Industrial Plants Spend $18bn on Water Flow Control, Treatment Annually

Annual purchases of liquid (including water and process fluids) flow control and treatment products and services in the heavy industrial sector will exceed $18 billion per year, according to a McIlvaine study.

McIlvaine in Industrial Water: Plants and Projects tracks activities at more than 20,000 plants. The report segments these plants into 100 industry categories. A few industries discharge more than 2,000 million gallons per day of wastewater.

The intake water quantity is slightly larger than the water discharged.  The largest investment in flow and treatment is due to the recirculation of liquids for process and cooling purposes. This can amount to more than 5,000 MGD in a number of industries.

There are more than 1,000 large industrial boilers with substantial treatment systems to purify the water needed for steam generation, the report says. Most of these have closed loops with condensate return. A number of smaller industrial boilers also utilize water for steam production but recirculate less water and, therefore, need less purification to avoid concentrating contaminants.

Plant expansions requiring liquid flow and treatment equipment are chronicled with continuing updates.

Earlier this month Siemens and Silver Bullet Water Treatment entered into an agreement that will help broaden Siemens’ offerings of non-hazardous chemical water treatments for industrial and commercial customers, allowing customers to lease the technology to treat cooling tower water onsite.