In water-scarce Egypt, major industrial players have been looking for ways to reduce their water consumption. Ezz Steel, one of the leading steel producers in the Middle East and Africa, entrusted Veolia Water Technologies Egypt with supplying mobile water solutions that allowed cooling water supply to switch from the Nile River to desalinated seawater. This change is saving precious freshwater resources while helping Ezz Steel maintain business continuity.
Ezz Steel rolling mills and Ezz flat steel plants are located in Al-Sokhna, an industrial area near the city of Suez in Egypt. The plants used to be supplied with freshwater from the Nile river before recently making the change to desalinated seawater — a source water with a relatively high level of chloride which could affect the whole cooling process. Veolia deployed seven brackish water reverse osmosis mobile water treatment units to further treat the desalinated water, doing so in two phases to ensure a quick response: within only two months, Veolia provided an initial 8,000 m3/d capacity which was doubled during the second phase in April 2023 to reach 16,000 m3/d.
Thanks to Veolia’s mobile water treatment units, Ezz Steel were able to secure 100% of their water production with lower chloride and total dissolved solids rates, allowing them to keep the water flowing into their cooling system. In doing so, Ezz Steel have reduced their water and chemical consumption by approximately 75%.
Mohamed Bakry, Utilities Senior Manager at Ezz Steel, commented:
“Cooling is the primary water-consuming process in steel manufacturing plants. Veolia was able to provide an emergency response with the first phase being up and running in two months. It allowed us to reduce the use of freshwater while maintaining the steel production of our plants and reaching the required water quality.”
“In parts of the world affected by water scarcity, reducing their water footprint by optimizing cooling operations and maximizing water reuse is a game changer for industries. Veolia Water Technologies is pleased to collaborate with EZZ Steel and accompany them in their ecological transformation. Our team was able to rapidly offer an alternative to the environmental challenge they were facing by providing a reliable and secure source of water to answer their urgent needs” stated Laurent Hanique, Middle East Techno Products & Services Director for Veolia Water Technologies.
