Dow Turns Local Community’s Wastewater into Energy

In Terneuzen, The Netherlands, the old phrase “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” couldn’t be more true.

Dow’s Benelux site in Terneuzen is taking the local community’s treated wastewater, which is discharged directly into the river, and reusing it twice – first in manufacturing plants and then again in cooling towers – before releasing it into the atmosphere as vapor. This is the first time within the industry that municipal wastewater is being reused on such a large scale. The project is a unique cooperation among Dow, water company Evides, and the regional water board “Waterschap Zeeuws-Vlaanderen”.

“Dow recognizes that sustainability goes beyond what we originally thought,” said Peter Holicki, Dow’s site leader for Terneuzen. “By reusing the community’s wastewater we are helping build a more sustainable community. We’re looking to the future and helping preserve one of our most valuable resources in the area – the water supply.”

Journey from Wastewater to Steam

After treated wastewater is collected from the city of Terneuzen, it travels six kilometers in a drilled pipe underneath the Ghent-Terneuzen Canal. The water is then buffered in a storage tank – a necessary step to accommodate variations in the supply of wastewater. From this buffer, the water is then fed through an existing pipeline of 11 kilometers to Evides’ Deco Water Treatment Plant adjacent to the Dow site. Here the existing reverse osmosis installation and related pretreatment have been modified to accept the intake of water.

Next, the distribution of the demineralized water to Dow takes place through the existing infrastructure. After the water enters the Dow site, it is used twice – first in the manufacturing process for steam generation and then again in the cooling tower – before being released into the air as vapor.

Making the Community More Sustainable

By collaborating with local authorities and the local water producer, the Terneuzen site accepts more than 2.6 million gallons (9.9 million liters) of municipal household wastewater every day. Once residual contaminants and salts are removed, Dow is able to use more than 70 percent of this water in its operations.

Three million tons per year of water previously discharged into the North Sea after just one use is now used an additional two times by Dow. Reusing this water results in 65 percent less energy used at the Dow facility – compared to desalinating the same amount of sea water. This is the equivalent of lowering carbon dioxide emissions by 5,000 tons per year. Reusing the water also leads to a reduction in the need for water treatment chemicals.

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“Our efforts in Terneuzen demonstrate how we are using the Human Element at Dow to advance sustainable chemistry through new and enhanced processes and services,” said Neil Hawkins, Dow’s vice president for sustainability. “We’re committed to helping solve world challenges because we know that not only is it good for our communities and our environment, but also for our company’s bottom line.”

*This project so far has won 4 national and international awards.