Water recovery/recycle system cuts costs

In a typical 500 litre aqueous washing machine a water recovery and recyling system produces savings of some GBP 7500/year so the system can pay for itself in around 12 months.

Effluent from component cleaning equipment - an unavoidable issue, which the Aqua-Save confronts head on.

With waste costing UK industry some GBP 15 billion per year, or a staggering 4.5% of turnover - according the government's Envirowise organisation - meeting the highest environmental standards throughout engineering and manufacturing is not just an altruistic objective but also represents one of the most significant cost issues of the day.

One only has to consider the Climate Change Levy, as just one example, to see how rising costs and taxes on industry are becoming increasingly important.

This levy alone calls for a 10% reduction in energy usage by the year 2010.

Moreover, such obligations originate from far beyond these shores.

The European Water Treatment Directive, for example, which is designed to protect natural water resources and govern the disposal of waste at landfill sites, flags up the fact that liquid waste disposal after 16th July 2004 is specifically prohibited.

This is, it seems, not just a far reaching subject, but one which is already showing signs of becoming a key factor of industrial and manufacturing procedures - so much so that more and more industry is realising that it is high time it addressed the issue head on.

Ensuring these obligations are met with regard to effluent disposal, is at the heart of this scenario and one of the areas in which this has come under particular scrutiny is in the field of component cleaning.

While the consistent move away from solvents to aqueous methods has been a measure of manufacturers' environmental awareness, now the control of discharge to the drainage system needs urgent attention to maintain this progress.

This is the context in which the Aqua-Save - an independent wash solution recycling system, which can be used with any component washing facility - has been introduced.

With zero cost implications, it is already receiving wide acceptance from industry.

It is one of the leading manufacturers of component washing equipment which is responsible for this significant stride towards helping its customers fulfil these environmental obligations.

Moreover, not only does the Aqua-Save shatter the myth that investment in equipment in this field costs money, it is actually demonstrating that quite the reverse is true - particularly because many companies may not realise that they are not only paying for their water supply but also according to the volume and concentration of waste water they discharge.

Yet not only does the Aqua-Save address this issue by minimising waste disposal requirements, it also makes an important contribution to maximising cleaning performance and production efficiency, which itself minimises manufacturing costs.

MecWash Systems' director Paul Young highlights the thinking behind the Aqua-Save concept: "The system continuously recovers and reuses the wash water, virtually removing the need for disposal," he says.

"At the same time, water quality is maintained throughout the production process helping to ensure that parts exit the system in a clean condition without contamination from oily residues.

The only effluent resulting from the system," Young points out, "Is a concentrated oily waste which, typically, represents only 2-3% of the tank volume.

"It is surprising how often the quality of wash solution can be neglected by manufacturers," he continues, "But this can now be addressed directly and automatically by the Aqua-Save system.

Young points out that in a typical 500 litre aqueous washing machine savings of some GBP 7500 a year can be realised - which means the Aqua-Save can fully pay for itself in around 12 months.

Add to this 100% tax allowances available against investment in equipment that is designed to maximise energy saving and water quality and the proposition becomes thoroughly compelling.

The Aqua-Save system has been designed to draw water from the heated wash tank and then use its latent heat, combined with a vacuum, to evaporate and recover the water, thereby leaving only the contamination behind.

The condensed clean water is then returned to the wash tank for re-use while the concentrated contamination itself is automatically and periodically drained into a container for disposal.

"The Aqua-Save has been designed as a fully self-contained unit," continues Young, "which, as a stand-alone facility, can be positioned alongside any wash station.

A choice of size is also available to produce from between 10 and 50 litres of cleaning solution per hour thereby matching flow requirements," he adds.

Since its launch at MACH 2002, MecWash can already point to a long and growing list of customers who are benefiting from the Aqua-Save concept.

A prime example can be seen at J F Goodrich Control Systems, one of the country's leading aerospace component manufacturing organisations.

The company's Birmingham premises features a number of MecWash systems which have Aqua-Save units.

"To date, the installations at Goodrich have actually required zero disposal of wash solution as a result of the Aqua-Save wash and rinse water recycling system," points out Young.

"Apart from enhancing the company's drive towards maximising environmental quality - not least in connection with its ISO 14001 accreditation - this has virtually eliminated the cost of downtime associated with tank cleaning and has resulted in the wash and rinse solutions being maintained in near perfect condition for an extended period of time.

Back to top