Our mastery of the water cycle makes Veolia Water Technologies a major partner to businesses in the automotive sector. Through sustainable water and wastewater treatment systems, we ensure water reduction and increased operational efficiency, allowing you to concentrate on continuously providing quality products while reducing costs and respecting the environment.
Environment and regulations: water challenges faced by the automotive industry
Managing large amounts of water at many stages of production.
Combining stringent health and safety procedures with profitability requirements.
Highly competitive environment.
How Veolia is committed to helping its automotive clients?
At Veolia Water Technologies we are committed to contributing to the sustainable development of the automotive sector. We produce, process, and value water, while helping to reduce the amount of water used, optimizing usage for car manufacturers.
With our strong water expertise, we are an integral partner across all critical production stages. From process design and on-site trials to ensure high-quality water supply to the management, operation, and optimization of existing effluent treatment plants, we guarantee to add value regardless of which stage of the water cycle you need help with. We are able to provide quality water and treat all known pollutants to ensure profitability and compliance for customers.
We produce quality water for surface treatment.
We treat wastewater appropriately and specifically for the needs of the automotive industry.
We find value in used sludge through special treatments.
For customers concerned with preserving water on a global and local scale, we can provide technologies to further optimize use. We have a wide range of tools, specially adapted to the needs of car manufacturers, that can help minimize the amount of waste. Our continuous innovation generates productivity and profitability gains while reducing any negative environmental impacts.
Adaptable solutions for all automotive players
Process water
Our technologies produce process water and demineralized water, and treat polluting effluents using membrane processes for water treatment. These facilities can be permanent or temporary, providing relief in urgent situations.
Zero Liquid Discharge
Aware of our customers' concerns, we manage and develop zero liquid discharge (ZLD) solutions. By implementing a global approach to the production circuit, we can optimally help you control water consumption and improve the water cycle during the industrial process. This provides a secured production while limiting water needs. Cost-efficient, zero liquid discharge is a defining technology when looking to meet strict environmental standards.
Veolia Water Technologies ensures PWIS-free water
Silicones, substances containing fluorine, certain oils and fats can contain PWIS (Paint-Wetting Impairment Substances) causing craters, punctual, funnel-shaped depressions in the paint layer. Elements that are used in the automotive industry and especially in paint shops must be PWIS-free.
Automotive wastewater treatment
Our different technologies help our clients to treat the industrial wastewater in different phases:
Mechanical processing of metals and high-pressure die casting and foundry
- Foundry effluent
- Used cooling lubricant
- Release agent solution
Parts cleaning & washing water
- Parts cleaning effluent
- Washing place effluent
- Container cleaning effluent
Metal surface treatment
- Surface grinding
- Hardening effluent
- Crack testing effluent
- Degreasing bath
Coating technology
- Activated bath
- Rinse water
- Degreasing
Recognized partner of major international car manufacturers
At Veolia Water Technologies we are recognized for our global expertise and are a proud partner to the largest automotive groups, including world-renowned manufacturers such as PSA, Volvo, and Renault.
As part of Veolia group, Veolia Water Technologies manages six main sites and 19 other sites for the PSA automobile group. Our experts are responsible for water treatment at all of these sites, helping reduce the manufacturer’s environmental footprint. Veolia group was awarded the “Industrial Equipment and Services Performance” trophy in 2017.
Veolia group worked alongside manufacturer Renault to create sustainable automotive facilities in Morocco. These facilities are among the most modern across the globe, particularly when looking at how they use water. With zero liquid discharge technologies in place, the site does not produce any industrial liquid discharge. This efficient reuse of water reduces the overall water needs of the facility by 70%, a major ecological breakthrough.
Discover our water treatment technologies for the automotive industry
Veolia Water Technologies’ customers are particularly concerned with the quality of water treatment processes and safe hygiene practices. We provide innovative solutions and a portfolio of technologies to meet the needs of the automotive industry. Our complete control of the water cycle guarantees customers significant profitability as well as compliance with increasingly stringent environmental standards.
Our technologies for water softening, microfiltration, reverse osmosis and electro-deionization are among the most efficient on the market and guarantee the purity of the water in use.
The automotive industry is undergoing a radical transformation towards electrification. Innovative wastewater management with a focus on recycling and zero liquid discharge is becoming increasingly attractive.
Cost reduction and sustainability targets can be achieved with EVALED vacuum evaporators.
Henning Keutgen
Sales Director Industry
Veolia Water Technologies
Contact Henning through his LinkedIn account
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More services for our automotive clients
FAQ about water solutions for the automotive industry
When is water used during car manufacturing?
In automobile production, water is mainly used to rinse and clean treated surfaces. For example, a lot of water is needed to paint car bodies, but also to manufacture individual parts such as connectors, engine parts, gear parts and the like. As a rule, the automotive suppliers need more water in their production than the automotive manufacturers themselves.
How much water is used for car manufacturing?
If one looks at the entire supply chain of automobile manufacturing, from the extraction of raw materials, the production of the individual parts to the assembly of the vehicle at the automobile manufacturer, the water consumption per vehicle is estimated at around 400,000 liters. Of course, this is an average value which varies greatly depending on the vehicle size and equipment.
Which processes are used for automotive wastewater treatment?
The most common processes for treating wastewater in the automotive industry are vacuum evaporation, chemical-physical wastewater treatment, membrane processes and mechanical treatment processes. The process is selected depending on how large the amount of wastewater is and which criteria the treated wastewater must meet or whether zero liquid discharge is required.
How can car manufacturers save water in their production processes?
The first approach to save water in production is to optimize the flushing processes of the individual processing steps so that as little wastewater as necessary is generated. Of course, the quality requirements for the product still have to be met. In the second approach, for example, a vacuum evaporator can be used to produce process water from wastewater and feed it back into the production process.
Which water treatment technologies are required for e-mobility battery production?
Large amounts of wastewater are generated when the raw materials are extracted for the batteries. Here, too, the process to be selected is heavily dependent on the volume of wastewater and the degree of pollution. A common method for treating wastewater from the production of batteries is, for example, vacuum evaporation. This also enables wastewater to be recycled, i.e. zero liquid discharge.