Evides Industriewater has put a new demineralised water and purification line into use for and on the Yara Sluiskil site. Both lines ensure that Yara can reuse even more water. Fertiliser granules are now even made from the wastewater. What a great milestone for these members of Smart Delta Resources with a major impact! Waste becomes raw material, water is reused and discharges are limited.

Water is crucial for Yara in Sluiskil. It has no fewer than four applications. Firstly, it supplies half of the hydrogen. The other half of the hydrogen currently comes from natural gas and the future ambition is to make all hydrogen from water. In addition, water is needed to make liquid products such as AdBlue or ammonia water, which prevent nitrogen emissions in other sectors. Water is also needed to make steam and finally, it is used to cool processes. “The new lines enable us to work more sustainably and flexibly. Two pillars that determine the future of our site”, says Luc Cattoir, General Manager of Yara Sluiskil.

The total amount of pure water that Evides Industriewater produces for Yara Sluiskil amounts to more than 5 million cubic meters per year. This makes it the most important raw material, in addition to natural gas and air. Evides obtains the water from three sources, namely rainwater from the Meuse, infiltrated surface water and residual water from various factories on the site. With the new purification line, even more residual water can be processed, up to more than a third of the total amount. This allows Yara to achieve another objective of the Customised Agreements with the government.

Evides designed, built and financed the new demineralised water and purification line in consultation with Yara and is also responsible for the daily operations. Yara purchases the water in accordance with the agreements made. This concept has been in use since 2007 and is satisfactory to both parties. “Water plays an important role in making the industry more sustainable. In the collaboration and with innovative technologies, we are taking great steps in this together with Yara. For example, we are increasing water reuse on the Yara site. Yara and Evides are proud of the sustainable water solutions that we have jointly created and with which we are contributing to a more circular industry,” says Jan Robert Huisman, director of Evides Industriewater.

In addition to the demineralised water line, investments have also been made in the nitrate factories by installing a purification line. The storage tanks and ion exchangers that have been newly built there ensure that more residual water can be processed. This means that the most polluting nitrogen flow is a thing of the past and that considerably less nitrogen needs to be discharged into the canal. “What used to be a waste product is now being reused to make fertilisers. A good example of circularity in which we realise less nitrogen discharge, make circular products and can also save five percent water,” explains Luc Cattoir. An additional advantage of the investments is that more flexibility is created, making production processes in various factories on the site less dependent on each other.