metal, mineral, textile, plastics, paper and
chemical industries, located across 582 hectares,
with around 17,000 employees (von Koerber
2016). The estimated annual water requirement is
approximately 4 million cubic meters. About 160
companies are connected to the local sewage
treatment plant.
The water supply in the model settlement is
largely decentralized. The wastewater generated
from the industries is either self-treated and used
for internal water reuse or green space irrigation,
or discharged into the sewage system. Nearly the
entire model settlement is connected to the sewer
system with a mechanical biological treatment
facility (von Koerber 2016). Nevertheless, some
of the industries do not use the central sewage
treatment plant, as disposal is cheaper by other
means. Most industries supply themselves with
water by means of their own groundwater well,
tapping a shallow aquifer. Furthermore, industries may access and buy water from a
settlement-network supplying groundwater from
a deep central well. The deeper groundwater
aquifer has good water quality, in contrast to the
upper aquifer (particularly in regard to salinity).
Industry representatives indicate that the
groundwater levels of the upper aquifer have
declined by 20 m over the past five years, and the
water quality has deteriorated (von Koerber
2016). The annual overexploitation of groundwater resources in the Zayandeh Rud catchment
recently reached about 170 million m
3 (Raber
and Mohajeri 2017). Since not all industries have
a deep well, a few industries are now using
wastewater processed via an existing wastewater
treatment plant, since it has better water quality
than that of the upper aquifer (particularly in
terms of salinity and softness) (von Koerber
2016). In the model settlement, the Industrial
Settlement Organization (ISO) is responsible for
central water supply as well as for central
wastewater treatment. The still young provincial
industrial settlement organizations have little
experience in the coordinated, resource-efficient,
and environmentally friendly design and development of growing industrial areas.
2.2 Scientific Approach
The aim of the current research was to develop
concepts for the reuse of industrial wastewater
and internal recycling, in combination with the
reduction of water consumption. The results of
the study form the fundament for a water and
wastewater management development plan based
on the EIP concept. The basic idea is to create
networks for the meaningful common (re-) use of
resources within an industrial area. The central
building blocks of the scientific approach are:
• development and analysis of selected company profiles with a focus on water demand
and wastewater production for the characterization and categorization of industries,
• evaluation of water demand and wastewater
production in terms of quality and quantity
based on the sector specific water balance
(water balance for the specific products),
• analysis of material flows (water and
wastewater) using the software STAN, (subSTance flow ANalysis),
• development of network models and technical
modules for wastewater treatment and reuse,
• development of a methodology for the reuse
of industrial wastewater as process water of
different quality classes, followed by a prioritization into primary, secondary and tertiary
users,
• assessment of the input–output-scheme to
connect the water fluxes between the industries along the flux with the increasing
pollution,
• calculation for water and wastewater saving
potentials of different EIP scenarios,
• preparation of recommendations for the future
development of the industrial area.
At the beginning of the investigation, hardly
any data were available about water consumers
and wastewater producers in Mourcheh Khort.
None of the selected partner industries knew their
exact water consumption since water meters are
not common in the catchment area. In order to
210
J. von Koerber et al.
chemical industries, located across 582 hectares,
with around 17,000 employees (von Koerber
2016). The estimated annual water requirement is
approximately 4 million cubic meters. About 160
companies are connected to the local sewage
treatment plant.
The water supply in the model settlement is
largely decentralized. The wastewater generated
from the industries is either self-treated and used
for internal water reuse or green space irrigation,
or discharged into the sewage system. Nearly the
entire model settlement is connected to the sewer
system with a mechanical biological treatment
facility (von Koerber 2016). Nevertheless, some
of the industries do not use the central sewage
treatment plant, as disposal is cheaper by other
means. Most industries supply themselves with
water by means of their own groundwater well,
tapping a shallow aquifer. Furthermore, industries may access and buy water from a
settlement-network supplying groundwater from
a deep central well. The deeper groundwater
aquifer has good water quality, in contrast to the
upper aquifer (particularly in regard to salinity).
Industry representatives indicate that the
groundwater levels of the upper aquifer have
declined by 20 m over the past five years, and the
water quality has deteriorated (von Koerber
2016). The annual overexploitation of groundwater resources in the Zayandeh Rud catchment
recently reached about 170 million m
3 (Raber
and Mohajeri 2017). Since not all industries have
a deep well, a few industries are now using
wastewater processed via an existing wastewater
treatment plant, since it has better water quality
than that of the upper aquifer (particularly in
terms of salinity and softness) (von Koerber
2016). In the model settlement, the Industrial
Settlement Organization (ISO) is responsible for
central water supply as well as for central
wastewater treatment. The still young provincial
industrial settlement organizations have little
experience in the coordinated, resource-efficient,
and environmentally friendly design and development of growing industrial areas.
2.2 Scientific Approach
The aim of the current research was to develop
concepts for the reuse of industrial wastewater
and internal recycling, in combination with the
reduction of water consumption. The results of
the study form the fundament for a water and
wastewater management development plan based
on the EIP concept. The basic idea is to create
networks for the meaningful common (re-) use of
resources within an industrial area. The central
building blocks of the scientific approach are:
• development and analysis of selected company profiles with a focus on water demand
and wastewater production for the characterization and categorization of industries,
• evaluation of water demand and wastewater
production in terms of quality and quantity
based on the sector specific water balance
(water balance for the specific products),
• analysis of material flows (water and
wastewater) using the software STAN, (subSTance flow ANalysis),
• development of network models and technical
modules for wastewater treatment and reuse,
• development of a methodology for the reuse
of industrial wastewater as process water of
different quality classes, followed by a prioritization into primary, secondary and tertiary
users,
• assessment of the input–output-scheme to
connect the water fluxes between the industries along the flux with the increasing
pollution,
• calculation for water and wastewater saving
potentials of different EIP scenarios,
• preparation of recommendations for the future
development of the industrial area.
At the beginning of the investigation, hardly
any data were available about water consumers
and wastewater producers in Mourcheh Khort.
None of the selected partner industries knew their
exact water consumption since water meters are
not common in the catchment area. In order to
210
J. von Koerber et al.