In order to maintain its margins in a cyclical market, those in the forefront of the petroleum sectormust constantly look into ways of reducing costs. Water treatmentis one of the operations which may lead to savings.

The industry uses huge volumes of water, primarily when it comes to the energy management of its sites. It is therefore important to bring consumption under control in order to reduce the amount of water abstracted from the natural environment. Using alternative resources, reusing certain fluxes in the process and reducing the amount of pollution generated by effluents and sludges are of primary concern for refineries and the petrochemicals industry.

In the short term this industry must bring its production and pollution treatment practices into line with new regulations concerning emissions, clean fuels, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) control, effluents and hazardous waste.