Considered the largest water reuse project in the state's manufacturing industry, each year Água Viva will save at least 4 billion liters

The largest water reuse system in the manufacturing industry of the state of Bahia was inaugurated today in the Camaçari Industrial Complex. Água Viva, a project whose name literally means "Living Water", was developed in partnership by Braskem and Cetrel to make possible the reuse of rainwater and treated effluents.

With investment of R$20 million in construction, equipment and piping, the target for the first phase is to supply water at rate of 500 m³ to 800 m³ per hour to the Camaçari Industrial Complex. The resources were provided by the Innovation Program of Cetrel with most of the support coming from FINEP, a research and project finance mechanism linked to the Ministry of Science and Technology. The initiative will reduce Braskem's water requirements by at least 4 billion liters/year, and in rainy years these savings could reach as high as 7 billion liters/year.

With the new system, the amount of water saved by Braskem in its industrial processes will be equivalent to the average daily consumption of a city with a population of up to 150,000. "The company's objective is to advance initiatives that improve the water and energy efficiency of our processes by optimizing the use of this resource, which is becoming increasingly scarce around the world," said Sérgio Hortélio, the engineer responsible for the project at Braskem.

In addition to saving water, the project will also generate savings in the electricity used for pumping and for producing basic petrochemicals, which are fundamental to the operations of the manufacturers installed in the complex. "A project that is successful both technically and economically can serve as an excellent example to the other companies in the complex that are seeking to invest in solutions to improve their sustainability," analyzes Hortélio.

Eduardo Pedroza, business manager at the water division of Cetrel, notes that the Água Viva Project is an important example of industrial symbiosis that takes advantage of integrated environmental management in an industrial complex such as the Camaçari Complex and offers a new way of looking at the efficient use of water resources. "This partnership was a challenge economically and has also proven unprecedented because of the project's low cost and huge gains for the general public. Around 10% of all water used in the complex will be recycled, reducing the demand for water for industrial uses, while preserving water resources for human use," said Eduardo Pedroza, business manager at the water division of Cetrel

Water Efficiency
The Água Viva project is one of the initiatives motivated by the water efficiency macro-objective of Braskem, whose vision is to position, by 2020, the company as a reference in the use of water resources by reaching 100% water reuse in areas suffering water stress. As part of its contribution to environmental preservation by promoting the more rational use of natural resources, Braskem ended 2011 with a water reuse index of 18% and has reduced the generation of effluents by 36% since its founding.

In line with the company's vision, on November 29, Braskem, Foz do Brasil and Sabesp inaugurated the largest project in Brazil for the reuse of water for industrial purposes. Aquapolo Ambiental, which has the capacity to produce 1,000 liters per second of reuse water, is now supplying the Capuava Petrochemical Complex located in Mauá, in the ABC region of São Paulo. The installation of the project was made possible by Braskem, which will consume 65% of Aquapolo's capacity, or 650 liters per second. The supply of water to the company is guaranteed for 41 years.