The ROI of process water disinfection: understanding the true costs and benefits

Process water disinfection is essential for a stable and safe production process in sectors such as food, chemical and feed production. Yet the true costs of disinfection often remain underexposed. Therefore, an investment in alternative technology such as the Watter system often raises the question: what is the benefit? In this blog, we will discuss the Return on Investment (ROI) of process water disinfection and how you can calculate it.

What determines the cost of conventional disinfection?

Traditional disinfectants, such as sodium hypochlorite or chlorine dioxide, seem simple and inexpensive at first glance. Yet there are several cost items that must be included in a complete cost calculation:

• Purchase costs disinfectant: price per liter or kilo.
• Logistics and storage: transportation, storage facilities, shelf life, administration of hazardous goods.
• Personal protective equipment (PPE): gloves, goggles, respiratory protection, mandatory safety devices.
• Labor: manual dispensing, monitoring, maintenance of dispensing equipment.
• Waste disposal: remnants and empty containers.
• Plant wear: some agents are corrosive to pipes, gaskets or pumps.

These costs are not always visible in the direct purchase price, but do count in the total cost of the disinfection process.

The alternative approach: in situ HOCl with the Watter system

The Watter system produces an on-site disinfectant based on hypochlorous acid (HOCl) solely from water, salt and electricity. This eliminates many of the cost items mentioned above. Thus, when calculating ROI, one must look more broadly than just the purchase of the system:

Savings categories:

• No purchase and transport of chemicals.
• No PPE required in normal handling of the system
• Reduced labor time for dosing and quality control of the agent
• Long service life of plant components due to low corrosivity when dosing correctly
• Higher process stability through constant availability of fresh disinfectant
• Reduced risk of non-conformities due to microbiological deviations

Water reuse and lower process temperatures: additional profit factors

In addition to direct savings in procurement and labor, effective process water disinfection offers additional opportunities for cost reduction:

1. Water re-usage

A stable microbiological quality of process water makes it possible to safely reuse water streams (such as rinse or cleaning water) within the production process. This reduces not only water costs, but also discharge or pretreatment costs. In water-intensive industries, this can save thousands of euros per year. The prerequisite is that the water remains microbiologically controlled - something to which constant, in situ produced, HOCl dosing effectively contributes.

2. Lowering process temperatures.

Conventional CIP or cleaning processes often employ high temperatures (60-85°C) to reduce microbial risks. By using an effective disinfectant that remains active even at low temperatures, the temperature of rinse or disinfection steps can be reduced in some cases. This results in:

• Lower energy costs
• Less stress on heat exchangers and installations
• Extension of the service life of seals and pipes.

In many cases, this leads to a reduction in energy consumption in cleaning cycles.

ROI calculation: what does it look like in concrete terms?

A simple calculation starts by recording the current annual cost of conventional disinfection. Make an overview of:

1. Purchase current disinfectants (including transport and storage costs)
2. Purchase of PPE and safety equipment
3. Labor costs for handling (moving, mixing, dosing)
4. Costs for installations (e.g. replacing lamps when using UV)
5. Costs due to possible downtime/loss due to microbiological contamination
6. Potential savings through increased water reuse
7. Potential savings through energy savings lower water temperature

Add up these costs and do this times ten. This is because the Watter system will last at least ten years

Would you like to know how quickly the investment in the Watter system will pay for itself? Then use the form below and quickly request your ROI calculation:

In conclusion

The true ROI of process water disinfection lies in the total cost of ownership. If you factor all aspects - from chemistry, PPE and labor to energy consumption and water reuse - into the equation, you discover that in situ disinfection can be a cost-effective alternative to conventional methods.