Utility and Process Water

Water, the primary component in production

Industrial water is one of the paper industry's levers for optimising production times and costs, at the very heart of competitiveness. In paper and cardboard mills, water plays a direct part in the production process. The quality of the water and its variations (suspended solids, COD, etc.) and the absence of mineral and biological fouling of equipment and networks have a direct impact on the performance of manufacturers.

Reducing the impact of withdrawals and discharges

The paper industry is also looking for ways to reduce the volumes needed for its production, both to avoid exposure to the increasing scarcity of resources and to better control its discharges. So water efficiency and the treatment of polluted water are among the objectives at the heart of their water strategy.

Upstream of production, for example, solutions are used to remove iron from the water taken from the plant in order to limit corrosion damage to equipment and thus protect investments. Downstream, utility water (boiler water, cooling towers) from paper mill sites is treated to reduce scaling and corrosion. White water is disinfected to limit biofilm deposits on the walls and, consequently, the time required to clean the installations.

The paper and cardboard processing industry can limit its withdrawals from the natural environment by organising the reuse of its industrial water once it has been treated. Processes that make it possible to reuse water from WWTPs for utilities or processes are strategic for limiting water withdrawals and protecting paper mill operations from stoppages during periods of low water levels, for example.

Upstream, the paper mill industry has a particular need to treat its white water in order to protect its equipment while limiting the impact of the products used in its waste. To this end, BWT is the only company to offer a chemical biocide-free process, thanks to the in situ manufacture of a disinfectant solution based on salt and water.

This process is also less expensive than chemicals, limits the corrosion of infrastructures and also contributes to better yields and a significant reduction in the impact of biocides in final waste.