Why is water so important?

It is very easy to take our water for granted. Why is water important? Because without it, we would not exist.

Water is the most important requirement to life and health. Not only is water vital for all body functions, water use is a fundamental commodity for nearly every step of the manufacturing and production processes around the world. Without water, many companies and the products they provide would fail to exist.

While water makes up 75% of the earth, less than 3% of this water can be used for human use, and from this 3% freshwater, approx. 65% is not liquid—it’s frozen in glaciers in places like the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets. This highlights how scarce the water available to us actually is.

For this reason it is important that used waster is treated and managed correctly, in order for it to be re-used. Companies should always be thinking about their water usage and wastage and if there is a more environmentally friendly method of water treatment they can be using.

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Life evolved from water and it is the only element that can exist in 3 separate states gas, solid and liquid and humans find benefits in each different state.

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Water used in Industry

As mentioned there are very few industries today that do not use water to operate. Whether it’s deionised water for electronics and pharmaceutical sectors, or water for boiler applications, water is necessary.

Industry accounts for around 40% of total water abstractions.

Water is used in a variety of ways depending on the industry, some examples include:

Manufacturing

Water is used during the production process for creating products or cooling equipment used in creating products.

Water is an essential component for the manufacturing of semiconductors and chips which are used everyday in computers, cell phones and automobiles. Ultrapure water is used throughout the process, including to remove impurities from silicon wafers.

Cooling Water

Cooling systems remove heat from equipment, the heat removed from one medium is transferred to another medium, or process fluid, which most often is water.

Water use in pulp & paper mills

Pulp and paper sector remains one of the largest users of industrial process water in the US and the second largest in Europe. Water is intricately associated with 85% of all the three stages of paper production namely, pulp making, pulp processing, and paper/paper board manufacturing, and their associated activities of cooking, bleaching, and washing.

Industrial water and wastewater is a by-product of industrial or commercial activities. Whether it’s the food we eat or the products we consume, water is required for nearly every step of production across a multitude of different industries. The resulting wastewater must be carefully managed and treated so that as much water as possible can be recycled.

In a nutshell, water is essential in industry and for this reason it is vital that your water is treated, not only to protect peoples health, but so that it can be recycled and re-used, minimising as much waste possible.

There are a lot of water treatment methods on the market these days which will have an impact on the environment and reduce your carbon footprint.

You can contact us for more information or advise on what you can be doing to reduce your carbon footprint.