Throughput improvement at the eMalahleni Water Reclamation Plant

Abstract

Recent years have seen the expansion of the eMalahleni municipality, both industrially and residentially. Along with this growth, water demands of the population have increased dramatically, adding pressure onto the already water-stressed Emalahleni Municipality. As a result, the Emalahleni Water Reclamation Plant was established with the purpose of treating contaminated mine water, which it then supplies to the Emalahleni Municipality. Currently the plant supplies water in the range of 20ML per day to the Municipal reservoirs. Although a fairly substantial amount, it is still insufficient to satisfy the needs of the population. The report sets out to investigate the water treatment process in order to establish whether room for improvement exists with respect to plant throughput. This is achieved through the design of a conceptual model and the application of Industrial engineering tools such as Theory of constraints and simulation modeling to highlight problem areas. Based on the findings of the investigation, improvement scenarios are formulated and analysed using Arena’s simulation software. Upon completion of the project, the main deliverables include a fully-functioning simulation model of the “AS-IS” state of the process along with actual findings from the investigation. In addition to this, the recommended improvement scenario will be presented to the water plant Management team, highlighting the benefits which are expected to be realised through its implementation.