As the envkomnental regulations associated with discharging water from industrial installations become increasingly more stringent and water in some areas becomes more scarce, water costs, both for purchase and disposal, become increasingly more expensive. So the importance of reusing and recycling water is heightened. This paper investigates the desire of a stainless steel manufacturing plant to improve the final product surface quality. Simple upgrading of the ‘once-through’ rinsing process would have presented operational problems for the on-she effluent treatment plant and exceeded she discharge limits. A more innovative approach was sought. Explained are the stages taken to audit the plant, the initial work in proposing water recycle options and a computer modelling methodology for predicting water chemistry and economics. In conclusion, the stainless steel manufacturer discusses the implementation of the recycle project. Not only are the operational demands met, but the recycle option actually provides a return on investment to the stainless steel manufacturer rather than an additional cost.
Keywords: Stainless steel, water minimisation, water reuse, water recycle, recycle modelling, simulation.