Leading-Edge Zero Liquid Discharge System Will Significantly Reduce Water Intake from Lake Michigan and Virtually Eliminate Industrial Discharge
Milwaukee, WI – As part of its long-term effort to protect the environment in Wisconsin, Foxconn Technology Group (Foxconn) today announced that it will voluntarily adopt a leading-edge water recycling system at the Wisconn Valley Science and Technology Park in Racine County. Foxconn is investing $30 million in a zero liquid discharge (ZLD) system that will allow it to dramatically reduce the facility’s water intake requirements from Lake Michigan and virtually eliminate the return of any manufacturing process wastewater to the Lake.
“One of the reasons we chose to locate in Wisconsin is the state’s pristine environment, and we take our responsibility to preserve it seriously,” said Dr. Louis Woo, Special Assistant to Foxconn Founder and CEO Terry Gou. “This system will be state-of-the-art technology to reduce the water our facility needs to operate by millions of gallons per day. We not only seek to comply with all regulations where we do business, we also work to exceed them when possible.”
In using this technology, Foxconn expects to reduce its intake of water at the Wisconn Valley Science and Technology Park by more than 3.5 million gallons per day, down to 2.5 million gallons per day. The ZLD system will eliminate manufacturing process wastewater by distilling it, allowing the company to recycle, recover, and re-use it.
“We applaud Foxconn for its progressive plan to aggressively recycle water used for manufacturing within their facilities and help minimize the amount of water drawn from Lake Michigan,” said Dean Amhaus, president and chief executive officer of The Water Council. “By eliminating wastewater discharges from their manufacturing processes, Foxconn will demonstrate their commitment to water stewardship. This commitment is fitting for Wisconsin, the home of the North American office for the Alliance for Water Stewardship, the first and only global standard that promotes best practices in water stewardship.”
The water treatment system will be in place when the TFT fab is completed and is fully operational. Because of the technology, the local water facility will not be burdened with the treatment of an additional 3.5 million gallons of water per day. The only water that will not be recycled will be the domestic wastewater that is normally discharged from any commercial facility and the water evaporating from the cooling systems.
“Foxconn continues to be a perfect fit for Wisconsin’s commitment to advanced manufacturing and environmental sustainability. Their investment in state-of-the-art water technology proves that manufacturing job growth and a clean environment can go hand in hand,” said Dan Ellsworth, president of the Wisconsin Water Alliance, a non-partisan, statewide organization whose mission is to help protect the state’s water resources.
The ZLD water treatment system has been adopted at Foxconn’s facility in Sakai, Japan, where it has been proved to efficiently re-use water, reduce pollutant discharges, and reduce its intake from surrounding waterways. The facility is so successful in its water recycling processes that it has been officially named “Green Front Sakai” by the Osaka city government. Few manufacturing facilities in the United States have adopted ZLD systems and this facility will be a showcase for environmental sustainability not only in Wisconsin, but also elsewhere in the United States.
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About Foxconn Technology Group
Established in 1974, Foxconn Technology Group (“Foxconn”), is the global leader in manufacturing services for the computer, communication, and consumer electronics (3C) industry. A multinational company headquartered in Taiwan, Foxconn offers many of the leading U.S. and international companies in electronics a one-stop integrated manufacturing solution. Foxconn generated total annual revenue of $158 billion in 2017 and was ranked No. 27 on the 2017 Fortune magazine Global 500. The company has facilities in Asia, Europe, and the Americas.
Foxconn is leveraging the potential of cloud computing, mobile devices, the Internet of Things, Big Data, artificial intelligence, networks, and robotics and automation, in its transformation as a leading high-tech enterprise and industrial Internet company. The company has research centers and testing laboratories internationally and has received more than 83,500 patents worldwide. In addition to maximizing value creation for customers, Foxconn is also dedicated to enhancing the concept of environmental sustainability in the manufacturing process and serving as a best-practices model for global enterprises.
Media Contact: media@foxconn.com
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