Water pinch analysis

Water pinch analysis (WPA) originates from the concept of heat pinch analysis. WPA is a systematic technique for reducing water consumption and wastewater generation through integration of water-using activities or processes. WPA was first introduced by Wang and Smith.{{Cite journal |last=Wang |first=Y.P. |last2=Smith |first2=R. |date=April 1994 |title=Wastewater minimisation |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0009-2509(94)80006-5 |journal=Chemical Engineering Science |volume=49 |issue=7 |pages=981–1006 |doi=10.1016/0009-2509(94)80006-5 |issn=0009-2509|url-access=subscription }} Since then, it has been widely used as a tool for water conservation in industrial process plants. Water pinch analysis has recently been applied for urban/domestic buildings.{{Cite journal |last=Manan |first=Z.A. |last2=Wan Alwi |first2=S.R. |last3=Ujang |first3=Z. |date=June 2006 |title=Water pinch analysis for an urban system: a case study on the Sultan Ismail Mosque at the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2005.11.003 |journal=Desalination |volume=194 |issue=1-3 |pages=52–68 |doi=10.1016/j.desal.2005.11.003 |issn=0011-9164|url-access=subscription }} It was extended in 1998 by Nick Hallale at the University of Cape Town, who developed it as a special case of mass exchange networks for capital cost targeting.

Techniques for setting targets for maximum water recovery capable of handling any type of water-using operation including mass-transfer-based and non-mass-transfer based systems include the source and sink composite curves{{Cite journal |last=Hallale |first=N |date=September 2002 |title=A new graphical targeting method for water minimisation |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s1093-0191(01)00116-2 |journal=Advances in Environmental Research |volume=6 |issue=3 |pages=377–390 |doi=10.1016/s1093-0191(01)00116-2 |issn=1093-0191|url-access=subscription }} and water cascade analysis (WCA).{{Cite journal |last=Manan |first=Zainuddin Abdul |last2=Tan |first2=Yin Ling |last3=Foo |first3=Dominic Chwan Yee |date=2004-11-09 |title=Targeting the minimum water flow rate using water cascade analysis technique |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aic.10235 |journal=AIChE Journal |volume=50 |issue=12 |pages=3169–3183 |doi=10.1002/aic.10235 |issn=0001-1541|url-access=subscription }} The source and sink composite curves is a graphical tool for setting water recovery targets as well as for design of water recovery networks.{{Cite journal |last=Wan Alwi |first=Sharifah R. |last2=Manan |first2=Zainuddin A. |date=2008-04-01 |title=Generic Graphical Technique for Simultaneous Targeting and Design of Water Networks |url=https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/ie071487o |journal=Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research |language=en |volume=47 |issue=8 |pages=2762–2777 |doi=10.1021/ie071487o |issn=0888-5885|url-access=subscription }}

A 2018 study found by water pinch and water footprint analysis that for bricks with typical materials of clay and shale, the water consumption footprint was 2.02 L of water per brick.{{Cite journal |last=Skouteris |first=George |last2=Ouki |first2=Sabèha |last3=Foo |first3=Dominic |last4=Saroj |first4=Devendra |last5=Altini |first5=Maria |last6=Melidis |first6=Paraschos |last7=Cowley |first7=Brian |last8=Ells |first8=Geoff |last9=Palmer |first9=Stephanie |last10=O'Dell |first10=Sean |date=2018-01-20 |title=Water footprint and water pinch analysis techniques for sustainable water management in the brick-manufacturing industry |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652617325222 |journal=Journal of Cleaner Production |volume=172 |pages=786–794 |doi=10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.10.213 |issn=0959-6526}}