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Water Conservation and Reuse by Industry ROBERT L. IRVINE, JR., Assistant Professor WILLIAM B. DAVIS, Associate Professor and Head Environmental Engineering Division Civil Engineering Department Texas A & M University College Station, Texas INTRODUCTION The concept of water conservation and reuse is quite simple. Because of this, the objective of the following discussion is to answer the question: "Why has industry not implemented in-plant water management programs for water conservation and reuse?" Before this question is answered, the following points must be recognized. First, not all industry has ignored water conservation and reuse. Several well known cases are documented in the literature (1,2, 3). Second, many industries carry on some form of reclamation activity which is related in some sense to water conservation and reuse (4). Third, industry has not ignored conservation and reuse because of fear of innovation. The standard of living in the United States bears testimony to the achievements of industry. New technology, rather than old, has been used to meet the demands of the public. New concepts have been incorporated into standard design criteria. This is evidenced today by the fact that operational procedures and control policies are being modified through developments in optimization techniques. Each of the above points indicates that some industries are both willing and able to implement some form of water conservation and reuse. However, industry in general has not found it expedient to do so. Why? Without oversimplifying, some conbination of the following should adequately answer the question: 1) There has been no need to conserve and reuse water; 2) There is little or no profit to be gained by conservation or reuse; 3) Existing plants cannot be easily changed to include conservation or reuse; and 4) Many industries are wary of undertaking water reuse and conservation programs because such programs are directly related to waste treatment. Each of these has some bit of truth attached. The last, however, should be the first disclaimed. Most industries employ a highly efficient staff of chemists and chemical engineers who make it their business to take raw materials and make useful end products. Waste is a raw material. The final product in waste treatment is water. Control over the raw materials may not be as good as one would like, but this does not make the job so tough that an industry should cower at the thought of waste treatment. In contrast to general good policy, industry may tend to accept the second and third of the above as true without thoroughly analyzing the problem. Such an approach would be unrealistic unless the thinking of industry were controlled by some more important consideration. This consideration can only be that "There has been no need to conserve and reuse water." But why? Without going into great detail, two basic reasons come to mind: 1) The industry has an abundant supply of water and the quality of this water is satisfactory; and 2) The industry has an abundant supply of water and the water can be treated to meet quality requirements at a reasonable cost. -450-
Object Description
Purdue Identification Number | ETRIWC1969029 |
Title | Water conservation and reuse by industry |
Author |
Irvine, Robert L. Davis, W. B. (William B.) |
Date of Original | 1969 |
Conference Title | Proceedings of the 24th Industrial Waste Conference |
Conference Front Matter (copy and paste) | http://earchives.lib.purdue.edu/u?/engext,16392 |
Extent of Original | p. 450-455 |
Series | Engineering extension series no. 135 |
Collection Title | Engineering Technical Reports Collection, Purdue University |
Repository | Purdue University Libraries |
Rights Statement | Digital object copyright Purdue University. All rights reserved. |
Language | eng |
Type (DCMI) | text |
Format | JP2 |
Date Digitized | 2009-05-21 |
Capture Device | Fujitsu fi-5650C |
Capture Details | ScandAll 21 |
Resolution | 300 ppi |
Color Depth | 8 bit |
Description
Title | page 450 |
Collection Title | Engineering Technical Reports Collection, Purdue University |
Repository | Purdue University Libraries |
Rights Statement | Digital object copyright Purdue University. All rights reserved. |
Language | eng |
Type (DCMI) | text |
Format | JP2 |
Capture Device | Fujitsu fi-5650C |
Capture Details | ScandAll 21 |
Transcript | Water Conservation and Reuse by Industry ROBERT L. IRVINE, JR., Assistant Professor WILLIAM B. DAVIS, Associate Professor and Head Environmental Engineering Division Civil Engineering Department Texas A & M University College Station, Texas INTRODUCTION The concept of water conservation and reuse is quite simple. Because of this, the objective of the following discussion is to answer the question: "Why has industry not implemented in-plant water management programs for water conservation and reuse?" Before this question is answered, the following points must be recognized. First, not all industry has ignored water conservation and reuse. Several well known cases are documented in the literature (1,2, 3). Second, many industries carry on some form of reclamation activity which is related in some sense to water conservation and reuse (4). Third, industry has not ignored conservation and reuse because of fear of innovation. The standard of living in the United States bears testimony to the achievements of industry. New technology, rather than old, has been used to meet the demands of the public. New concepts have been incorporated into standard design criteria. This is evidenced today by the fact that operational procedures and control policies are being modified through developments in optimization techniques. Each of the above points indicates that some industries are both willing and able to implement some form of water conservation and reuse. However, industry in general has not found it expedient to do so. Why? Without oversimplifying, some conbination of the following should adequately answer the question: 1) There has been no need to conserve and reuse water; 2) There is little or no profit to be gained by conservation or reuse; 3) Existing plants cannot be easily changed to include conservation or reuse; and 4) Many industries are wary of undertaking water reuse and conservation programs because such programs are directly related to waste treatment. Each of these has some bit of truth attached. The last, however, should be the first disclaimed. Most industries employ a highly efficient staff of chemists and chemical engineers who make it their business to take raw materials and make useful end products. Waste is a raw material. The final product in waste treatment is water. Control over the raw materials may not be as good as one would like, but this does not make the job so tough that an industry should cower at the thought of waste treatment. In contrast to general good policy, industry may tend to accept the second and third of the above as true without thoroughly analyzing the problem. Such an approach would be unrealistic unless the thinking of industry were controlled by some more important consideration. This consideration can only be that "There has been no need to conserve and reuse water." But why? Without going into great detail, two basic reasons come to mind: 1) The industry has an abundant supply of water and the quality of this water is satisfactory; and 2) The industry has an abundant supply of water and the water can be treated to meet quality requirements at a reasonable cost. -450- |
Resolution | 300 ppi |
Color Depth | 8 bit |
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