How Water is Used in Industry
Water is the most valuable liquid here on earth. Although highly abundant, it is valuable not because of its rarity but because of its great many functions. Vital for existence, water is also used by man for industrial and manufacturing purposes. Each product, at some stage of its production, is most likely to have passed through a process which made use of water or is made of other materials which required water for it to become what it is.
Like households, manufacturing industries make use of a good amount of water but at a much grander scale. Similar to how water used in everyday life, there are basic functions of water which industrial users cannot do without such as activation of certain materials, for sanitary purposes, for cleaning and transporting the goods being manufactured.
It is very much apparent what a significant role water would play in an industry concerned with manufacturing perishable goods. Perishable goods cover items such as crops, livestock, poultry, and the like. Before manufacturers come up with the end-product, their raw materials in the form of a combination of liquids for beverages, crops, and live animals would first take make use of a huge amount of water before they become fit for processing and consumption.
In farms of whatever type, water is used for the following main purposes:
Irrigation of crops
Sanitary functions
Water for animal consumption
Water for activation of fertilizers and other materials
Once these “raw†materials are fit for processing, water will be needed to clean them up, cook them, and even help in the storing process. Cooling systems which are used to preserve meats and other perishable goods make use of a lot of water!
On the other hand, there are also industries which make non-perishable items which are used for a multitude of commercial purposes. These industries include:
Metal production; for cooling of hot metals
Wood and paper production; transporting massive logs and processing pulp
The cosmetic industry
Textiles and dying industries
Plastic and glass production
Heating and cooling systems
Gasoline and oil production
Car wash services
Man-made resorts
Health care materials
Cruise liners and aquatic transportation
One of the biggest consumers of water when it comes to industrial purposes are hydroelectric plants. They make use of great reservoirs to generate hydropower which is then converted into usable electric energy.
At some point of the production of items in these industries, water is used for one or several of the following main purposes:
Cleansing
Cooling or heating
As a solvent
As an agent for transportation
Energy source
Some machinery make use of hydraulics which would not be possible without the presence of liquids such as water. These kinds of machines also rely on water to function properly and at times, are maintained in a good state by having an internal cooling system which also makes use of water. On the other hand, some machinery is run by heat and steam from hundreds of gallons of water.
Once end products are manufactured, there is a need to transport and distribute them. Water still plays a role in transportation, especially when products are transported through bodies of water. To keep perishable items in good condition along the way, they are kept in cooling systems which again, make use of water.
Water is indeed a vital liquid, not just for existence but for many other commercial uses as well. The production of many things which we make use of in our everyday lives would not be possible without water which only proves just how valuable this liquid is for mankind.