According to Persian Gulf Petrochemical Industries Company (PGPIC),
water is recognized as one of the most fundamental needs of the petrochemical
industry. Over time and with industrial expansion, as well as climate changes,
the demand for water has increased, contributing to water crises worldwide.
Fajr Energy Persian Gulf Company, as the sole concentrated provider of
vital services in the Petrochemical Special Economic Zone, supplies the
required industrial water for the industries situated in this economic zone.
Through several processes, the company prepares raw water received
from the Karun River for numerous applications. In recent years, with
industrial growth and increased regional demand, water needs have risen.
Simultaneously, climate changes and drought phenomena have led to a decrease in
water resources. Consequently, this company has been continuously reducing
water consumption by enhancing processes and increasing production equipment
efficiency through knowledge-based and creative projects. Most of these
projects have been initiated and executed by the employees of this company
within the Creativity and Innovation System (the Suggestions System).
One of these projects involves the reuse of high-life resin membranes
(over eight years old) in the reverse osmosis process, resulting in a reduction
in water waste and a savings of 390 billion rials in the Region One water
purification unit. In this project, reverse osmosis-produced water from RO
blocks is introduced to blocks containing used membranes to reduce electrical
conductivity (conductance or ion quantity). In this process, the water's
conductance is reduced from 80 to 5 microsiemens per centimeter. This water,
alongside RO-produced water from other RO blocks (membranes with appropriate
efficiency), enters the RO water storage tank, leading to a reduction in the
electrical conductance of the final water mixture from 80 to 55 microsiemens
per centimeter.
Another project involves directly transferring the RO water from used
blocks, with a conductance of 5 microsiemens per centimeter, as feed for the
demineralized water (DM water) production unit. Instead of introducing
RO-produced water from regular blocks to the DM water production filters, this
water is introduced to resin filters for DM water production. This leads to an
increase in resin lifespan and a reduction in the frequency of regenerating the
DM water production filters, resulting in a considerable reduction in
consumable chemicals (sulfuric acid and caustic soda) and water waste, in
addition to environmental support.
The execution of this project in the water production unit of Region
One has led to a 92% reduction in the regeneration frequency of resin filters
and a 52% reduction in sulfuric acid consumption, and a 77% reduction in
caustic soda consumption over the past six months. This, alongside
environmental conservation, has resulted in a 390 billion rial saving.
This project has also been implemented in the water unit of Region
Two, where it is anticipated to save 1,000 billion rials within a year. Over
the past years, Fajr Energy Persian Gulf Company has executed numerous projects
aimed at water consumption reduction and increased equipment efficiency, with
most of these projects initiated and implemented by the employees of the
company within the Creativity and Innovation System.