A Fortune 500 multinational conglomerate that produces over 60,000 products installed the KETOS SHIELD solution at a 2,000,000-square-foot chemical manufacturing facility for specialty resins and specialty films.
Challenge
This plant had been cited in litigation related to health and environmental complaints. As a result, the plant operations team needed to proactively understand the composition of its water matrix on a 24/7 basis.
Staffing and budget constraints made it impossible for operators to be on-site 24/7 to collect samples and continuously monitor water quality. In addition, it was impossible to add lab personnel or lab expenses and achieve real-time water quality visibility.
The team needed to autonomously monitor multiple water quality parameters in real-time to make data-driven decisions and proactively address potential issues.
Solution
The plant’s wastewater treatment process includes primary, secondary and tertiary water treatment before final discharge to a nearby river. The operations team implemented the KETOS SHIELD remote water quality monitoring device at the secondary treatment phase before the activated carbon beds and UV treatment.
The KETOS SHIELD autonomously monitors for the following parameters:
- Fluoride
- Free chlorine
- Residual chlorine
- Total hardness
- Calcium
- Magnesium
The plant operations team received access to the KETOS Smart Water Intelligence platform. And with the help of the KETOS customer success team, they configured it to meet their operational needs.
Now, if the KETOS SHIELD detects a parameter that is out of range, the plant operations team receives alerts via email, SMS or mobile app. Over time, alert thresholds can be configured and modified to meet the team’s evolving needs. In addition, the tiered alert system allows the team to have internal and external metrics with custom treatment planning for both thresholds. As a result, the team is more informed, better prepared and able to act proactively.
Results
After the KETOS installation, plant operators configured water quality dashboards to highlight the most critical parameters. The plant operations and corporate management team could then quickly review water quality dashboards. As a result, all stakeholders know the composition and quality of water in real time, and the operations team can treat, manage and responsibly discharge water.
In addition, because the plant team’s ability to efficiently treat and recycle water has improved, a lower percentage of treated water enters the environment, and chemical costs have decreased.
Over time, because water quality data is collected consistently, the plant team can leverage historical views, trend analysis and even predictive intelligence to improve site operations and overall efficiency. In addition, the team can:
- Better ensure wastewater quality and permit compliance.
- Meet or exceed corporate sustainability expectations.
- Automate sustainability data dashboards for enhanced ESG reporting.
- Integrate actionable water metrics along with other EHS data of importance to the organization.
- Leverage interoperable data to holistically assess the impact of plant operations due to water quality — leading to sustainable water management.
Meena Sankaran is the founder and CEO of KETOS. KETOS is a fully integrated platform that combines hardware, software, connectivity, automated reporting, predictive analytics and maintenance to automate water monitoring and testing. KETOS enables water operators to identify and solve mission-critical water efficiency and quality challenges in real-time, or before they happen through predictive algorithms, to ensure that water meets specific quality and safety standards.
