Industrial Wastewater Treatment Construction Abounds in U.S., Elsewhere

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Written by Eric Funderburk for IIR News Intelligence (Sugar Land, Texas)

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Summary

Projects for new wastewater plants and upgrades to existing systems account for billions of dollars' worth of spending throughout the world. Outside of Oil & Gas Production, the Food & Beverage and Pulp & Paper industries are notable players in this sector.

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Here, There & Everywhere

Wastewater--it's everywhere. Wastewater tends to garner the most headlines in regard to oil and gas fracking activities, which results in millions of gallons of (sometimes radioactive) fracking brine being reinjected into the ground. However, wastewater is a product of virtually every major industrial process, from Food & Beverages to Pharmaceuticals, and of the more than $1 trillion in current, on-the-ground, active U.S. industrial construction being tracked by Industrial Info Resources, more than $475 billion worth of these projects feature a specified wastewater component within their scope.

While these can be built as just a matter of course within a plant's existing systems, many projects are dedicated to the construction and installation of specific units and plants aimed solely at wastewater treatment. More than $1 billion worth of construction that deal with these wastewater plants and units is either underway or lined up for the future in the U.S. Industrial Info Resources has details on all of them.

Current U.S. Construction

The most notable wastewater construction underway at the moment outside of oil and gas is within the Pulp & Paper and Food & Beverage industries. One of the largest of these projects is underway in Sullivan County, Tennessee, where Domtar Corporation since late year has been constructing an anaerobic wastewater treatment plant at a pulp and paper mill. After more than a year of construction, the project is expected to wrap up later this year and will be capable of processing between 3 million and 4 million gallons per day.

Smurfit Westrock last month started a much smaller project at a lightweight linerboard and paper mill in North Carolina that involves partial dredging of the pond and stabilization basin of its wastewater treatment system.

The Food & Beverage Industry teems with existing wastewater-treatment projects, covering a range of products including everything from French fries to bacon to Asian foods. As examples, Cavendish Farms is currently adding a wastewater treatment facility at a frozen potatoes plant in North Dakota, while Swift Prepared Foods is spending around $20 million for a wastewater plant expansion at its ready-to-eat bacon plant in Randolph County, Missouri.

Future U.S. Wastewater Construction

Even larger U.S. wastewater-treatment projects loom on the horizon. One of the most notable of these is pork giant Smithfield Foods' plans to incorporate a wastewater treatment facility at an as-yet unstarted $1.3 billion hog slaughtering and processing plant in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Construction on the 20,000-hog-per-day plant is expected to kick off next year, after which construction will commence on an accompanying $110.3 million wastewater treatment facility. Other Food & Beverage sectors planning wastewater projects include breweries, poultry processing and several dairies.

Petroleum refining makes a showing with notable future projects for a 300,000-gallon-per-day treatment system at a 25,000-barrel-per-day (bpd) refinery in Great Falls, Montana, while upgrades are planned for the existing wastewater plant at Marathon Petroleum's 64,000-barrel-per-day refinery in Salt Lake City, Utah. Other refinery wastewater projects are on the books for Mississippi, Wyoming, Ohio and Oklahoma.

Steelmakers, pharmaceutical companies and others also are gearing up for future U.S. wastewater projects, while Industrial Info Resources' global coverage of the sector includes more than US$15 billion worth of current and future projects.

Key Takeaways

• Construction and grassroot wastewater plants and upgrades to existing systems and units account for billions of dollars' worth of industrial construction spending throughout the world.
• The Food & Beverage Industry is prominent player in wastewater construction, which is need for everything from meat and poultry processing to canned vegetables.
• Industrial Info Resources is tracking more than US$15 billion worth of current and planned wastewater projects throughout the world.

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About Industrial Info Resources
Industrial Info Resources (IIR) is the leading provider of industrial market intelligence. Since 1983, IIR has provided comprehensive research, news and analysis on the industrial process, manufacturing and energy related industries. IIR's Global Market Intelligence (GMI) helps companies identify and pursue trends across multiple markets with access to real, qualified and validated plant and project opportunities. Across the world, Industrial Info Resources is tracking over 250,000 current and future projects worth $30.2 trillion (USD).