— Jean-Marc Vesselle, Global Head of Business Unit - Ion Exchange Resins, LANXESS
LANXESS is a leader in speciality chemicals and
intermediaries and operates in all important global
markets including India. The company manufactures
advanced industrial intermediates at its Nagda site and
rubber chemicals, ion exchange resins, Rhein Chemie,
material protection products and semi-crystalline
products at its Jhagadia plant.
Jean-Marc Vesselle
shares his views on the Indian water and wastewater
treatment sector with
Jibran Buchh.
What is your outlook on the
water treatment sector of India?
Due to a fast growing economy
and increasing urbanisation, the
demand for water, both domestic
and industrial purposes, is constantly
on the rise.
Certain major drivers for the
water and wastewater treatment
market in India are:
- Rapid urbanisation is leading to
an increase in water demand.
- Growing concern from the government
and administration for
the environment and pollution
of rivers.
- Groundwater resources
becoming scarce and surface
water becoming increasingly
unreliable in terms of availability
and quality.
- More stringent regulatory
requirements such as mandatory
zero liquid discharge and
waste water recycling.
- Increased availability of government
funding for the sector.
Can you talk about the technology
used in industrial wastewater
treatment system?
Industrial water treatment
involves both ion exchange resins
and membrane technology.
The main field of application for
the currently available RO membrane
separation elements is
desalination of brackish water
needed in many industrial applications;
including the production
of boiler feed water required in
power stations.
For the generation of power and
for chemical production processes,
such as refineries, huge
amounts of treated and cleaned
water are needed to protect the
technical components (e.g. turbines,
steam boilers, piping)
against corrosion. This is a large
field of application for LANXESS
ion exchange resins, namely the
Lewatit product range. The resins
also find applications in electroplating
industry among others.
How can India meet the growing
demand of various chemical
industries for water treatment in
the cheapest possible way?
The water and wastewater treatment
market in India is highly
fragmented. However, there are
large players in this segment, both
in the domestic market as well as
international companies, who
have established themselves in
the Indian market.
Technology and knowledge
tie-ups between Indian and
multinational companies are
prevalent and prove beneficial
to serve the industry.
From LANXESS point of view,
technological superiority is the
key and we aim to be a solution
provider for all industrial water
treatment needs. Using the best
possible demineralisation
process like the Lewatit Schwebebett
counterflow process
allows to substantially reducing
the cost of regenerate like caustic
and acid as well as curtailing the
amount of water used for such
regeneration processes. This
contributes strongly to the goal of
providing industry with an optimised
cost of water.
Can you discuss the Lewatit
range of products?
LANXESS products are in use
worldwide in virtually every
branch of industry to treat
water and ensure this valuable
raw material is used efficiently.
This applies equally to drinking
water, wastewater, groundwater
and the water used in
industrial processes.
For over seven decades, high performance
ion exchange resins
from the Lewatit range have
played their part in resolving
water issues worldwide. Among
other things, the exchange resins
remove toxic impurities from
drinking water, such as heavy
metals, and other harmful substances
including nitrates, arsenic
and borate. Ion exchange resins
are also an integral part of industrial
processes in which vast
amounts of water can be saved
through water recycling.
Lewatit products also have a
broad range of application in
wastewater treatment in the
metal-processing industry, for
example. In addition, they can
be used to treat groundwater,
primarily by removing chromate
and cyanides.
Which industry segments are
likely to benefit most from wastewater
treatment systems?
At large, all industries need to use
processed raw water and generate
waste water. Hence, there is a
wide spectrum of applications
possible for waste water systems.
Lewatit is one of the leading
brands in the field of ion exchange
resins. Reflecting the relevant
customer applications, the range
of exchange resins, adsorbers and
functional polymers is divided
into main segments: water, foodstuffs,
catalysis, biotechnology
and chemicals processing.
LANXESS offers new and established
products from the Lewatit
range for all these sectors. In combination
with Lewabrane membrane
elements, they meet the
highest demands in the industry.
Ion exchange resins or membranes
can be used to desalinate
water for chemical processes or
power generation.
One key application of Lewatit
and Lewabrane is in the production
of boiler feed water
that does not cause encrustation
or corrosion in power plants.
These premium products extend
the service life of valuable
installations, such as turbines,
steam generators and pipelines,
ensuring their cost-effective
operation throughout.
Applications include complete
desalination in the treatment of
freshwater and the treatment of
radioactive wastewater in the primary
circuit of nuclear power
plants, as well as cooling water or
condensation treatment in the
secondary circuit.
Have there been any recent innovations
in water treatment?
LANXESS opened its new production
unit in Bitterfeld, Germany,
in 2011, which will manufacture
Lewabrane membrane
separation elements for
reverse osmosis.
The main field of application for
the RO membrane separation
elements is desalination of
brackish water needed in many
industrial applications including
the production of boiler feed
water required in power stations.
RO membrane and ion exchange
water treatment processes complement
each other perfectly, and
the well treated water quality
helps to prolong the service life
of, for example, turbines and
steam generators via protection
against fouling, scale formation
and corrosion.
What is the scope for RO membrane
separation elements in
India? LANXESS is a global solution
provider of ion exchange resins
and membrane technology and is
represented in markets worldwide
through its products, Lewatit
and Lewabrane. The scope for
reverse osmosis technology in
India is wide and LANXESS is
optimistic about the potential of
Lewabrane in fast growing markets
like India.
Do you specific plans for the next
five years?
LANXESS envisions being the
technology leader in all its businesses.
Through rigorous
research and innovation and a
global production network,
LANXESS has developed
world-class solutions for several
industries.
LANXESS is one of the top
three global players in the area
of manufacturing ion exchange
resins for water treatment and
purification and manufactures
over 250 products from the
Lewatit product range. We provide
innovative products of the
highest quality as well as solid
knowhow in all technical application
fields. We aim to be the
leader and solution provider in
the water and waste water segments
globally.
With its new product line of
membrane filtration elements
LANXESS has enhanced its
product portfolio and has
become a one-stop-source for
water treatment solutions.