How to Set Up a Mineral Water and Packaged Drinking Water Plant
Demand for safe packaged drinking water is rising in homes, offices, hotels, hospitals and events. This makes packaged drinking water plant an attractive project for entrepreneurs and manufacturers. But a successful plant is the result of careful planning from water source evaluation to equipment selection to regulatory checks. This guide sets out the practical steps. What is Packaged Drinking Water Plant? A packaged drinking water plant uses raw water from borewell, municipal supply or other sources. It treats the water to get rid of impurities and microorganisms, and fills, seals, labels and packs it for distribution. A mineral water processing plant can also add controlled mineral content to improve taste and consistency. Depending on the market it serves, the facility can produce bottles, jars, pouches or cups. The Basic Production Steps The sequence of operations followed by most bottled water plants is similar: Raw water procurement and storage Pre-treatment and filtering of purification, often by reverse osmosis (RO) If desirable, addition of minerals Disinfection Treated water storage Washing, Filling & Capping Bottles Labeling batch coding and packing Quality check and shipping The effect of each stage on the next must be considered so that the plant is designed as a connected system rather than a number of separate machines. Priority of Raw Water Testing Have your raw water tested by a qualified laboratory before buying any equipment. Water quality varies widely from place to place, and the results shape the entire treatment design.” A typical analysis includes: Total dissolved solids (TDS) Iron, manganese and hardness Turbidity and color Sulfates, nitrates and chlorides Microbiological contamination Any area-specific contaminants For example a borewell with high iron needs to be oxidized and iron removed before RO. A source with moderate TDS and low turbidity may require a simpler pretreatment train. This is one of the most expensive mistakes a new plant owner can make. RO and other purification technologies RO mineral water plants are common due to reverse osmosis’s ability to remove dissolved salts and many other impurities. But RO does not work by itself. It requires well treated feedwater. Otherwise, its membranes will foul or scale easily. Other technologies are often used in conjunction with RO depending on the raw water and the product: Ultrafiltration (UF): remove suspended particles and some microorganisms. Activated carbon filtration removes odor, chlorine and organic compounds. Softening: Controls hardness which can scale RO membranes. Disinfection: UV treatment or ozonation The right blend is dictated by the product you are trying to sell and the test results. Stages of Filtration, Disinfection, Storage and Treatment Water processing usually includes the following steps: Pre-filtration: removal of suspended solids, turbidity by sand and multimedia filters. Adsorption: chlorine and organic matter are removed with activated carbon filters. Polishing: micron cartridge filters protect downstream membranes. Purification: Dissolved and microbial contaminants are reduced by RO or UF. Mineral dosing: If the product is sold as such, then controlled mineral addition is used. Disinfection: ozone, UV or both prior to filling. Storage: hygienic, food-grade tanks are used for storage of treated water. Storage is a consideration. Poor tank design, long holding times and contaminated pipework can compromise even well treated water. What is in the machinery of the mineral water plant Generally mineral water plant machinery include the treatment section, and the packaging section. Typical items include Raw water tanks and feed pumps Carbon and multimedia filters Cartridge filters and softners RO and UF units Mineral dosing units Ozonators & UV Sterilizers Water storage tanks (treated) Filling, rinsing and capping machines Labeling, coding and shrink wrapping machines Routine testing laboratory instruments UNILAX WATER is one of the companies that offer water treatment systems and mineral water plant solutions. Buyers can compare configurations and see Mineral Water Plant Machinery options from UNILAX WATER and other suppliers. Machinery Selection by Capacity and Operations The choice of mineral water plant equipment is not about buying the biggest system you can afford. It’s about matching machinery to your production capacity, your product mix, your labor availability and your growth plans. A small plant selling to a local market may use semi-automatic filling and manual packing. A larger facility serving distributors may require automated rinsing, filling and capping lines. Sales are limited if the equipment is undersized and capital is tied up and it may run inefficiently at low loads if it is oversized. How a Bottling Plant Combines Treatment and Filling A mineral water bottling plant works best when treatment and packaging are in balance. The treatment section needs to supply the water at such a flow rate that the filling line can work continuously and the treated-water tank serves as a buffer between the two. For example, if your filler runs at 2,000 bottles per hour, your RO output, storage volume and disinfection capacity must meet that demand, including allowance for RO reject water and cleaning cycles. They lead to idle machines, bottlenecks, or water held too long before filling. Important Factors to Setup Mineral Water Factory To start a mineral water factory is not just machinery. Next plan for: Space: different areas for raw water, treatment, filling, packaging, storage and the laboratory Production flow one way system to reduce cross contamination and handling Utilities: dependable power, backup power, water, drainage, compressed air if necessary Reject water management: RO generates reject water that requires a proper use or disposal plan Building design: floors, walls, ventilation and pest control, easy to clean. Raw Material Storage: Clean areas for bottles, caps, labels and cartons Regulatory Requirements Bottled drinking water is a regulated commodity. Before setting up a plant, the latest applicable BIS, FSSAI, environmental, local and other requirements should be checked with the concerned authorities. These rules can change and requirements can vary by state, type of product and plant size. But buying the right equipment is no guaranty of approval. The plant owner is still responsible for licensing, laboratory tests, documentation and inspections. Getting the Right Capacity To estimate the packaged drinking water plant capacity, consider the following:




