Integrated Industrial Water Management as a Tool for Mitigating Climate Change

Abstract

Observational evidence from all continents and various spheres shows that many natural systems are being affected by anthropogenic climate changes. One of those systems affected by the climate change scenario is the hydrological cycle, which encompasses water availability and water quality, as well as water services. In any industrial plant, the discharge of by-products and waste materials in various forms may pollute receiving waters rendering them unsuitable as a water supply. Excessive nutrients can lead to algal blooms, oxygen deficits, the release of toxic gases and increased pollution load, which in turn contribute either directly or indirectly to the climate change. In return, climate change can also negatively affect the industrial water sector in its own unique way. Adaptation to climate change is, consequently, of urgent importance in today’s world. While end-of-pipe treatment of industrial waste was a popular management approach only 20 years ago, advanced treatment/management concepts such as Industrial Ecology, Clean Development Mechanism, Industrial Symbiosis and Design for Sustainability are more common today. This paper discusses the theoretical background of industrial water management as an important tool in putting water adaptation to climate change into practice. It focuses on the impacts of climate change on sustainable water management, the additional new challenges for water management deriving from climate change, and how the planning should be modified to adapt to climate change from an industrial ecology point of view. Although water management seems to be an operational issue, the choice of appropriate site location, provision of services, facilities design, best operational management practices along with supported institutional structures such as site development, risk mitigation measures, quality control measures, awareness creation, emergency planning and monitoring are needed to ensure sustainable industrial water management for mitigating climate change.