Water
The Grupa Azoty Group companies use water for industrial purposes, as a cooling agent, treat water for drinking purposes, and use water to produce process waters and for fire fighting.
The Grupa Azoty Group companies use water for industrial purposes, as a cooling agent, treat water for drinking purposes, and use water to produce process waters and for fire fighting. We manage water in a rational manner, prevent losses and take measures to prevent plant failures.
- Group Azoty S.A. draws water from two sources: a surface water intake point on the right bank of the Dunajec river and an underground water intake point. The repair work gradually carried out in 2020 helped reduce losses in the drinking water network and remove leaks on outflow sewers at surface water sedimentation tanks, resulting in a 15% year-on-year decrease in the groundwater and surface water withdrawal volumes.
- Grupa Azoty Police draws water from two surface water intake points on the western arm of the Oder river and the Gunica river.
- Grupa Azoty Kędzierzyn draws water from surface water intake points on the Oder river and the Łącza stream, and from deep wells. The company also purchases water obtained from ground dewatering at the Kopalnia Piasku Kotlarnia S.A. sand mine. In order to limit water consumption, Grupa Azoty Kędzierzyn operates a system for diverting water from the stormwater drainage system to be used to produce industrial water. This water, usually together with a portion of treated wastewater, is directed to an industrial water treatment plant. In 2020, the water withdrawal volume fell by 0.4%, despite a simultaneous increase in production. There was also a favourable change in the water withdrawal structure (a 25% increase in surface water withdrawal, and a 39% decrease in groundwater withdrawal).
- Grupa Azoty Puławy draws surface water from the Kurówka and Vistula rivers and underground water from its own intake points. Surface water is used in the production of demineralised and decarbonised water and in open cooling systems, while underground water is used in the production of demineralised water and for social purposes. In order to reduce water withdrawal, Grupa Azoty Puławy operates a system recycling a part (approximately 15–30%) of discharged wastewater for colling purposes. At Grupa Azoty Siarkopol, a closed water circuit is used in the Osiek sulfur mine. The sulfur production process uses spent cooling water from the nearby power plant.
Water consumption at the Grupa Azoty Group is monitored. The integrated permits for the production facilities set the permitted levels of water consumption. As part of the ISO 14001 environmental management system, system documents have been developed which allocate water consumption limits specified in the integrated permits to individual installations.
The Grupa Azoty Group has in place a system for recirculation of treated wastewater and stormwater to be used in the production of industrial water; the Group also reuses condensates in the production of treated water. These solutions reduce the withdrawal of raw water. The Group is also conducting conceptual work to increase the use of treated industrial wastewater and stormwater to produce deeply treated water.
Water withdrawal by source* [m3]
| Water source | Structure level | Grupa Azoty S.A. | Grupa Azoty KĘDZIERZYN | Grupa Azoty PUŁAWY | Grupa Azoty POLICE | ||||
| Year | 2019 | 2020 | 2019 | 2020 | 2019 | 2020 | 2019 | 2020 | |
| Other groundwater | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | |
| Sweet groundwater | 461,000 | 395,000 | 2,533,259 | 1,542,174 | 5,294,268 | 5,325,331 | 0 | 0 | |
| Other internally produced water | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Other seawater | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 125,127,118 | 148,739,456 | |
| Sweet surface water | 12,707,000 | 10,770,000 | 3,924,866 | 3,747,795 | 76,995,976 | 72,987,482 | 2,053,900 | 1,785,700 | |
| Sweet groundwater from third parties | 0 | 0 | 1,530,000 | 1,773,026 | 0 | 0 | 335,043 | 311,085 | |
| Total | 13,168,000 | 11,165,000 | 7,988,125 | 7,062,995 | 82,290,246 | 78,312,813 | 127,516,063 | 150,836,246 | |
* The Group does not classify water as low-mineralised water and other water, as such division does not apply to its operations.
Water discharge by discharge point [m3]
| Discharge point | Grupa Azoty S.A. | Grupa Azoty KĘDZIERZYN | Grupa Azoty PUŁAWY | Grupa Azoty POLICE | |
| Year | 2020 | ||||
| Other organisations | 0 | 0 | 0 | 116,000 | |
| Third parties excluding other organisations | 1,370,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Seawater | 0 | 0 | 0 | 110,669,343 | |
| Surface water | 3,523,000 | 6,412,268 | 68,053,158 | 142,723,638 | |
| Total | 4,893,000 | 6,412,268 | 68,053,158 | 253,508,981 | |
Water discharge in all areas by type of water [m3]
| Water type | Grupa Azoty S.A. | Grupa Azoty KĘDZIERZYN | Grupa Azoty PUŁAWY | Grupa Azoty POLICE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sweet | 4,893,000 | 6,412,268 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | 110,669,343 |
| Total | 4,893,000 | 6,412,268 | 0 | 110,669,343 |
The Group does not operate in water stress areas.
Water discharge by stage of treatment [m3]
| Treatment stage | Grupa Azoty S.A. | Grupa Azoty KĘDZIERZYN | Grupa Azoty PUŁAWY | Grupa Azoty POLICE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No treatment | 287,000 | 0 | 0 | 110,669,343 |
| Primary | 3,236,0001 | 2,452,0102 | 1,392,2103 | 32,054,2954 |
| Secondary5 | 1,370,000 | 2,452,010 | 1,683,820 | 0 |
| Tertiary | 0 | 6,412,2686 | 68,044,1587 | 0 |
| Total | 4,893,000 | 11,316,288 | 71,120,188 | 142,723,638 |
1 Central Wastewater Treatment Plant (chemical and mechanical treatment); treated wastewater is discharged directly into receiving waters of the Biała river.
2 The mechanical wastewater treatment process used in the Central Mechanical Wastewater Treatment Plant includes removal of debris, sands and fatty substances from wastewater.
3 Central Industrial Wastewater Treatment Unit (COŚP) – mechanical and chemical treatment plant.
4 Neutralisation, aeration, coagulation, sedimentation, sediment separation, wastewater deeper treatment in pressure-equalising tanks.
5 Mechanical and chemical treatment process.
6 Wastewater treatment processes used at the Piskorzowiec plant: removal of debris and fatty substances from wastewater, and self-purification in the system of earth sediment tanks and pressure-equalising tanks.
7 Tertiary biological treatment unit (pond) – natural biological and physico-chemical processes of self-purification from nitrogen and organic compounds. Through the discharge channel, wastewater generated by the Company, including that treated on individual treatment units, flows up to the tertiary biological wastewater treatment unit (pond).
