Industrial wastewater reuse

Lenntech designs and delivers industrial wastewater treatment and reuse systems, including process design, engineering, equipment supply, installation, and commissioning.

Industrial wastewater reuse systems are implemented to recover water from process effluents and convert it into a reliable source of process or utility water, reducing freshwater consumption and minimizing wastewater discharge.

Application context

Industrial processes generate wastewater streams containing varying levels of:

• Suspended solids and particles
• Organic compounds (COD, TOC)
• Dissolved salts (TDS)
• Process chemicals and contaminants

Typical industries include:

• Food and beverage
• Cosmetics and personal care
• Chemical and petrochemical
• Manufacturing and utilities

Key challenges include:

• Variability of wastewater composition
• Fouling and scaling risks in treatment systems
• Removal of organic contaminants and trace compounds
• Achieving stable and reusable water quality
• Reducing discharge volumes and environmental impact

Industrial water reuse is increasingly adopted to meet water scarcity constraints, regulatory requirements, and sustainability targets, while improving operational efficiency.

Typical Lenntech solution

A typical Lenntech industrial wastewater reuse system combines advanced filtration and membrane technologies, designed to maximize recovery while ensuring stable treated water quality.

Pretreatment / Filtration

• Removal of coarse solids and stabilization of feed water
• Protection of downstream membrane systems
• Ultrafiltration (UF) for removal of suspended solids, particles, and colloids
• Reduction of fouling potential and organic load

Illustration of an ultrafiltration (UF) unit

Membrane Separation

• Reverse osmosis (RO) or closed‑circuit reverse osmosis (CCRO)
• Reduction of dissolved salts (TDS) and organics
• High‑recovery operation to maximize water reuse

Illustration of a Reverse Osmosis unit

Polishing and Disinfection

• UV disinfection or equivalent
• Final TOC and conductivity control
• Production of water suitable for reuse in industrial processes

This integrated approach enables high water recovery rates while maintaining system stability and minimizing chemical consumption and cleaning frequency.

Process Flow Diagram

A typical Lenntech system for industrial wastewater reuse is illustrated below:

Example system configuration

Flowrate: ~480 m³/day (~20 m³/h)

Feed water: MBR permeate from cosmetics production

Technologies:

• Ultrafiltration (UF)
• Closed‑circuit reverse osmosis (CCRO)
• UV disinfection
• Inline TOC monitoring
• Automated cleaning (CIP)

System configuration:

• UF with redundancy (2 × 50%)
• High‑recovery CCRO system (up to ~88%)
• Fully automated operation with advanced control systems
• Continuous performance monitoring (UF and CCRO normalization)

Feed water quality:

• Conductivity: ~1000 µS/cm
• COD: up to 200 mg/L
• TOC: up to 75 mg/L

Effluent quality:

• Conductivity: < 50 µS/cm
• Water compliant with reuse requirements

Application: Industrial wastewater reuse in cosmetics production

Outcome:
The system enables high water recovery from process effluents, reducing freshwater intake and wastewater discharge. Water recovery and reuse significantly improve sustainability performance while maintaining stable water quality for industrial reuse.

A more described reference project sheet is available here.

Applications / Reuse of treated water

Treated wastewater can be reused for:

• Industrial process water
• Cooling and utility systems
• Cleaning and washing operations
• Internal recycling within production facilities

Benefits include:

• Reduced freshwater consumption
• Lower wastewater discharge and related costs
• Improved environmental compliance
• Increased water autonomy for industrial sites
• Optimized operational efficiency

Lenntech scope of supply

Lenntech delivers complete industrial wastewater reuse systems, including:

• Wastewater characterization and feasibility assessment
• Process design and technology selection
• Detailed engineering
• Equipment supply (UF, membrane systems, disinfection)
• Modular or containerized installations
• Installation supervision and commissioning
• Operational support and system optimization

Optional configurations and flexibility

Depending on wastewater characteristics and reuse objectives, systems may include:

• Pre‑treatment (e.g. biological treatment or MBR integration)
• Ultrafiltration or ceramic filtration for high fouling streams
• High‑recovery CCRO configurations
• Multi‑stage membrane systems
• Advanced TOC removal and monitoring solutions
• Integration with zero‑liquid‑discharge (ZLD) concepts

System configurations are tailored to maximize recovery, reliability, and cost efficiency.

9. Why choose Lenntech for wastewater reuse

Lenntech combines technical expertise and system integration capabilities that make it well suited for industrial wastewater reuse:

• Proven experience in industrial water reuse and high‑recovery systems
• Strong expertise in ultrafiltration and membrane technologies (RO / CCRO)
• Ability to design systems for variable and complex wastewater streams
• Experience in TOC and organic removal for reuse applications
• Flexible solutions including modular and containerized installations
• Focus on water efficiency, discharge reduction, and sustainability

Lenntech supports clients from initial feasibility assessment through to full system implementation, enabling reliable and sustainable industrial water reuse.

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