Mobile water treatment units: a scalable solution for industrial users

Fluctuating process water requirements and wastewater volumes, variable inlet water quality, rising prices for consumables, and the risk of production downtime: all are daily challenges for industrial plant operators.

Luckily, mobile water treatment solutions are readily available to deliver a flexible response to emergencies, as well as long-term requirements. 

• What is a mobile water treatment unit?
• Why are mobile water treatment solutions the right answer to the challenges faced by industrial water users?

What is a mobile water treatment unit?

A mobile water treatment unit is a modular system available for rent, installed on a trailer, in a container, or on a skid.

The solution provider delivers the required equipment to the customer’s production facility and connects it to the source water supply (such as the mains network, a river, a borehole or seawater,). The customer receives treated water at a level of quality and flow rate agreed upon by the supplier.

A mobile water production unit is nothing like a water tank!

Why are mobile water treatment solutions the ideal answer to the challenges faced by industrial water users?

1. Less production downtime

Breakdowns, unforeseen events, maintenance operations, or total upgrades of fixed facilities can all result in production downtime.

Downtime is one of the greatest fear of industrial companies because it can prove incredibly costly. In the automobile industry, for example, just 1 hour of production downtime can cost a company $2 million !

Thus, business continuity is always a priority.

Opting for a mobile water treatment solution enables:

• Production to continue while fixed units are serviced and maintained
• To provide an emergency solution in the event of an unexpected breakdown, with a responsiveness that minimizes the impact on production
• To avoid financial losses and operational delays by ensuring a swift response, which is crucial in sectors where every minute of downtime is costly
  
  

2. Flexibility and scalability

Mobile water units provide an effective solution to temporary situations, whether planned or unplanned. They also offer the advantage of being available for the long term use !

In long-term rental, mobile water treatment becomes a feasible, flexible, and scalable alternative that allows water production to align with actual production volumes:

• Units can be added as production ramps up
• Units can be removed if production rates decline

A long-term mobile water treatment contract offers a quick, flexible low-risk route to growth at a known cost.

3. Water treatment without capital expenditure

Renting mobile water treatment units processing units also provides the advantage of avoiding capital expenditure, allowing the CAPEX budget to be allocated to OPEX.

This can be particularly important at a time when manufacturers have limited forward visibility. 

• No equipment to amortized
• Maintenance is handled by the solution provider

4. Anticipating water shortages

Given the drought conditions experienced in 2022 and 2023, along with those forecast for the coming years, many countries in Europe are already implementing their national drought plan.

It is therefore highly likely that industrial users will be required to limit the quantities of drinking water they take from the mains supply system to prioritize local communities.

Some are anticipating these water shortages by seeking to exploit previously unused sources (such as rivers, groundwater, and seawater), which will require the implementation of appropriate treatment solutions, including ultrafiltration, seawater desalination by reverse osmosis, etc.

So, planning now to use mobile water treatment solutions will ensure that seasonal demand can be met even in the event of drought

The bottom line: what's in it for industrial water users?

• Speed of response : ultra-fast emergency deployment in just a few hours
• Flexibility: modularity and the ability to match production needs
• The right quality: water quality agreed with the supplier
• The right quantity: tailored solutions to deliver the required flow rate
• Rental: no capital expenditure and hands off maintenance

For more information, kindly contact : MWS@nijhuisindustries.com