Energy Recovery has secured five new wastewater treatment projects in India, with multiple PX Pressure Exchanger (PX) energy recovery devices set to be installed in industrial reverse osmosis (RO) plants across the country.

The projects reflect increasingly stringent wastewater discharge regulations in India and a growing emphasis on water reuse within the industrial sector. Home to around 18% of the world’s population but only 4% of its freshwater resources, India is projected to face water demand that is twice its available supply by 2030.

To address this challenge, more industrial operators are adopting reverse osmosis-based treatment strategies. All five new projects involve zero liquid discharge (ZLD) systems, which eliminate liquid waste from industrial facilities but are typically energy intensive. Energy Recovery’s PX devices are designed to significantly reduce the electricity required to operate these systems.

“India is moving rapidly towards water reuse and zero liquid discharge, and that transition is placing increasing pressure on the energy economics of industrial water treatment,” said David Kim-Hak, vice-president of wastewater at Energy Recovery. “Operators across a range of industries are now incorporating energy recovery devices into their systems from the outset. By bringing the proven efficiency and reliability of our PX technology to these applications, we can help them reduce operating costs, lower emissions and minimise exposure to volatile energy prices.”

Energy Recovery’s PX technology operates at up to 99% efficiency and features a single moving part, recovering pressure energy from the reverse osmosis process and returning it to the system. Collectively, the new projects represent approximately 30,000 cubic m per day of treatment capacity, increasing the company’s installed industrial wastewater treatment capacity in India to more than 230,000 cubic m per day.