An Assessment of Water Utilization and Management in an Industry

Abstract

Water is a scarce resource, which is essential for all life forms. Industrial sector, being a major consumer of water, could contribute in conserving this scarce resource by adopting proper management techniques. Unilever Ceylon Limited aims at reducing the water consumption through proper management of water. The main management techniques adopted by the Unilever Ceylon Limited to minimize the water consumption include Reduction, Reuse, and Recycling of water. An assessment was conducted to identify the present state of utilization and future prospects of further management of water. To study the options of reducing water consumption through grade wise water classification a water quality analysis was carried out for selected physical, chemical, and biological parameters. Accordingly it was found that some low-grade water requirements could be fulfilled by marginal-grade water, such as recycled wastewater. In order to identify the prospect of using recycled water, a close study on the effluent treatment process and the distribution of recycled water in the factory was done. If the effluent flow from departments could be controlled the effluent treatment plant has the capacity of treating all the effluent produced within the company, which will also eliminate the problem of discharging wastewater to the environment. A control of effluent flow could be gained by the continuous measurement of effluent flow rates. For the effluent flow rate measurement V - notch technique was adopted. In addition to this department wise water meter readings were also recorded, which are related to the amount of effluent flow. The collaboration of all departments on minimizing the water consumption, and accordingly the effluent discharge, will result in a consumption reduction and a high efficiency in the operation of treatment plant. At present the water management of the company is at a good state and conducting a cleaner production audit could add more effectiveness to it. All these methods coupled with increasing workers awareness on water management techniques will contribute in further reduction of water consumption and conservation of this scarce resource.