemicals manufacturing business.
Although mains water is needed for some processes at your site, you can use lower-quality water for some applications such as cleaning, toilet flushing and wet air pollution control. Alternative water sources include:
- Captured rainwater for cleaning, toilet flushing, etc.
- Borehole and other abstracted waters (for example from a canal or river) for cleaning, boiler feed water, etc. You should meter your supplies to ensure you comply with your abstraction authorisations (if you need one) and to monitor use - don't use more water than necessary just because it is cheaper.
- Conditioning and softening water using a physical method (eg magnetic treatment) rather than ion exchange to eliminate brine waste.
- Wash waters, cooling water and condensate for lower-grade cleaning.
Consider simple local treatment such as settlement or filtration, to allow reuse, but make sure that using low-cost supplies does not increase overall waste and effluent generation. Remember that discharge costs are generally higher than supply costs.
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