Water Reuse: What Manufacturers Should Know

Why is water reuse so important in manufacturing? The NAM hosted a webinar last week to address the question, the first in a series on the topic.

The details: The “Water Resilience as a Manufacturing Strategy” webinar kicked off the NAM’s work under the Environmental Protection Agency’s Water Reuse Action Plan 2.0.

• The webinars aim to educate manufacturers and industry leaders about why industrial water reuse at and near manufacturing sites matters.
• The NAM is partnering with the WateReuse Association and the Water Environment Federation “to create opportunities for manufacturers to learn from water experts and one another, identify practical reuse opportunities and work through the challenges of implementation,” said NAM Director of Chemicals, Materials and Sustainability Policy Reagan Giesenschlag, who led the webinar.

Where we are: Many manufacturers still operate under a “take-use-dispose” model, said Fidan Karimova, senior director of circular water economy at the Water Environment Federation.

• “As water stress intensifies, this traditional model becomes increasingly costly and unsustainable. Rising demands for energy, chemicals, water treatment and waste disposal create operational inefficiencies and expose manufacturers to greater risks and supply chain vulnerabilities.”

Where we should be: A circular water economy, by contrast, uses water more efficiently, recapturing value from waste in a manner compatible with natural systems.

• The circular water economy is built around three core principles: reduce, recover and regenerate. Its goal is to reduce water consumption and waste, recover valuable resources such as water, energy and nutrients and regenerate natural water systems.
• This approach also creates opportunities for industrial symbiosis, “where one industry’s waste becomes another industry’s resource,” Karimova continued.

Potential barriers: Water is relatively inexpensive in many parts of the U.S., making it difficult to justify investments in reuse and efficiency technologies, said Gregg Brill, senior environmental scientist at environmental consulting firm LimnoTech.

• In addition, complex permitting processes, inconsistent requirements and changing regulations can all “really slow implementation and throw people’s planning a little bit to the wind.”
• However, today’s low water prices may not reflect the operational risk of future supply disruptions. By evaluating reuse options early and accounting for permitting timelines, manufacturers can strengthen resilience before water constraints affect operations.
• Investing in water circularity is how manufacturers protect their operations, their growth and their license to operate.

Don’t wait for an emergency: Hector Gonzales, environmental and sustainability director at Texas-based chemical and specialty materials company Celanese, shared how the company is navigating water scarcity.

• Celanese operates in the Corpus Christi region, which has experienced a multiyear drought affecting local water availability, Gonzales said.
• In response, the company set up a dedicated water-use team and sought the advice of consultants and water-treatment providers.

Making a plan: Walt Kozlowski, senior director of industrial sustainability solutions at water technology firm Xylem, emphasized the connection between water and energy use and encouraged manufacturers to develop water-use plans that combine reuse and reduction.

• Manufacturers can take relatively straightforward steps to save water, including reusing cooling tower blowdown, capturing rainwater and optimizing boilers, said Kozlowski.