Economic evaluation of different treatment options for water reuse in industrial parks using modular cost functions

Abstract

Industrial parks (IPs) play a significant role in the context of economic growth as well as urban and regional development strategies. They rely on the availability of factors of production and an enabling environment, which also includes the legal framework and economic conditions. The availability of water is essential for the operation and expansion of IPs. Sustainable, efficient and reliable water supply is crucial for IPs and the companies located in the IPs. Reusing wastewater to reduce the amount of drinking or process water necessary for production requires economically viable treatment processes. From an economic point of view, it is important to compare the costs of different treatment trains and to ensure that technical solutions generate an economic benefit for the operators of the IPs. Based on data from municipal wastewater treatment, the authors derive cost functions for individual treatment processes and develop tools for a modular economic assessment of water reuse in IPs.