FUTURE OF WATER-TREATMENT

The future industrial use of water will continue its current trend tow ard recycling of poorer quality waters particularly for cooling system makeup and boiler feedwater. Most of our water sources will continue to degrade to higher salinity, higher suspended solids, organics, and phosphates. We will be discharging less wastewater because treatment a nd recycling will be more economical than the fees for noncompliance. New technology in equipment and chemicals will enable much greater rec ycling in cooling and boiler water systems, with energy conservation c ontinuing to be fine-tuned. The next 100 years will also include great ly improved water system monitoring tied to computer-controlled chemic al feed, thus reducing manpower requirements but enabling more efficie nt use of chemicals. Results will provide longer equipment life, less cleaning, more efficiency in heat transfer, more efficient steam produ ction, and greater effluent reduction.