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“We Use Water, We Don’t Use it Up” The Rhine Center handles this resource with care
This should be demonstrated by this example from the Dow Rhine Center. In principle, the motto “As long as there’s water, there’ll be a site” applies. Water is used as a solvent for most chemical processes, for example, to form latices. Water is also used as a heat transfer medium in cooling cycles and to produce energy in the form of steam. We should also not forget that water is needed for drinking, and not just for making coffee. Water is also required for personal hygiene, including use in toilets. Another important aspect is, of course, the provision of water in the event of an incident or accident. Water for firefighting must always be available, as must an adequate supply of safety showers. The Rheinmünster site has two water supplies. Firstly, it gets drinking water from the public mains supply and, secondly, it takes all waters used for production purposes from four deep wells on the site. The water dedicated to production purposes is then treated depending on its designated purpose. This water is desalinated using ion exchangers and the gases contained therein are expelled out into a scrubber with warm air. The drinking water, on the other hand, is left untouched. Michael, Water Protection Representative at the Rhine Center, places great importance on one particular statement: “Basically, we do not use the water up, we use it sensibly to add value.” This is in line with what happens in nature and with the principles of Responsible Care®. Wherever it is possible, water that is not needed as a solvent for chemical products is kept in a cycle, whether it is for cooling purposes or for generating steam. The cycle concept has become increasingly popular and in recent years all production facilities have been equipped with this type of technical process, ensuring that Rheinmünster is now en route to becoming a waste-free site. While production is increasing, the amount of water required is continuing to decrease. In the last ten years, we have been able to reduce the specific quantity of waste water, i.e. the quantity of waste water per production quantity, by around 25% by optimizing our production procedures. And the purified waste water that does end up in the Rhine is of a significantly higher quality than the river water itself. < Back
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