The Global Energy Management (GEM) team at the Optical Fiber and Cable plant in Chengdu, China, promotes action when it comes to saving water.
The team has already taken a lot of action this year, implementing several water-saving projects that have also led to cost savings:
1) Rerouting clean water
The team set out to recapture clean wastewater from the plant’s AC condensate pipeline to the production line. Xiao Wenge, facility manager and site energy manager, explained that this process now recycles clean water that can be used during the production process.
2) Connecting water tanks
The second project involved connecting three process water tanks and lowering the tank’s overflow hole. Wenge explained that these changes lessen the amount of wastewater being held in the tanks, and the amount of time it’s held there.
3) Detecting and repairing underground water leaks
When a review and analysis of the facility’s water meter showed usage was higher than the plant’s actual measured consumption, the GEM team implemented sonar technology to detect leaks in underground water pipes.
In total, these projects saved nearly 10 million gallons of water, exceeding GEM’s annual water-reduction goals for Corning facilities.
