Water recycling
Today, many companies pay money to get rid of their industrial waste water. But often the water contains resources that the company or others can use – or vice versa, that there was no need to add in such large quantities.
Aqueous resource streams from production processes
The Danish Technological Institute helps companies identify and value potential aqueous resource streams from their production processes.
How the Danish Technological Institute can assist you:
- Visiting your company to assess whether your waste stream(s) might hold value
- Identifying the most promising aqueous streams and their content of potential high-value substances
- Analyzing and documenting the content of high-value substances
- Screening potential applications for the resource (e.g., animal feed or biogas)
- Testing various technologies—for instance, for the concentration of high-value substances—at a laboratory and/or pilot scale
- Developing an indicative business case for the most promising market opportunities
- Conducting pilot-scale and/or full-scale tests in collaboration with a relevant technology provider to document product quality and purification performance
Reuse water streams
We also help identify water streams that could potentially be reused elsewhere in the production process.
How the Danish Technological Institute can assist you:
- Visiting your company to assess your water consumption and the potential for water recycling
- Testing various technologies at a laboratory scale and ensuring the necessary or required water quality
- Developing an indicative business case for water recycling
- Conducting pilot-scale and/or full-scale tests in collaboration with a relevant technology provider to document water quality
"There is a great deal of value in process water and wastewater—both directly in the form of recoverable thermal energy, and as product residues that can be returned to the production process or sold to third parties. Furthermore, this can, for example, reduce the amount of chemicals needed for treatment. However, companies often lack an overview of these opportunities, as well as the technology to capitalize on them. We want to change that," says Lotte Bjerrum Friis-Holm, Center Director at the Danish Technological Institute.
FAQ
How does a collaboration on water and resource recovery work? We follow a phased project model that minimizes your risk and ensures a strong business case. The process typically begins with a visit to your facility, where we map your water consumption and identify the most significant waste streams. We then analyze and test potential solutions—at both laboratory and pilot scales—to document their effectiveness before you invest in a full-scale system. You proceed one step at a time, with the flexibility to stop or adjust the process based on data gathered during each phase.
What is meant by "aqueous resource streams," and what can they be used for? An aqueous resource stream consists of process water, rinse water, or wastewater from your production that contains useful components. Examples include unutilized thermal energy, valuable product residues (high-value substances such as proteins or organic compounds), or nutrients. Instead of paying fees to discharge these streams, the resources can often be concentrated and reused directly in your own production, utilized for biogas generation, or sold to sectors such as the animal feed or ingredient industries.
How do you determine whether recovery is economically viable for us? We develop an indicative business case early in the process. Here, we compile data on your current costs—including water procurement, wastewater charges, energy consumption, and chemical usage—and weigh these against the projected capital and operating costs of a new treatment or concentration technology. This provides a clear, data-driven overview of the payback period (ROI) before you make a final investment decision.
Which technologies do you typically work with? Since no two wastewater streams are identical, we employ a wide range of technologies, often in combination. These include membrane filtration (MF, UF, NF, RO), biological treatment, coagulation and precipitation processes, and phase separation. In our laboratories and pilot facilities, we conduct impartial testing to identify the technologies that deliver the highest water quality and the best economic outcome for your specific process.
What are the primary benefits of implementing water reuse within a company? The most tangible benefits are direct financial savings, such as lower water bills, reduced wastewater charges, and decreased consumption of chemicals and energy. Furthermore, you strengthen your company’s supply security—an important advantage given the increasing pressure on drinking water resources—while simultaneously reducing your overall environmental footprint and supporting your ESG and sustainability goals.