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GF has completed the modernisation of its Seewis site, enhancing production of plastic valves and actuators used in the reliable transport of water across industrial and infrastructure applications. The facility now operates on 100% renewable electricity, including on-site solar generation, and has been made CO₂-neutral.The site, which has specialised in high-tech plastic valves for more than 50 years, now features a fully automated storage system with more than 60,000 slots and a new assembly line for GF’s 542 and 546 Pro ball valves. These investments aim to increase product quality, efficiency, and availability.The new high-bay storage system combines an automated small-parts warehouse with an automated pallet warehouse, enabling faster order processing and improved product availability. An advanced warehouse management system optimises logistics for sectors that depend on timely delivery of water management components.

Seewis has shaped the plastic valve industry with groundbreaking innovations. Our goal was therefore to significantly increase efficiency in all areas – from production to logistics to energy use. Higher availability, shorter delivery times, and greater sustainability are key factors that provide real added value to our customers.

– Oliver Hilbrand, Plant Manager Seewis at GF

Cutting the ribbon after modernizing the plant – f.l.t.r. Andreas Müller (CEO GF) ; Daniel Capaul, Department of Economy Grisons ; Oliver Hilbrand, Plant Manager GF Seewis; Kurt Kuster, President Seew

GF has also introduced measures to lower energy demand, including energy-efficient injection moulding machines, upgraded lighting, heat recovery, and improved insulation. Together with the switch to renewable electricity, these steps support more sustainable water infrastructure manufacturing.

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Efficiency and Precision: GF Modernises Seewis Site to Strengthen Water Infrastructure Solutions
H2O Team

We spoke to Kees Roest, Senior scientific researcher, Energy & Circular Systems, at KWR Water Research Institute, about the importance of industrial water reuse. 

What exactly is industrial water reuse and how does it work?

Industrial water reuse is, in the strict definition, water that is used again in the same process. More broadly it is any used water that is recycled back to an industrial process – industrial process water can be reused, but also other water, like treated municipal wastewater can be reused in industrial processes. Treated industrial wastewater isn’t just used for industry, it can also be reused for other purposes, e.g. agricultural water. In general, I would say that a treatment step is needed to reuse the water.

Water reuse produces byproducts, typically a briny solution. Does this have any valuable uses?

The use of reverse osmosis (RO) in the treatment of water sources – for instance, for the production of drinking water, wastewater treatment effluent reuse, industrial water supply, or the production of irrigation water in greenhouse horticulture – generates a concentrate stream with high levels of dissolved components.

From a circular economy perspective the valorisation of this residual stream is desirable. However, this is generally not yet practiced. From a circular point of view it would be desirable to harvest and reuse the components from these concentrates. At KWR we are working on potential technologies that can be applied for the valorisation of components from briny solutions.

Water that is reused also often contains latent heat. Can this be harnessed?

Yes, thermal energy can even be a driver for water reuse. Especially in industrial processes were the water contains a lot of thermal energy, direct reuse can be very beneficial. Thermal energy and water reuse can also provide a positive business case.

Why are industries and governments starting to invest more in water reuse?

The availability of fresh water becomes more and more limited, but used water (wastewater) is usually available, so it makes sense to investigate (direct or indirect) reuse of this available water, because it can make industries independent of circumstances (like water scarcity).

Do you think the implementation of water reuse technology is happening fast enough? How can we accelerate the adoption of these technologies?

Some acceleration is still needed. Often only when effects of water stress become clear, investigations of water reuse begin, but as water stress and climate change increases it is important to anticipate for a sustainable future.

You’ve worked on lots of different water reuse initiatives and projects. Is there a particular case study that stands out?

Currently we are working a lot on the concentrate challenges. Industrial parties have interest in reuse and utilisation of the treated wastewater, but especially inland the concentrates that are produced when e.g. membranes and ion exchange are used, are still challenging to treat in a cost effective way. This is also because water (e.g. tap water or ground water) is still relatively cheap. Luckily, water reuse projects are often seen as sustainability projects for which other payback periods are used.   

Any other thoughts?

Innovation & development is needed to bridge the gap from scientific promising technologies and concepts to application of water reuse in practice. Combination of water reuse with reuse of thermal energy and reuse of other components can have synergistic effects and improve the business case. This also supports the needed circular economy.

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5 mins with…Kees Roest from KWR Water Research Institute on industrial water reuse
Sion

Hydrogen peroxide is a very useful chemical – the extra oxygen atom makes it a powerful oxidant, which is used in a variety of industries, from agriculture to industrial and municipal water treatment.

Unfortunately, the present-day hydrogen peroxide supply chain is far from sustainable. Today’s hydrogen peroxide plants are centralized, costly, and emit high levels of greenhouse gas emissions. Hydrogen peroxide is shipped from these centralized plants to millions of end users, requiring specialized transportation, handling and storage. Also, many hydrogen peroxide plants use natural gas as a raw material, which leads to additional sustainability and supply chain challenges.

CO₂ emissions

The traditional hydrogen peroxide supply chain generates high CO₂ emissions due to the use of hydrogen as a raw material as well as the energy requirements of the chemical process. On average, for each kg of hydrogen peroxide generated through the industrial process, 3 kg of CO₂-equivalent emissions are released into the atmosphere. On top of this, hydrogen peroxide is produced at centralized chemical plants and needs to be transported to end users, which results in additional emissions.

Natural gas consumption

With access to natural gas becoming more limited, another issue of concern is the consumption of that increasingly scarce resource by the traditional hydrogen peroxide supply chain.

Hydrogen peroxide produced industrially requires hydrogen. In many cases hydrogen is produced from natural gas, and it takes about the equivalence of 260 liters of natural gas to produce 1 kg of H₂O₂.[1] Other sources of hydrogen include coal and oil. With the current instability on natural gas availability and pricing, this is straining supply of hydrogen peroxide, and it is a key factor in the price fluctuations the market is experiencing.

Sustainable alternative – make your own peroxide, on-site

Fortunately, a sustainable alternative to produce hydrogen peroxide is available that uses electricity and does not require hydrogen – or natural gas: The HPGen is a hydrogen peroxide generator that produces hydrogen peroxide on site, with only electricity, water and air as inputs.

HPGen is fully independent from external raw materials, and enables production of hydrogen peroxide directly at the point of use. In that way supply of hydrogen peroxide can be secured and users are protected from price fluctuations. In addition, thanks to a highly energy-efficient production process, the operational carbon footprint of HPGen is lower than for industrial peroxide.

For example, when considering the European grid average, CO₂ emissions are less than half. When renewable electricity is used, the operational carbon footprint is exactly zero. This occurs in several HPGen installations where solar panels are used to provide electricity in a fully off-the-grid implementation.

Vítor Gomes, owner and director of a company providing agriculture supplies in Portugal, comments: ‘HPGen produces top quality hydrogen peroxide for irrigation water treatment. By manufacturing their own peroxide, our clients have the peace of mind that price will not increase, and they do not need to worry about availability or delays in supply. In addition, the process can be CO2 free when powered from solar farms, which is a big boost for our sustainability efforts.’

Because the peroxide is generated directly on site, no specialized transportation, handling and storage is required either, making the HPGen solution an interesting alternative to the volatile hydrogen peroxide supply chain.

[1] Not all hydrogen used for hydrogen peroxide production comes from natural gas; it largely depends on the geography.

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Sustainability and supply chain challenges in hydrogen peroxide
Abby Davey