" Samsung Austin Semiconductor's achievements in reducing water and waste in its operations have made it an exemplary company, and we are honored to be part of its sustainability journey. "
2022 Evoqua Water Sustainability Award
Learn more about the winner and finalists of the fifth Evoqua Water Sustainability Award
Winner
Samsung, Austin | Austin, Texas, USA
Samsung Austin Semiconductor, LLC, a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., has been recognized for Evoqua's annual sustainability award after demonstrating noteworthy enhancements in waste reduction and water conservation for its semiconductor manufacturing facility in Austin, Texas. Samsung Austin Semiconductor is committed to environmental excellence in the operation of its advanced manufacturing operations.
The Austin facility recently upgraded its treatment solution to remove and recover copper from its wastewater prior to discharge in a more environmentally friendly and sustainable manner. Following a successful pilot project, Evoqua worked with the facility to design and install a full-scale wastewater ion exchange solution based upon collaborative engineering solutions, providing the plant with a simplified and sustainable treatment system.
The system design incorporates many sustainability benefits, including:
- Elimination of 1.5M pounds of sludge sent to the landfill annually
- Removal of lime slurry equating to more than 1.5 million gallons of water conserved per year
- Reducing 1,400 tons of chemicals per year
- Optimizing its carbon usage rate, thereby reducing the number of service visits required and the amount of carbon media consumed by over 10,000 pounds per year
- Recovery of copper from the wastewater stream, reducing 15,000 pounds of copper being sent to landfills annually
- Improving employee safety by reducing the handling of chemicals during the treatment process
Each year, the award is given to celebrate World Water Day, which occurs annually on March 22. Evoqua employees nominate sustainable companies from its 38,000-customer base for exhibiting excellent water stewardship and demonstrating sustainable efforts in their strategies around community impact, water and energy efficiency and environmental protection.
Finalist
Orange County Water District | Orange County, California, USA
Orange County Water District (OCWD) provides drinking water to 2.5 million residents throughout northern and central Orange County, California. Due to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) detected in the region's groundwater basins, OCWD was forced to import its water sources, which were costly and difficult to source during a water shortage. To tackle the PFOA and PFOS issue, OCWD designed and deployed a state-of-the-art PFAS treatment system at their City of Fullerton Kimberly Well 1A Treatment Plant. The installation included an Evoqua ion exchange treatment system made of highly porous resin, removing the harmful contaminants and providing safe and reliable drinking water to its residents. The system meets all state and federal drinking water standards while providing a sustainable and more cost-effective water source for the City and its residents.
Finalist
Atlantis, Dubai | Palm Island, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Atlantis Dubai is Dubai's leading entertainment destination and a unique ocean-themed resort located on the Palm Island in the United Arab Emirates. In June 2021, Atlantis Dubai launched the Atlantis Atlas Project – which consolidates existing industry-leading work on environmental and social responsibility as well as cementing their long-term vision to pioneer educational tourism which cares for people and the planet. The Atlantis Atlas Project is centered around protecting and preserving our natural world through awareness and education, as well as acting responsibly as a business to conserve energy, water, and natural resources, and supporting colleagues and guests to make environmentally conscious choices by providing opportunities to connect to the local environment.
Atlantis achieves this through core four pillars focused on responsible operations, conservation and animal welfare, education and awareness, and corporate social responsibility. Under responsible operations, they seek and implement new ways to improve their operations and reduce their environmental impact through energy and carbon reduction, waste management, responsible sourcing, and water conservation.
To reduce potable water consumption, Atlantis engaged Evoqua to provide a Defender® Regenerative Media Filtration system capable of filtering particulate down to 1 micron and requiring no backwashing. Atlantis replaced all of its sand filters with Defender® filters in all of its freshwater systems throughout the facility, which included its swimming pools, waterpark, and spa. This new system provides the resort with exceptional filtration capabilities in addition to significant water and energy savings compared to sand filtration. Atlantis continues to explore new ways to reduce water consumption, as they are committed to driving change for the long term.