Planning for water reclamation in a semiconductor fabrication facility

Reclaiming process wastewater is of increasing importance to the microelectronics industry, given escalating factory costs; increased burdens on municipal infrastructure; compliance issues; the limited resources available to sustain a young, fast-changing industry; and the need to deliver new, expanded, and reequipped semiconductor factories faster, Water reclamation offers a viable means of providing for the future water needs of the microelectronics industry while reducing demands on the public water system. Water reclamation has great potential for implementation in new and existing factory design, can be accomplished using available technologies, and is cost-effective when the operational savings from reduced consumption, discharge reduction, and discharge quality requirements are taken into consideration, This article describes the development of a water reclamation plan for a large-scale production facility and includes system descriptions, diagrams, and flow analyses.