Filtration Technology Helps Reduce Environmental Footprint

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•Article: Filtration Technology Helps Reduce Environmental Footprint

Jim Lauria
Amiad Filtration Systems

Properly designed filtration systems can reduce energy and water consumption, minimizing the environmental footprint of a variety of industrial and municipal water facilities

Competition for clean water among residential, industrial and agricultural users is growing more intense as users are tapping into the same sources of water. Improving water use efficiency is a vital strategy for claiming a share of the dwindling water supply and making it work for larger applications. Water efficiency also ties directly to energy efficiency, which is growing significantly more important as fuel prices skyrocket.

Efficient reduction, re-use and recycling of water can have a significant impact on pumping, treatment, heating and cooling costs – all directly linked to energy consumption. In turn, reduced energy usage lowers an operation's carbon footprint. All of these elements fall under the umbrella of a water treatment facility's "environmental footprint."

Environmental footprint is more than just another metric. It represents a direct pull on the bottom line. It also is a public relations factor that can have a major impact on the viability of a business. Many people, especially in water-limited areas – ranging from Kerala, India to the American West – have loudly objected to having water-intensive companies or farms moving into their neighborhoods. A company with a good track record of water efficiency may be able to persevere and succeed where companies viewed as wasteful may find themselves on the losing end of political, zoning and PR battles.

Of course, economic sustainability is a key benefit of improving the environmental footprint. Disposal of wastewater or back-flush water is often a significant cost, either for disposal itself or for compliance with discharge regulations. So is the disposal of consumables such as cartridges or bags used in some filtration systems, and the use of chemicals to clean or maintain many systems.

A more subtle component of a facility's environmental footprint is its physical footprint. With the increasing prices of raw materials, minimizing the amount of concrete, steel and plumbing necessary to build a filtration system can lower costs substantially and reduce the amount of resources committed to an installation.

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•Article: Filtration Technology Helps Reduce Environmental Footprint

SOURCE: Amiad Water Systems