Sustainability Challenge:
Growing global demand for fresh water requires effective management and conservation of water resources.
Chemistry Solution:
Innovative technologies enable companies and communities to use less water, while recovering and repurposing wastewater for new applications.
Sustainability Benefit:
In 2017, 3D TRASARTM cooling water technologies developed by Nalco, and Ecolab company, helped save 146.2 billion gallons of water, equivalent to the yearly drinking water needs of more than 505 million people.
In the developed world, business and industry account for nearly 60 percent of all water use. Water is necessary for almost any business operation, but in facilities and manufacturing, cooling systems consume particularly large amounts of water and energy. Innovative technologies can help companies implement effective, site-specific water stewardship initiatives.
3D TRASARTM technology for cooling water, developed by Nalco, an Ecolab company, helps industry manage and improve cooling water system performance, conserving water and increasing energy efficiency.
Using real-time monitoring and information management capabilities, 3D TRASAR technology enables facilities to detect corrosion, microbial activity and salt content and other contaminants in reclaimed water that can affect cooling systems. The result, Nalco found, is a balanced, efficient and safe cooling, boiler or membrane system that can require less maintenance, eliminates over-/under-dosing of chemicals, and provides high asset protection at lower operating costs.
Facilities around the world have adopted this technology to address water challenges. In Tarragona, Spain, a large manufacturer sought to reduce the amount of water it drew from a local river, by cleaning and reusing municipal effluent for the facility’s cooling towers. Using the 3D TRASAR technology, the company was able to control fouling and manage the corrosiveness of recovered water so it was suitable for use in the cooling tower.
The cooling tower now uses up to 40 percent reclaimed water, enabling a savings of approximately 310 million gallons of river water a year – equivalent to the average daily water use of more than 25,000 people.
Overall, in 2017, 3D TRASAR cooling water technologies helped a range of businesses save 146.2 billion gallons of water, equivalent to the yearly drinking water needs of more than 505 million people.
