The need for manufacturing companies to reduce waste is more paramount today than ever. As a society, we are becoming more conscious of waste and harming the environment through incorrect disposals.
Reducing water is not only better for the environment but can save you money and drive down operating costs.
How to reduce water usage in manufacturing
Many manufacturers can’t compromise when it comes to water usage. Especially when it’s used so heavily in not only creating the product but keeping the machines running.
Just because you want to reduce your water usage doesn’t have to mean you sacrifice the quality of your parts or product.
Water can be used, recycled and used again in the manufacturing process, resulting in a reduction in water usage. Recycling units contain membranes that remove impurities, making the water clean again for reuse.
How to save money by installing a water filtration system
A recycling unit is just one of the water filtration systems options available to clean your water for reuse. Each individual situation is different depending on the product being manufactured and the quality of the initial water source.
For example if you’re manufacturing car parts impurities such as oil, grease and metal will need to be removed.
Whereas if you required water for a brewery or food you would have to remove all impurities with a system such as reverse osmosis as the product is for human consumption.
Reusing water
Many if not all manufacturing companies have to collect the wastewater that comes off the machinery or product.
This is because it contains harmful chemicals, sharp metals and thick oils that could seriously damage the environment and contaminate water.
It is illegal to dispose of wastewater incorrectly with companies being fined up to £126m for going against this law.
Typically companies store the wastewater on-site, pay for a company to collect the water. They will then treat it accordingly and dispose of it correctly.
Not only is this bad for the environment but it takes up space and is an ongoing cost. By installing a water filtration system you can treat the contaminated water immediately and feed it back into the manufacturing or cleaning process.
This not only saves the quantity of water wasted but also the cost of another company treating it for you.
Not buying water initially
Depending on the location of your manufacturing process, you may have poor quality water. For example, your water may contain too much fluoride or salt. This can result in companies purchasing pure water initially to ensure it doesn’t damage machinery or interfere with paints and finishes.
A combination of water filtration systems can be put in place to achieve your specific quality of water. Each unit is designed specifically for the water situation.
A water filtration system will take water from your raw water source, remove the contaminants and then it can be used in manufacturing processes.
One problem with buying pure water is that you have to have the space to store it.
Not paying for water treatment and disposal
If you don’t currently treat and manage your own wastewater on-site then you’ll be paying for a company to collect it, remove the contaminants and then dispose of correctly.
By installing a recycling unit within your manufacturing process you eliminate the need to pay for an external company to manage it for you.
You’ll also be saving costs by reusing a certain amount of the water that you would have previously sent away to be treated.
Installing smart technology for water filtration
Each water filtration system provided by Membracon uses smart technology to remove impurities. Traditionally harmful chemicals were used to treat water, now uniquely designed membranes remove impurities by the use of pressure.
An advance from the technology used in the water filtration itself is the managing and controlling the machinery remotely.
Smart technology can be used by capturing a range of data, from audio, video and images to documents and other types of written files. This data is then uploaded onto a cloud-based platform and time-stamped for future review.
This can make your machines controllable from remote locations as long as you have Wi-Fi.
Conclusion
Installing a water recycling system into your manufacturing process gives you multiple ways of reducing water usage.
You can reuse the water you’ve treated, treat your own raw water rather than purchasing it and you can save costs on external companies.
Correct wastewater disposal is an obligatory requirement, companies are growing in consciousness of how environmentally their processes are and how they can improve.
As technology advances, more companies demand information at their fingertips. Membracon introduces smart technology to water solutions to ensure machines can be controlled and monitored remotely.
