Case

Water waste in treatment processes reduced by 78%

- without compromising water quality

Topics - water treatment, water savings

78% - reduction of water waste in treatment processes

9,594 m³ - total water savings per year:

13% - reduction in salt consumption in the regeneration plant (1.8 tonnes of salt saved)

37% - reduction in pump energy consumption

3 years - an approximate payback time for the entire plant

Water treatment solution - including the RO-PLUS, a reverse osmosis system

At Grundfos, we focus constantly on sustainability in how we manufacture our products and their subsequent use. As in any other industrial production, Grundfos uses large amounts of water in our factories and buildings where our pumps are produced.

Producing water of the right quality is associated with a greater or lesser amount of water waste and energy consumption. Since water treatment is a central part of many industrial processes, there is untapped potential in improving water utilisation and reducing energy consumption, benefitting the environment and factory operations.

Therefore, reducing water waste in treatment processes in our factories and buildings is significant for tapping into this potential, as is reducing the energy consumption of the pumps feeding the processes.

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The situation

The Grundfos pump factories and buildings in Bjerringbro, Denmark get water without chlorine from the local waterworks. However, for pump manufacturing processes, drinking water quality is not sufficient in the various phases of production. The requirement is demineralised process water with low conductivity supplied by a reverse osmosis (RO) unit with a water softener as pre-treatment and a subsequent water saving unit for recycling the wastewater onsite.

The original installation is with a softening unit from 1995, which was extended in 2011 with another softening unit and subsequent RO unit. The existing solution was due for replacement in 2023, and Grundfos found the solution in collaboration with EUROWATER, which in 2020 became a Grundfos company.

The solution

EUROWATER supplied a complete water treatment solution comprising:

Reverse Osmosis system for high water quality (2 x RO-PLUS B2-20+4)
Water softener with countercurrent regeneration for optimised water and salt consumption (SPC 1202-F)
Online quality monitoring of residual hardness after water softener
Salt silo – for salt storage
Water saving unit with tank, filter, pump, measurement and control system to collect and recycle good quality wastewater

EUROWATER developed RO-PLUS, a reverse osmosis system with high water utilisation to meet the needs for demineralised water essential for a wide range of industrial processes. RO-PLUS ensures a minimisation of resource consumption without compromising operational reliability or water quality.

Furthermore, the CRE pumps used in the industrial processes were also updated with IE5-rated MGE motors, which both ensured even greater energy efficiency and reduced energy consumption by approximately 37%.

The outcome

78% reduction of water waste in treatment processes
Total water savings per year 9,594 m3
13% reduction in salt consumption in the regeneration plant (1.8 tonnes of salt saved)
37% reduction in pump energy consumption
Three years is the approximate payback time for the entire plant

The system has shown improved water utilisation without compromising operational reliability or water quality. The solution offers effective control of the water treatment process and the possibility of optimisation, which results in less consumption of chemicals, better capacity and reduced water consumption.

The calculation for the return on investment is done with the known water consumption and costs per m3 together with the electricity consumption and costs per kWh. In addition to the payback time of approximately three years for the entire plant, Grundfos saves important water resources. Furthermore, reduced energy consumption in the factory from the optimised CRE pumps contributes to meeting ambitious 2030 and 2050 carbon emission targets.

About EUROWATER

EUROWATER is a Grundfos company that develops and manufactures reliable water treatment plants. Established in Denmark in 1936, EUROWATER has more than 500 employees at offices in Europe and a large distribution network. In 2020, Silhorko-Eurowater A/S was acquired by Grundfos and became a Grundfos company.

Delivery of standardised water treatment solutions for process and drinking water
Strong focus on industrial water treatment
Technologies applied include filtration, ion exchange, membrane filtration, electrode ionisation, deaeration, disinfection and controls and automation
Application areas include: drinking water, process water, boiler water, district heating water, cooling water, rinse water, and water for green hydrogen