The water in the Paris region is “hard”, or naturally rich in calcium carbonate (limestone). An excess of limestone in water can cause different forms of damage, from scaling in household appliances, to an increased risk of leaks due to corrosion, overconsumption of energy, rapid wear of equipment or dry skin.
Users call on a range of solutions to overcome these inconveniences, some of which can be costly (buying particular household products, water softeners or filters, repair or replacement of household appliances or buying bottled water).
SUEZ technology improves the quality of the SEPG’s water
When the SEPG renewed its public service contract with SUEZ, its elected members asked the Group to address this issue by deploying the Softazur D process, a technology that uses fast physical-chemical settling and the thickening of the calcium carbonate. The process increases the water’s pH with an alkaline reagent in order to precipitate the limestone. The recovered limestone is then used on farm land in the nearby Les Yvelines department.
Thanks to this collective water softening unit, the hardness of the water supplied by the plant has been reduced from 25 French degrees to 15 French degrees. An average of 12 kg of limestone will be extracted from the drinking water supplied per household per year.
Economic, social and environmental benefits
This collective water softening unit offers a number of benefits:
Average annual savings of €150 per household per year;
Greater equity, since every customer will benefit from softer water;
Greater comfort, with household appliances that last longer and fewer problems for sensitive skin;
Increased protection of the environment, by reducing the consumption of detergents and the production of waste (plastic bottles).
The SEPG President Jean-Luc Leclercq said: “This development is in line with the SEPG’s constant efforts to seize the opportunities offered by new technology in order to provide our users with a more efficient service and water of a higher quality at the right price, while also taking the impacts of human pressure on the environment into consideration.”
SUEZ CEO Jean-Louis Chaussade said: “SUEZ in proud to support the SEPG in the implementation of its ambitious water service policy, in particular with this new collective water softening unit. The Group develops technologies adapted to every community, by providing its expertise in engineering and operations to local authorities and their inhabitants in order to supply water of the highest quality.”
Source: Company Press Release
