Recovery of Canal Water
Water footprint reduction & surface water treatment
Project overview
Client: Advachem
Location: Hautrage, Belgium (Nimy-Blaton-Péronnes Canal Basin)
Industry: Chemistry (Tailor-Made Chemistry)
Key results
Strategic independence
Significant reduction in the site’s dependence on the public mains water supply.
Economic viability
Delivery of a detailed Techno-Economic Assessment (TEA) with clear ROI for canal water integration.
Risk Mitigation
Implementation of a long-term quality-monitoring protocol to account for the impacts of maritime traffic and rainfall.
The challenge
Reducing the site's water footprint and securing a sustainable, cost-effective water source.
Advachem faced a dual challenge: the high cost of using city water for industrial processes and the environmental need to reduce its water footprint. The site is located near a canal, which represents a massive potential resource, but the canal water is highly variable. To replace city water for cooling towers and boiler feed, the company needed to ensure that the water quality would be consistent and that the transition would be economically justified compared to the current supply costs.
What Revalio delivered
Revalio acted as the Owner’s Engineer (AMO), bridging the gap between a raw environmental ambition and a functional industrial reality. The intervention was divided into a strategic feasibility phase and a technical procurement phase:
Feasibility study (Phase 1): Revalio concluded that canal water could successfully substitute city water through a specific pre-treatment branch upstream of the existing ultrafiltration and osmosis units.
Techno-economic assessment: Presented two distinct pre-treatment scenarios, providing Advachem with a clear comparison of CAPEX, OPEX, and Return on Investment (ROI) for each.
Technical specifications (Phase 2): Drafted a comprehensive "Cahier des Charges" (Tender Document) defining the hydraulic capacities, pollutant loads, and Process Flow Diagrams (PFD) to ensure all bidders provided comparable, high-quality solutions.
Integrator selection: Managed the consultation process with specialised water treatment integrators, using a multi-criteria grid to rank offers based on technical robustness and maintenance requirements.
How it works
The project transitions the site toward a "Surface Water First" model through a multi-phased engineering approach:
Validation of source quality: Revalio developed a monitoring protocol to characterise the canal water across seasons, accounting for maritime traffic, precipitation, and accidental pollution risks.
Smart dimensioning: By analysing data from newly installed flow meters on the reverse osmosis feed, Revalio precisely calculated the required buffer volumes and treatment capacities.
Tailored pre-treatment: The proposed system diverts treated canal water to cooling circuits while simultaneously feeding the high-purity demineralisation lines.
Full lifecycle support: Beyond the design, Revalio provides ongoing assistance through construction coordination (Phase 3) and operational support (Phase 4) to ensure the system reaches its performance targets.
Results
✓ Significant decrease in the consumption of water for industrial cooling.
✓ Clear economic validation with two tailored scenarios comparing investment costs and long-term savings.
✓ Lowered site vulnerability to mains water supply fluctuations.
✓ Full project lifecycle support, from initial water quality monitoring to final operational assistance.
Facing similar challenges?
If your company is confronted with challenges of securing water supply, rising municipal water costs, or implementing circular strategies, Revalio designs custom solutions for engineering and implementation.