Chemical and Petrochemical

The production activities of the chemicals industry are extremely diverse and its main concerns are:

• The vast international competition
• To make considerable cost savings

Both the chemical and petrochemical industries use huge volumes of water, primarily when it comes to the energy management of their sites. So with increasing pressure to reduce the extraction of natural resources, it's important to control consumption and reduce the amount of water taken from the environment.

Water is a key component for chemical manufacturing, which is widely used within production processes and across manufacturing sites. Water is used primarily for cooling circuits, steam generation, process water, cleaning and rinsing. Wastewater comes from steam blow-down, spent caustic, cooling water, boiler blow-down and cleaning water from maintenance. Making water management more efficient is the key to overcoming this industry's main challenges.

In the refineries and petrochemicals industry, using alternative resources, reusing certain flows in the process and reducing the amount of pollution generated by effluents and sludge are its main concerns. In the short term the industry must bring its production and pollution treatment practices into line with new regulations relating to emissions, clean fuels, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) control, effluents and hazardous waste.

Following a thorough review of the current operation, Veolia Water can make water and wastewater facilities become much more efficient and achieve needed cost savings. At the same time we can enhance the water treatment reliability and ensure environmental compliance of the chemical site.

Veolia Water provides services within the chemical industry, specifically for water, wastewater and process use. Water is treated for feed to high-pressure boilers and softened water is provided for low-pressure boilers and process applications. We can also process residual water from organic and inorganic chemical processes, recycle by-products from effluents and sludge treatment; and recycle wastewater.

Our unique portfolio of different technologies and services includes:

• Desalination
• Cooling water
• Process water
• Ultrapure water
• Wastewater
• Solids treatments
• Evaporation-crystallisation
• Distribution networks

Chemical sites, in particular basic chemical manufacturing sites, are often located in industrial parks or in river or coastal harbour areas. Veolia Water can equip these sites with combined utilities and wastewater treatment plants and integrate them resulting in cost reductions and higher efficiencies.

Production sites that manufacture a wide range of chemicals, typically produced in low volumes, have varying water needs in terms of quality and quantity. We can provide variable systems that supply the right water quality (from industrial to ultrapure) wherever it is required in the process.

Wastewater is a key environmental issue at multipurpose plants, and we can manage all stages of treatment, from pollution identification, segregation and storage of the effluent to treatment and control.