Water

Water is a source of life. Humans and nature cannot survive without water, and neither can BASF. This is why it is so important to conserve water and to minimize our impact on the water we use.

Water purification pioneer

The water in our production facilities is reused as often as possible. Once it becomes contaminated it must be discarded as waste water, but this waste water does not leave the site until it has been purified. BASF has a central biological purification plant where the biodegradable substances are removed. Non-biodegradable substances undergo a decentralized pretreatment process at the production facilities.

Using the right water

BASF uses water sparingly and efficiently, using the right water for the right application. We distinguish between water that we use for cooling, production and sanitary purposes. We use a different water supply for each application. For industrial production we use surface water from the fresh water tidal area "De Biesbosch" in the Netherlands. For cooling we mainly use water that we pump out of the docks of the port of Antwerp.

We keep seeking new ways to enhance water treatment. Therefore we participate, together with other companies, public authorities and knowledge institutions, in the project IMPROVED, a cross-border research project on sustainable alternatives for process water. Read more (NL).