Page 184 - CW E-Magazine (13-2-2024)

Special Report

the process industry, this also applies to some time now, companies have been
the interface between water manage- faced with the challenge of strategi-
ment and industrial production. Be it cally adapting to the new digital world
to establish modular, dynamic and fl exi- and rethinking their strategy, business
ble production approaches or to realise models and cultures to this end. If an
supply security through integrated organisation fails to take this important
water resource management: Collect- step, it will lose its future viability
ing the necessary information and pro- and competitiveness,” says Christian
cessing the resulting data streams is Gutknecht, Water Sector Manager at
only possible by using digital tools. the Endress+Hauser Group.

Especially at the interface between Water is a crucial resource for the
vestment and production costs, space industrial production and industrial process industry and energy supply, but
requirements, service and maintenance water management, complex plant struc- it is also one of the most endangered
services, as well as the ability to expand tures can be linked with IoT/IIoT-based resources. Especially in the context
the systems in terms of production vol- devices and sensors for monitoring and of the energy transition and the use of
ume and a wide range of process engi- control. The processing (e.g., with arti- renewable energies, the interaction of
neering options. Market analyses such fi cial intelligence) of large amounts of individual processes is crucial. This is
as those by Transparency Market data (big data) can be outsourced in a where digital twins can play a decisive
Research see the current global market cost-fl exible manner (Edge vs. cloud). role. They can simulate the increased
for WFI purposes at over $20-bn (2021), These technologies are essential for demands on plant dynamics in real
with growth prospects of over $50-bn the processing and effi cient utilisation time, adapt production and thus secure
in the next ten years. of resources. The information obtained a decisive competitive advantage. The
can be secured in distributed ledgers increasing demands on supply security,
The global trend towards a green product quality and plant effi ciency can
hydrogen economy is leading to an in- only be met through the digital transfor-
creasing demand for water for the oper- mation of traditional production. The
ation of electrolysers. The focus here is trend is being led by numerous consortia.
on water treatment systems and closed- These are developing globally applicable
loop purifi cation systems for ultra-pure standards for communication and plant
water. This trend also suggests a posi- safety, thereby accelerating the digital
tive development of the market for ul- transformation.
trapure water systems for electrolysis.
CONCLUSION
“The current demand for ultrapure The wide variety of processes and
water systems is still characterised by technologies – hydrogen production,
the boom in the pharmaceutical indus- (DLT) and thus form the basis for auto- circular economy, pharmaceutical pro-
try in recent years and is receiving an mated and transparent contracts (smart duction and digital integration – clearly
additional boost from the current strong contracts). All these technologies bring shows that effi cient water management
expansion in the production of green suppliers, manufacturers and custo- is a central component of the process
hydrogen,” says Dr. Eva Bitter, Manag- mers closer together and enable an over- industry. This applies across all scales,
ing Director, EnviroFALK PharmaWa- view along the supply chain. ACHEMA from plant to operation and site, to the
terSystems GmbH. 2024 will showcase these links in the entire company. In contrast to the en-
exhibition with its Digital Hub and ergy and raw material base of the pro-
Optimising water management: Digi- measurement, control and process cess industry, there are narrow limits to
talisation, industrial intelligence and control technology. the substitution of water in industrial
sensor-based process control utilisation. Only by an intensive inter-
“Digitalisation in the water industry action industrial production and water
Digital technologies are used to (‘Water 4.0’) has become a buzzword management can realise their full po-
increase effi ciency, reduce resource con- and will lead to far-reaching changes in tential for a green, circular and net-zero
sumption and close material cycles. In both the public and private sectors. For economy.

184 Chemical Weekly February 13, 2024

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