Deep treatment of the reclaimed water in TISCO: the water of 7 Xihu Lakes is saved during 8 years

Water consumption per ton of steel has been reduced from 3.27 ton to 2.34 ton since the deep treatment project of the reclaimed water in TISCO was put into operation. On this project, TISCO saved make-up water of 95.46 million tons during the past 8 years, amounting to the water reserve of 7 times the volume of Xihu Lake whose capacity is 14 million cubic metrers.

 

The reclaimed water refers to treated municipal waste water/sanitary sewage that meets certain criteria of water quality for use in family, municipal engineering and environment utilization but not for drink. It is called “middle water” because it fall in between portable water (top water) and sewage water (bottom water) in water quality. In daily life, the reclaimed water can be used to flush the toilet, water the garden and farm land, clean the road, wash the car, supply the city fountain and cool down the equipment. By means of distillation, reverse osmosis and ion exchange, the reclaimed water or portable water can be made into little or no mineral-contained demineralized water which is the main water consumption in steel plants.

 

In 2006, the water consumption per ton of steel keeps unchanged in TISCO after the completion of 1.5 million ton stainless steel revamping project. The municipal sewage water from Jiancaoping area is collected up in the matched engineering system and is processed into the reclaimed water. 10 portable water wells in TISCO were closed up in 2008. As 3 million tons of stainless steel could be produced every year, plenty of demineralized water is needed.

 

In the past years, the demineralized water was mainly made from the urban portable water and a small amount of water from Huanghe River and Fenhe River. As the cost on water from urban portable water system, Huanghe River and Fenhe River was quite high, TISCO started the reclaimed water recycling deep treatment project in which the most advanced technology and the most automated equipment in the world were adapted. The assistant director of water treatment department of Energy Power Plant, Yang Aihua said to the reporter.

 

In the first half of year 2009, after the completion of reclaimed water recycling deep treatment project, TISCO started the deep treatment on the treated municipal sewage water collected from Jiancaoping area, made it into demineralized water to take place of the fresh water.

 

Nowadays, 50,000 tons of sewage water from Jiancaoping area mainly, as well as some from Beishahe River and Beijianhe River, is recycled. 33,000 tons of demineralized water which meet the requirement of the industrial operation in all aspects is produced by ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis at the reclaimed water treating station. The chief operator of the reclaimed water treating station in Energy Power Plant, Zhang Zhixue told the reporter.

 

The demineralized water was all supplied to the steel making lines and rolling lines of TISCO while the demand for the industrial water in TISCO’s normal operation was met and the make-up water consumption was lowered greatly.

 

95.46 million tons of make-up water has been saved in 8 years since the reclaimed water recycling deep treatment project was put into operation. Therefore, the severe water shortage in Taiyuan city was relieved and remarkable social, economical and environmental benefits were achieved.