Accounting Water Use in Beet Sugar Industry

The requirements for water and its disposal have become major cornerns in our country of limited water resources. The food industry is a major user of potable water and the highest usage is by the sugar industry. Reusing water within a processing plant is one method to reduce water use. Recycling water from one operation to another would achieve this goal. Before and actual implementation of a water recycling scheme, it is necessary to obtain a broader knowledge of the water management system that is to be changed.The overall goal of this paper is to audit water use in the beet sugar factory (Isfahan Plant) based on procedures developed for audit and reduction of industrial emissions and wastes by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). In this study, the application of preassessment, material balance and synthesis phases for the Isfahan beet sugar factory were presented. By identifying short and long-term activities which are presented in this study, up to 80 percent of the water reduction usage can be anticipated.