In the global quest for sustainability, industries are increasingly recognizing the need to reduce water consumption. Among these, the manufacturing industry as well as their customers stand as significant players with their complex processes, often requiring intense water usage. However, a paradigm shift is underway as technology and practices improve, aiming not only to conserve water but also to improve manufacturing processes.
Manufacturing includes a wide array of processes, from metal and plastics cutting and forming to atomic layer deposition in advanced nanomanufacturing. Many of these processes rely heavily on water for cooling, lubrication, and cleaning purposes. Numerous companies operate water recycling and water treatment facilities in order to meet regulatory and ecological requirements. Consequently, water consumption within this industry can be significant, posing environmental and economic challenges.
The environmental impact of excessive water usage is multifaceted. It contributes to freshwater scarcity, disrupts aquatic ecosystems through pollution, and intensifies energy consumption for water treatment and transportation.
Moreover, high water consumption escalates operational costs for manufacturers, thereby affecting product pricing and competitiveness in the market.
To prevent environmental and human health threats many countries have introduced laws to regulate the quality of drinking water and waste water such as the “Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)” or the “Clean Water Act (CWA)” in the USA or National Water Mission in India. Additionally in some regions fresh water scarcity requires the regulation of the amount of used water.
The equipment manufacturers respond to these challenges by embracing technologies like closed-loop cooling or process water systems, which re-use water rather than constantly drawing from fresh water sources. These systems utilize filtration and treatment mechanisms to maintain water quality, significantly reducing overall consumption and waste water generation.
In wet processing equipment water is used for rinsing and cleaning applications besides application specific chemistry. Depending on the processes the annual water consumption for wet processing in the solar industry equals tens to hundreds of olympic-sized swimming pools. This in turn shows the necessity to reduce water usage and the interest of the manufacturers to cut costs in their production lines.
Advanced cleaning technologies like ultrasonic treatment is widely used in the solar industry, for example in wafering applications prior to TOPCon, IBC or Heterojunction cell processing. These features already contribute to the cleaning efficiency due to less water consumption compared to conventional methods.
Water saving is a well-known necessity all over the globe. The manufacturing industry as part of our industrial landscape is influencing the use of water significantly. Therefore water-saving initiatives within the industry are increasingly taking place. They represent a fundamental shift towards sustainable practices that benefit the environment through resource conservation and less pollution. On top of that the resource optimized equipment and processes are enhancing economic viability. In the long run even small optimizations can have a big impact. As these initiatives continue to gain momentum, they pave the way for a more sustainable future.
