DuPont’s Dordrecht Facility Reduces Fresh Water Consumption with GE’s Advanced Water Treatment Technology
DORDRECHT, NETHERLANDS and TREVOSE, PA.—May 9, 2011—GE’s (NYSE: GE) advanced water treatment technology has helped DuPont achieve significant improvements in water conservation efforts at its Dordrecht facility in the Netherlands, one of the biggest DuPont production plants in Europe.
Through a comprehensive water management assessment, GE found opportunities to help DuPont’s Dordrecht plant decrease the plant’s water footprint by improving efficiency at the site’s cooling tower. Cooling water systems are essential to production in many industrial plants, including chemical processing facilities, and they can require a considerable amount of water to run. Maintaining cooling system efficiency to manage costs and minimize water footprint is a critical aspect of any industrial operation.
By implementing a comprehensive water treatment program that included advanced GenGard chemistry and a sophisticated dosing system, GE reduced chloride concentration in the intake cooling water, almost doubling overall system efficiency. This increase in efficiency allowed the plant to reduce fresh water intake by 91,000 m3 per year, achieving a 20 percent reduction in water usage in the cooling water, the equivalent to the amount of water consumed by 650 average Dutch households.
“The project is in line with DuPont’s sustainability efforts that include a commitment to reducing water consumption by at least 30 percent over the next 10 years at manufacturing sites where fresh water supply is either scarce or limited,” said Gordon P. Tait, site manager of DuPont Dordrecht. “In addition to supporting our sustainability goals, this technology will allow us to run a more efficient operation and will help us protect critical assets from corrosion, deposition and biological fouling.”
In addition to water reduction, the project improved safety at the site by reducing acid deliveries by truck from 130 to only 15 per year. This also has a positive impact by reducing CO2 emissions. GenGard, the chemical technology at the center of the solution, offers the capability to use lower-quality water in the cooling process while avoiding corrosion and fouling problems. This provides savings in operating costs and improves the efficiency of the cooling system, which results in greater production output, water conservation and the ability to use alternative water sources.
GE has awarded DuPont an ecomagination Leadership Award to recognize the company for its noteworthy reductions in water consumption, chemicals and waste using GE technology. This is the second time this DuPont facility received such a distinction. GE’s ecomagination Leadership Award recognizes the achievements of industrial users that significantly surpass and improve environmental and industrial operational goals while balancing industrial demands.
“We are pleased to present DuPont with an ecomagination Leadership Award for its commitment to sustainable water usage,” said Jeff Fulgham, chief sustainability officer—water and process technologies for GE Power & Water. “DuPont’s commitment shows that increasingly what's good for the environment also can be good for business. With a bottom line financial return to DuPont of $175,000 from this project, the company proved that water conservation also can have a positive impact on operational costs. The company's pioneering leadership has set an example for others to aspire to and follow.”
GE’s ecomagination commitment is both a business strategy for growth at GE and a promise to contribute positively to the environment in the process. As part of that commitment, GE has committed to reducing the company’s freshwater consumption by 25 percent by the year 2015. That is one of the world’s most aggressive corporate water targets to date, and it is expected to free up 7.4 million cubic meters (2 billion gallons) of fresh water a year—enough water to fill more than 3,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
DuPont is a science-based products and services company. Founded in 1802, DuPont puts science to work by creating sustainable solutions essential to a better, safer, healthier life for people everywhere. Operating in more than 90 countries, DuPont offers a wide range of innovative products and services for markets including agriculture and food; building and construction; communications; and transportation.
For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.dupont.com.
About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) is an advanced technology, services and finance company taking on the world’s toughest challenges. Dedicated to innovation in energy, health, transportation and infrastructure, GE operates in more than 100 countries and employs about 300,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.ge.com.
GE also serves the energy sector by providing technology and service solutions that are based on a commitment to quality and innovation. The company continues to invest in new technology solutions and grow through strategic acquisitions to strengthen its local presence and better serve customers around the world. The businesses that comprise GE Energy www.ge.com/energy—GE Power & Water, GE Energy Services and GE Oil & Gas—work together with more than 90,000 global employees and 2010 revenues of $38 billion, to provide integrated product and service solutions in all areas of the energy industry including coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear energy; renewable resources such as water, wind, solar and biogas; as well as other alternative fuels and new grid modernization technologies to meet 21st century energy needs.