The chemical processing industry relies on water for steam production, cooling, process make-up, utility use, and product rinsing throughout its facilities. Amid rising energy and water costs, stringent environmental regulations, and increasing product demand, chemical manufacturers need efficient, reliable water treatment systems. These needs typically fall into four primary water streams: cooling water, boiler feedwater, process water, and wastewater.
Water streams in chemical processing
Cooling water
Cooling water is one of a chemical plant’s largest water uses, circulating through heat exchangers and cooling towers to reject process heat. Common challenges include mineral scaling, suspended-solids fouling, corrosion, and microbial growth in warm, recirculating systems.
Xylem helps address these issues with a portfolio of disinfection and filtration technologies tailored to different points in the cooling-water stream. Solutions include electrolytic chlorine generation, ozone generation systems, UV disinfection, chlorine dioxide generation systems, and gas chlorination. For solids and metals control, Xylem also provides ballasted clarification and treatment media to support heavy metals removal.
Boiler feedwater
Boiler feedwater is high-purity water used to produce steam for chemical processing. Steam drives reactions, heating, and power generation, and the quality of the feedwater directly determines boiler and steam-turbine efficiency and longevity.
Xylem's reverse osmosis (RO) systems remove up to 99% of dissolved minerals and can be paired with softening plus multimedia and activated-carbon filtration for pretreatment. For final polishing, continuous electrodeionization (CEDI) can produce water up to 18 megohm-cm purity without hazardous regenerant chemicals, using a resin-based membrane process.
Process water
Process water is used directly in chemical manufacturing as process make-up, for utility use, in chemical reactions, and for product rinsing. The water must meet purity requirements that vary by application.
Xylem treats process water with multi-stage treatment trains designed to achieve the required water purity. RO systems paired with media filtration, softening, and high-efficiency pretreatment filtration can be followed by ion exchange systems. Ballasted clarification, membrane filtration, and microfiltration can also support water reuse strategies.
Wastewater
Wastewater is the effluent generated as water picks up contaminants during chemical production and must be treated to acceptable levels before discharge or reuse.
Xylem offers end-to-end wastewater treatment to help chemical producers maintain compliance and improve operational resilience. Solids removal uses ballasted clarification and chemical precipitation, while specialized feed and neutralization systems handle pH control, chrome reduction, and cyanide destruct. Dissolved organics can be addressed through activated-carbon adsorption, and heavy metals through removal media and ion exchange. Biological treatment options include anaerobic digestion and aerobic processes. Rounding out the portfolio are submersible pumps, digital monitoring, and mobile clarification units. Together these technologies help producers maintain compliance, avoid surcharges, and move toward water reuse and zero liquid discharge.
