An analysis of industrial water conservation potential and selection of key technologies based on the IWCPA model

Li Gao, Wen Zongguo, Du Bin, Zhang Chao and Chen Jining

Resources, Conservation & Recycling, 2008, vol. 52, issue 10, 1141-1152

Abstract: This paper analyses the changes in the water efficiency of the production processes and technologies in five high-water-consuming sectors (HWCS; thermal power, iron and steel, paper production, textiles, and petrochemical) since 1980. The study concludes that the main factors constraining water conservation include: backward technologies and processes; irrational industrial scale and composition and raw materials composition; as well as regional distribution. Based on 1980 data on the level of technology, technological progress, and water efficiency, the study uses the bottom–up modeling approach; the end-of-pipe water use analysis method; and the cost-benefit analysis method to establish the industrial water conservation potential analysis (IWCPA) model. Taking 2002 as the baseline year, the IWCPA is used to simulate and calculate water demand and water conservation potential of China's industries under different technology scenarios between 2003 and 2030. Based on the assessment of different technologies for individual sectors and across sectors, key priority technologies are proposed for five HWCS. Lastly, the paper, based on an uncertainty analysis of the parameters used in the model, talks about the impact of water pricing and other factors on future water demand and water conservation potential by industrial sectors.

Keywords: Industrial water conservation; Technology selection; High-water-consuming sectors; Bottom-to-up modeling (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2008
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921344908000876
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:recore:v:52:y:2008:i:10:p:1141-1152

DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2008.06.005

Access Statistics for this article

Resources, Conservation & Recycling is currently edited by Ming Xu

More articles in Resources, Conservation & Recycling from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Kai Meng ().