1 Water Ultrafiltration: A Unique Material for a Global Challenge
The durable low-fouling properties of our Kynar® PVDF DH 100 allow us to help develop ultrafiltration solutions unlike any others in the world
If
you open an ultrafiltration module, you’ll find hundreds of membranes — made of 1- to 2-millimeter-diameter microporous tubes — bundled together inside. They let water flow through under low pressure, but trap particles, bacteria and
viruses. “This kind of purely mechanical filtration uses little energy and is employed worldwide for drinking water production and purification,” says Bernard Schlinquer, Kynar® & New Markets Manager at Arkema. Scarcity of clean
water is a planetwide public health issue in which Arkema is intensely involved, through a non-exclusive partnership with French filtration module maker Polymem to create a material with unparalleled performances. “The specific nanoscale
structure of our Kynar® PVDF DH 100, the product of six years of R&D, gives it durable low-fouling performance,” explains Bernard Schlinquer. The result is much finer filtration, the ability to treat roughly 20% more water for the same
amount of energy and twice the life span (10 years rather than five) of conventional materials.
A DOUBLING OF SALES IN 2018
Brought to market in 2013, these next-generation PVDF membranes have had success on a par with their performance: sales volumes doubled in 2018 “and we expect another upswing in 2019,” says Bernard Schlinquer. In addition to the water purification market
(municipalities and water utilities, most notably in North America and Europe), the membranes are experiencing fast growth in the wastewater treatment sector, where they’re used in particular to make membrane bioreactors. This is especially true in
China, where huge infrastructure programs have been introduced to halt the pollution of streams and waterways. Membrane filtration is poised to expand in developing countries, as an alternative to bottled water.
2 Optim’O : “More Than the Numbers, a Culture of Excellence in Water Use”
INTERVIEW Jean-Yves Robin, Optim’O Leader
Since 2016, the Optim’O program has spurred 136 Arkema production sites to tackle industrial process water issues, with already impressive results. Jean-Yves Robin, Optim’O leader, shares his take.
Between 2012 and 2018, Arkema’s chemical oxygen demand (COD1) fell from 3,437 tons to 2,174. How did the company manage that?
Jean-Yves Robin – First, we pushed every site to precisely quantify its actual discharges and how well its treatments — including those done offsite — were performing. Based on that, we take objective
steps to fine-tune facility settings or adjust some processes, especially washing. An initial investment in the Lesgor (MLPC) plant in France, for example, halved the COD discharged into the local river in 2018. We’re also investing in advanced treatment
solutions such as installing a dissolved air flotation (DAF) system at our Bécancour plant in Canada.
We’re not just interested in COD either. We also focus on suspended matter. An example is Pierre-Bénite in France, where a whole series of tweaks in our operating procedures slashed the amount of suspended matter discharged by two-thirds.
Has Optim’O also cut down on the amount of water used by Arkema?
Jean-Yves Robin – That wasn’t the program’s original goal, but exhaustive mapping of water flows did, in fact, turn up ideas for improvement, from simple “leak-spotting” to process modifications. Our
monomer plant in Hengshui, China, is an example. Integrating steam supply systems with neighboring industrial sites reduced our withdrawals from the water table by 70%.
You are close to achieving Optim’O’s goals, notably a 40% reduction in COD by 2025. What’s next for the program?
Jean-Yves Robin – Now we have to keep our momentum going and strengthen it, through strong business unit and site involvement. Some actions are in progress and others in the pipeline. We have the ambition
and possibility to do even more. Optim’O is also an opportunity to identify best-in-class performers. Some plants have highly optimized processes to fully reuse their water flows internally, minimizing discharges. This allows plants in the same business
units elsewhere in the world, with fairly similar production facilities, to copy their process solutions and best practices. Above and beyond its quantitative goals, Optim’O’s big benefit is promoting a culture of excellence in water use,
at every level of the company. Water is, of course, an environmental issue for Arkema. But it’s also a factor in industrial and financial performance.
1. Chemical oxygen demand, or COD, is an indicator tracked by regulatory agencies worldwide. It measures the amount of oxygen an aquatic environment needs to break down pollutants discharged into it, at the expense of the oxygen aquatic life needs to breathe.
