Читать книгу Industrial Environmental Management - Tapas K. Das - Страница 42

DaimlerChrysler's production complex in Toluca, Mexico, home of the Chrysler PT Cruiser, has received much attention not only because of its in‐demand product but also because of its state‐of‐the‐art ZD wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). Located 37 miles north of Mexico City, Toluca suffered for years from a worsening water shortage due to urban sprawl, regional drought, and increased industrial activity. The city is one of the leading producers of beverages, textiles, and automobiles in Mexico, as well as a center for food processing.

DaimlerChrysler, one of Mexico's largest manufacturers, mindful of the mounting strain on the world's natural resources, has consistently sought ways to decrease operational waste, reduce costs, and increase process efficiencies. Upon locating in Mexico, the automaker began to study the region's rapidly dropping aquifer, hoping to minimize the stress on this valuable resource, yet keep its operations in compliance with the federal government's water quality standards.

In 1999, the company hit upon a solution. It would build its own $17 million WWTP that would treat sanitary and manufacturing‐process water generated by the facility's four separate plants – engine, transmission, stamping, and assembly. And to make this WWTP truly state of the art, a comprehensive zero liquid discharge (ZLD) system would be installed. By using a ZLD system, the Toluca complex would avoid further depleting the local aquifer, the environmentally friendly and cost‐efficient system would discharge no process water, but rather would recycle it to use throughout the facility. It was projected that implementing a ZLD solution and thus reusing water could extend the facility's life without disrupting production and causing costly overhauls.