Veolia's Technology Enables Rhodia to Reuse 94% of Water in Brazil's Textile Production

Veolia, global champion in water treatment technologies, implemented an innovative water reuse solution to transform the existing effluent treatment plant into a water reuse production facility at Rhodia's textile unit in Santo Andre, São Paulo State, Brazil. Veolia's project contributed to Rhodia's sustainability journey, achieving 94% of water reuse at this production site — the result of a comprehensive set of projects, actions and investments carried out by the company over the years. The reused water primarily supports Rhodia's textile chemical industrial processes, with the main application being to feed the cooling systems. The facility has been successfully operating for over one year under Veolia's 10-year operations contract, marking a significant milestone in the partnership's achievements. This achievement is particularly significant given that the region faces severe water stress and recurring drought conditions, making the reduction in groundwater extraction crucial for local water resource conservation and sustainable industrial operations.

Through its technology-as-a-service model, Veolia’s solution capitalized on the existing treatment infrastructure. By integrating complementary effluent homogenization systems and a state-of-the-art ZeeWeed™ MBR membrane bioreactor, the company transformed the wastewater treatment plant into a modern water reuse production station. This approach enabled faster implementation and enhanced water resilience without requiring extensive new infrastructure investment. The solution allows treated effluents to be transformed and regenerated infinitely into a source of exceptional high-quality water to meet industrial process demands.

Veolia also adopted a sustainable approach by reusing existing equipment at the plant, avoiding the need for new infrastructure and reinforcing its commitment to the circular economy.

● Veolia's technologies at Rhodia (part of the Solvay Group) advance the company’s industrial water reuse strategy, at its Santo Andre unit which now achieves 94% water reuse — saving the equivalent of 133 olympic swimming pools each year.

● One year of successful operation following decades of strategic investments, continuous improvements, and innovative solutions implemented over time, transforming the existing effluent treatment plant into a modern water reuse production facility.

● Veolia's comprehensive technology-as-a-service model capitalizes on existing treatment infrastructure to implement state-of-the-art technologies, transforming effluents into a source of exceptional high-quality water for reuse through flexible investment agreements that deliver faster deployment.

● Significant environmental and operational benefits, including enhanced water resilience, improved environmental compliance and increased operational efficiency for Rhodia’s industrial process, in complete alignment with Veolia’s GreenUp strategic program.

Ronia Oisiovici, Senior Sustainability, Research and Innovation Manager at Rhodia, stated: “The project in partnership with Veolia contributed to the Santo Andre site reaching the milestone of 94% water reuse, an impressive achievement. In addition, it brought significant improvement in water quality, which can now be used in other applications. The solution is fully aligned with the principles of the circular economy and with Rhodia sustainability program.”

Mauro Cruz, Executive Vice President and Head of Veolia’s water technologies activities in Latin America, commented: “This project reflects Veolia’s ability to integrate high-performance engineering with a robust, results-oriented operational model. It exemplifies our GreenUp strategic program, where water technologies are a booster and serve as a catalyst for ecological transformation. We are proud to accompany clients such as Rhodia to transform their environmental goals into concrete, scalable solutions by placing ecology at the heart of industrial processes, demonstrating that performance and sustainability can — and must — go hand in hand.”