WATER REUSE RESOURCES

  • In an industrial landscape increasingly shaped by lifecycle accountability, material traceability, and rising disposal costs, chromium recovery is not merely a technical alternative — it is a strategic upgrade, where wastewater can become a resource stream.
  • Transitioning to advanced purification methods like UV-hypochlorite oxidation allows municipalities to secure reliable, local water supplies. These strategies mitigate drought risks and protect coastal environments by transforming wastewater into a high-quality resource for reuse.

  • With the rise of water scarcity, environmental regulations, and corporate sustainability mandates, produced water treatment has become a strategic imperative for industries far beyond oil and gas. It is one of the fastest-growing segments in the water treatment industry, which has emerged as an amalgamation of environmental stewardship, regulatory compliance, and technological innovation.
  • People around the globe are trying to figure out how to save, conserve, and reuse water in a variety of ways, including reusing treated sewage wastewater and removing valuable salts from seawater. But for all the clean water they may produce, those processes leave behind a type of liquid called brine. I’m working on getting the water out of that potential source, too.
  • As water systems become more circular and complex, understanding and managing the subsurface — the hidden half of the water cycle — is becoming a critical enabler of resilience. This article explores the key trends shaping this new reality, from tackling “forever chemicals” to the water strategies redefining heavy industry.
  • Making Waves spoke with Bing Liu, Sales GM of Xylem’s Water Infrastructure business in China, about the country’s growing water reuse opportunity and one utility leader that is leading the way: Beijing Drainage Group.

  • To combat drought, Abilene, Texas, implemented a reuse system utilizing O3​ + BAC to remove trace organics. This solution met strict standards, ensured water resilience, and proved more cost-effective than AOP alternatives.

  • Researchers warn that California and other states affected by megadroughts — periods of drought lasting 20+ years — will have to accept this as the new normal. That means rethinking the water cycle and finding new, more sustainable water sources.
  • Because of our own decades-long mismanagement of our collective global water resources, we are now facing a global freshwater crisis where the demand for freshwater is predicted to exceed its supply by 40% by the year 2030. Directly coinciding with the water crisis timeline is the growing need for data center construction in order to accommodate AI, cloud computing, and other Big Data and IoT processing.
  • The business case for industrial water reuse has fundamentally shifted. Companies once evaluated these systems against environmental goals or regulatory compliance costs. Today, they're measuring them against operational risk and supply security — a calculation that increasingly favors reuse regardless of sustainability credentials.

WATER REUSE SOLUTIONS

  • Water Reuse: Solutions For Sustainability, Efficiency, And Resilient Water Systems

    What is water reuse?

    Water reuse is the process of treating and reclaiming water from various sources for practical purposes, including groundwater recharge, industrial applications, wetland restoration, agricultural irrigation, public access area uses, as well as drinking water applications. By reusing water, communities can reduce dependence on traditional water supplies, avoid costly imported water from 3rd party providers, and improve resilience in water systems. Thanks to progress in water treatment technology, along with economic and regulatory incentives, water recycling has become a cost-effective and sustainable solution to meet the growing demand for highly treated water and overcome supply shortages during droughts.

    There are three primary types of water reuse: Indirect Potable Reuse (IPR), Direct Potable Reuse (DPR), and Non-Potable. In IPR reuse systems, advanced treated water is either injected into an environmental buffer (groundwater, river, or reservoir) before being extracted again for use, whereas DPR is directly blended into the drinking water treatment plant or distribution system. Non-potable water is not intended for human consumption and can be used for irrigation, industrial processes, laundry, or toilet flushing.

    Advanced treatment technologies, such as membrane filtration, reverse osmosis, ultraviolet disinfection, ozonation, and advanced oxidation processes (AOP), play a crucial role in ensuring the quality and safety of reclaimed water.

    Why reuse water? 

    As water scarcity continues to rise, water reuse is an essential strategy for creating a more sustainable future. The use of recycled water reduces the demand for freshwater sources, which are becoming increasingly scarce due to population growth, climate change, and other factors.

    Here are some key benefits of water reuse:

    • Safeguard quality and resilience: Reused water is purified well beyond drinking water standards, improving resilience and ensuring quality for both potable and even non-potable purposes.
    • Uphold safety: Treatment processes like ozone and ultraviolet light can be used to disinfect or break down complex contaminants, ensuring water is pathogen-free and concentrations are below maximum contaminant levels (MCL).
    • Ensure cost savings and efficiency: After treating a waste stream to discharge level, it may require less treatment to bring it to reuse standards, making reuse not only environmentally responsible but also cost-effective in many scenarios and locations.
    • Conserve traditional water supplies: By reusing water, we can lessen our reliance on conventional water resources like rivers, lakes, and aquifers, thereby conserving them for future generations.
    • Reduce carbon footprint: Water reclamation is often more efficient than treating a raw water resource, which can lessen environmental impact.
    • Enable versatility and customization: Advanced treatment systems are tailored to meet specific needs for a variety of sectors, including industrial, urban, agricultural, and public access area uses.

    How to reuse water 

    The major aim of every reuse project is to minimize human health risk associated with the use or consumption of reclaimed water. While the exact treatment requirements depend upon the source water quality and the reuse purpose, to be cost-effective, the treatment must be energy efficient and have a high-water yield.

    An adequate treatment design plan depends on the application the water will be used in. In non-potable applications, normally filtration and disinfection will suffice, while potable reuse generally requires a combination of advanced treatment processes such as membrane filtration, reverse osmosis, disinfection, and/or advanced oxidation.

    Xylem has brands and solutions to fit every stage of the water reuse process: 

    • beginning with the transport of raw sewage and wastewater with Xylem brands like Flygt
       
    • to secondary treatment to remove most dissolved and suspended organic matter and nutrients with brands like Sanitaire and Envirex
    • to tertiary stages that remove residual particulate matter, nutrients, TDS, and nematode eggs with brands like Leopold and Davco
    • along with disinfection and advanced oxidation that inactivates pathogens, and breaks down trace constituents and emerging contaminants of concern with brands like Wedeco, ETS-UV, ATG UV Systems, Pacific Ozone, and Wallace & Tiernan 
    • and finally, digital solutions like YSI, OI Analytical, Xylem Vue that leverage remote monitoring, alerts, and data analytics for proactive and predictive maintenance

    Based on practical knowledge from decades of combined brand experience, thousands of installations worldwide, and strengths in powerful R&D innovation, our team looks at the entire wastewater process at your plant. We will work with your consulting engineer and State regulators to integrate the right technologies to meet your intended targets. Modular design makes it easy to fit your requirements now and easily expand to meet your future needs.

    Water reuse partnership 

    Though Xylem has teams of specialists, years of expertise, deep understanding of water regulations, and a broad solutions portfolio, we understand the complexities of water systems and the potential to partner with various water treatment experts. Xylem has partnered with hundreds of different firms around the globe to ensure the most efficient and viable water systems for communities and municipalities.

    Our goal is to thoroughly understand each project, determine the best methods, and customize optimal solutions that meet local regulations and requirements while delivering resiliency, quality, and cost savings.

    Let us be your partner in making every drop count. Contact us today to discuss your project needs.

  • ReFleX™ Efficiency

    For both disinfection and TOC-reduction applications, NeoTech Aqua Solutions’ patented ReFleX™ UV chamber technology represents the state-of-the-art in high-efficiency UV systems by reflecting over 99% of the UV we generate back into the water.

  • NIROBOX™ Containerized Desalination Solutions

    Small-footprint, containerized solutions to treat water from any source- at any scale.

  • NIROBOX™ BW

    Nirobox BW lets you tap into previously unusable groundwater sources.

  • ReFlex Max™ Reverse Osmosis

    Desalitech ReFlex Max Reverse Osmosis systems are highly efficient, typically reducing brine waste by 50% to 75% and energy consumption by up to 35%.

WATER REUSE VIDEOS

On this episode of The Water Online Show, hosts Travis Kennedy and Kevin Westerling interview Fred Gerringer, Brown and Caldwell’s Water Reuse National Practice Leader, about the creation of a first-of-its-kind State Water Reuse Regulatory Guide being developed for the WateReuse Association and its partner organizations.