Process water: a sustainable process water supply

Water is used in industrial processes for a wide range of applications, such as cooling, cleaning, steam production and as part of the production process. Depending on the application, specific requirements are placed on water quality.

PCA Water offers process water treatment solutions tailored to the available water source, the required water quality and the operating conditions. This can range from simple pre-treatment to a complete installation for the production of high-purity water.

Our process water solutions

Demineralisation and ultrapure water

Certain industrial applications require water with a very low concentration of dissolved salts. This is the case, for example, in steam production and in production processes where high water purity is required.

PCA Water offers installations for the production of demineralised and ultrapure water. Depending on the required water quality, the flow rate and the composition of the feed water, techniques such as reverse osmosis (RO), ion exchange (deionisation) and electrodeionisation (EDI) can be applied individually or in combination.

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Water softening & scale prevention

Hard water contains elevated concentrations of calcium and magnesium. These can lead to scale deposits in pipework, heat exchangers, steam boilers and other process installations. This can reduce heat transfer and may require additional maintenance.

PCA Water offers solutions to reduce water hardness and limit scale deposits. Water softening by ion exchange is generally used for this. Depending on the application and the required water quality, other treatments such as reverse osmosis can also be considered.

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Surface water and groundwater treatment

Groundwater and surface water can be used as a water source for industrial processes. However, the composition of these water sources differs from one location to another and can also vary over time.

Groundwater, for example, may contain elevated concentrations of iron and manganese, while in surface water, suspended solids, organic compounds and seasonal fluctuations in water quality can play a role.

PCA Water offers solutions to pre-treat these water sources and make them suitable for further use. Depending on the substances present, techniques such as iron and manganese removal, sand and multimedia filtration, activated carbon filtration and ultrafiltration (UF) can be used. If a further reduction in dissolved salts is required, the treatment can be supplemented with reverse osmosis (RO).

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Specific pre-treatment and removal of undesirable substances

In certain applications, targeted treatment is needed to remove specific substances from the process water. These substances can affect the operation of installations, cause problems in subsequent treatment steps or be undesirable in the production process.

Depending on the nature and concentration of the substances present, PCA Water can use various treatment techniques. Examples include mechanical filtration to remove suspended particles, activated carbon filtration for certain organic compounds and ion exchange for the targeted removal of dissolved ions.

The choice of treatment depends on the water composition and the required final quality. Where necessary, additional laboratory or pilot trials can be carried out to investigate the applicability of a treatment.

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Discuss your process water treatment?
Do you have specific requirements for your process water or would you like to modify an existing installation? PCA Water works with you to determine which treatment options suit your application and the available water source.

Discuss your project.

Frequently asked questions about process water treatment

Can an existing process water installation be optimised or expanded?

Yes. PCA Water analyses your current installation, identifies bottlenecks (such as rapid membrane fouling or high chemical consumption) and can propose targeted upgrade modules, such as more efficient pre-filtration or the addition of EDI as a polishing step.

How does PCA Water ensure continuity of water production during maintenance or regeneration?

Our installations are designed for high operational reliability and availability. For ion exchangers and softeners, we can use duplex or triplex systems, in which one column regenerates while the other remains in service. For membrane systems, we can provide automated cleaning cycles (CIP), redundancy and buffer capacity to keep interruptions in water production to a minimum.

What conductivity can be achieved for demineralised water?

Depending on the chosen technology (reverse osmosis, ion exchange or EDI) and the composition of the feed water, we can achieve conductivities of less than 10 µS/cm, and even less than 0.1 µS/cm for very high-purity water.

We match the degree of purity and the chosen treatment technology to the specific requirements of your process. This avoids unnecessary investment and operating costs.

What is the best source for our process water: mains water, groundwater or surface water?

That depends on the required water quality, the available flow rates and local permit conditions. Mains water offers consistent quality but is expensive for large volumes. Surface water and rainwater drastically reduce your mains water bill, but require robust pre-treatment (such as ultrafiltration) to cope with fluctuations in contaminant load. PCA Water always carries out a thorough water analysis to determine the most cost-effective combination of sources.

Proven results in process water treatment

Every industrial site has specific water parameters and process requirements. Discover how we help companies safeguard their process water quality, avoid downtime and drastically reduce their mains water bill.

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