Closed-circuit systems as a way of mitigating water needs

Water is one of the main components of the agri-food industry: without it, virtually no link in the farm-to-table chain would be able to function. Farmers would be unable to irrigate; producers would be unable to cool their produce, clean and transport fruits and vegetables, and so on. At VAM Watertech they are aware of this, and want to ensure a responsible use of this resource. 

Eduard van Antwerpen, founder, states:

“Water is a vital resource for production in the agri-food sector, but it is even more important for the environment. By developing smart water treatment technologies, we can make a significant contribution to the health of the agri-food sector, as well as to that of consumers and the environment.”

VAM Water Tech offers water purification and conservation solutions for virtually every sector of the agri-food industry—from packers to the point of sale—ensuring that the minimum amount of water possible is used at every link in the chain.

VAM Water Tech and the producer

For producers, VAM Water Tech offers solutions tailored to each company, crop, and need.

According to Eduard van Antwerpen:

“We offer a wide range of purification techniques, which we use to create a customized solution adapted to the crop and the specific needs of your company. We design our machines to be modular, offering purification levels ranging from compliance with established standards up to 100% purification, for both small and large companies, with the option of adding additional modules for remote monitoring and control of, for example, water parameters.”

This way, they offer a process optimized in terms of water footprint: they are capable of reducing water usage by 95% thanks to their closed-loop system and water recirculation. Instead of discharging wastewater, it is cleaned and reintroduced into the washing, cooling, or other relevant circuits, depending on the system’s needs.

This obviously contributes to less water waste, fully in line with what UN Sustainable Development Goals 6 and 12 require of companies: that the agri-food industry commit to reducing the unnecessary use of resources such as water.

And it is not only the UN that is calling for more environmentally responsible industrial practices, especially regarding water use. Consumers expect the agri-food industry to do everything possible to mitigate its impact in terms of the amount of water consumed. It is precisely companies like VAM Water Tech that are leading this movement with their water-saving solutions for the industry.

How is the quality of recirculated water ensured?

The quality of recirculated water in the closed-loop system designed by VAM Water Tech is ensured through various purification systems, depending on the producer’s needs: for less stringent requirements, cyclones and plate separators.

Cyclones are purification systems capable of reducing the amount of solids present through the use of centrifugal force: by spinning the water, they remove dirt particles such as sand or soil that might be carried by fruit freshly harvested from the field. They can save up to 5% of water.

Sheet separators can increase water savings by up to 80%. They purify the water by allowing impurities to settle on the sheets, which have small holes through which the sediments pass, thereby separating the clean water from the sludge.

For more stringent water-saving requirements, sludge pressing technologies are available. These take the sludge generated by other purification techniques—such as plate separators—and press it, extracting as much water as possible and leaving a solid residue.

In this way, and thanks to VAM Watertech’s purification and water-saving techniques, producers can choose a water treatment method—or a similar treatment process—that is more environmentally friendly.