Water Use Wednesday: Exploring the Importance and History of Industrial Water Use

Waterworks: The History of Industrial Water Use

Do you know what a water frame does?

Have you ever heard of a shaduf?

Any idea how much water it takes to make a ton of paper?

These questions touch on a few of the fascinating aspects of industrial water use throughout history and in modern times. To explore these topics and many more, we're excited to share the first post of our new series: Water Use Wednesdays—an eight-part informational series dedicated to the world of industrial water use and its challenges. So, if you're thirsty for more, you've come to the perfect place. Let's dive in!

First, let's clarify what we mean by industrial water. Simply put, industrial water is any water used in manufacturing processes to produce goods or services. This includes water used for heating, cooling, cleaning, diluting, and in the actual production of products. From food and agriculture, to pharmaceuticals, energy, mining, and forest products— most industries are heavy drinkers. The paper industry alone consumes hundreds of thousands of gallons of water. The production of just one ton of paper can take 21,000 to 528,000 gallons of water, depending on the type of paper and process used. In 2021, Canada's top three water consuming industries used 27.4 billion cubic meters of water. That is 685 cubic meters (m3) of water for each Canadian citizen. That’s enough for each of them to fill two Olympic-sized pools and still have over a hundred cubic meters left over!

One major industry throughout the world that has always been a large consumer of water is agriculture. Irrigation is an area with some of the highest water consumption rates. Throughout history, humans have continually devised new methods to supply, conserve, distribute, and transport water for the purpose of irrigation and growing crops. We find evidence of this dating back almost 5,000 years ago, when a line of Egyptian kings created a series of complicated rivers and dams as well as a man-made lake called Moeris.

Created by the Egyptians around 3000 B.C., a shaduf was used in small-scale irrigation and included a bucket tied to the end of a long pole at the edge of a river with leverage on one end. The bucket would be dipped into the river and swung over the land to sloppily dump its contents onto the thirsty crops. Much progress has been made in the last 5,000 years. Many different types of irrigation are now used all over the world. Center pivot irrigation, developed by Frank Zyback, is one of the main systems used in the United States. The water store, placed on wheels at one end of a pipe above the crops, can pivot around the center water store when in use to water the crops. Center pivot has been used to irrigate millions of acres in the United States and is effective and affordable. 

How did water become such a big part of the industrial world? At the start of the Industrial Revolution, the potential to use water in production was just beginning to be explored. One example of this was the invention of the water frame by English engineer Richard Arkwright.

This invention revolutionized the textile industry by eliminating the need for human operators to oversee cotton-spinning machinery. The water frame was powered by water and could spin multiple threads of yarn. This reduced manual labor costs and created consistently high-quality products, all while running 24 hours a day. Another example is Eli Whitney’s invention of the cotton gin in 1794; however, the initial model was small, and could only be operated by hand. 

With the great demand for cotton, a larger machine was invented shortly after which was powered by - you guessed it - water. Credited to Thomas Newcomen and further developed by James Watt, the steam engine was transformative. It produced efficient options for manufacturing, transporting, and delivering products. In 1807, the first steam-powered boat was invented, followed closely by the first steam-powered train in 1814. From there, water usage in the industrial world only continued to increase.

Diving Deeper: Recapping and Previewing

As we've explored in this first installment of Water Use Wednesdays, water has been a cornerstone of industrial development throughout history. From ancient irrigation techniques to modern manufacturing processes, water has played a crucial role in shaping our industries and economies. The inventive spirit of humanity has continuously pushed the boundaries of how we use and manage this precious resource.

But this is just the beginning of our journey. In our next post, we'll dive deeper into the global challenges of freshwater resource management and explore three unique strategies employed by three of the world’s thirstiest countries. Stay tuned and keep that curiosity flowing! Next week, we'll turn on the tap for more fascinating insights into the world of industrial water use. You won’t want to miss it!