The bottled beverage industry, a major part of global consumption, faces increasing pressure to optimize its operations and reduce its environmental impact. One critical area of focus is water management. By implementing on-site water treatment systems, beverage producers can significantly improve their operational efficiency, enhance product quality, and bolster their sustainability credentials. This approach offers a multitude of benefits, including cost savings, reduced reliance on municipal water supplies, enhanced water quality control, regulatory compliance, and environmental preservation.

Cost Savings

By producing their own treated water, companies can avoid the costs associated with purchasing treated water from suppliers. Treating water on-site also eliminates the need to transport large volumes of water from external sources, reducing logistics and transportation expenses, and saving energy.

Independence From Municipal Water Sources

Treating their water on-site allows bottled beverage companies to reduce their dependence on municipal water supplies. On-site treatment systems provide a continuous supply of high-quality water, minimizing production delays caused by shortages or quality issues.

Improved Water Quality Control

On-site treatment helps companies ensure consistent water quality needed to meet the specific taste and safety standards required for bottled beverages. Additionally, treatment can be customized to address the unique characteristics of their water supply. This enables rapid response to any contamination issues.

Regulatory Compliance

On-site treatment helps ensure compliance with industry regulations and standards for water quality, reducing the risk of noncompliance and associated penalties. Regular monitoring and control of the treatment process support the production of safe, high-quality beverages that meet regulatory requirements.

Environmental Benefits

In addition to decreasing the carbon footprint associated with transportation and pumping, facilities that optimize the use of water and manage waste more effectively reduce the volume of wastewater discharged into the environment, preventing the pollution of aquatic systems.

Enhanced Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Ratings

By implementing water-efficient technologies and practices, beverage producers can elevate their sustainability profile.

The ratio of the amount of water used in production to the amount of finished product is known as the water use ratio (WUR). To improve WUR, companies often pursue water reuse and optimization projects. The Coca-Cola Andina Bahía Blanca facility in Argentina aimed to significantly reduce its WUR by optimizing the use of soft water and reverse osmosis systems.

The plant treats its well water using ultrafiltration and activated carbon to remove impurities, then processes it through a single-pass RO system with a 70% recovery rate. The waste from this system is further treated by a concentrating RO system, initially designed to recover an additional 40% of feed water.

Fluence optimized recovery rates by evaluating and applying effective anti-scalant and bio-dispersant products, increasing the concentrating RO recovery rate from 40% to 60%. A remote monitoring system was installed for real-time adjustments and enhanced reliability. With these improvements, the plant achieved a 53% recovery rate from the concentrating RO, leading to an overall water recovery of 86%. Future goals include reaching a 60% recovery rate from the concentrating RO, aiming for a total plant recovery of 88%, while ensuring system reliability and consistent reverse osmosis permeate availability.

By implementing on-site water treatment systems, the beverage industry can significantly improve its operational efficiency, enhance product quality, and bolster its sustainability credentials. This strategic approach offers substantial benefits, including cost savings, reduced reliance on municipal water supplies, enhanced water quality control, regulatory compliance, and environmental preservation.

Contact Fluence’s team to explore advanced water treatment solutions that will optimize your water management strategy.