GHG EMISSIONS & ECONOMICS ASSOCIATED WITH WATER REUSE SYSTEM IN A MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY

Abstract

Fresh water is a precious resource, and due to the hydrological changes caused by global warming, the availability of fresh water is becoming a point of concern. In India, water supply for rural and urban areas is mainly sourced from groundwater (more than 80% of total demand), which includes approx. 89% for agriculture and 11 % for domestic & industrial requirements. Apart from the major consumers such as agriculture, domestic needs, etc., the demand for the industrial sector is also rising as industrial demand of water is projected to be 67 BCM in 2025 & 81 BCM in 2050 0. Considering groundwater availability & importance, Industries are taking measures for water conservation. They have started wastewater treatment recycling and reusing as per their requirement. Industrial wastewater reuse has a significant focus on freshwater conservation and reduction in water pollution. However, Industrial wastewater reuse is usually accompanied by wastewater treatment, which generally means chemical treatment, biological treatment, various materials, and energy utilization, etc., to maintain the optimum required quality. Hence, with such processes, there is an associated cost to the environment as well as an economic cost to industry. Therefore, a question arises as to whether the overall benefit of water reuse/recycling or reclaiming in a manufacturing industry outweighs the environmental and economic costs. Moreover, to answer this question, the need of measurable data arises to quantify & compare the impacts of GHG emissions, economics, etc.