Recycle your wash solution
September 1st 2003 With environmental legislation bringing cost increases to manufacturers IP&E finds out how to keep costs down when cleaning components
With waste costing UK industry 15 billion per year, 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.
Moreover, such obligations originate from far beyond these shores. The European Water Treatment Directive, for example, that 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 that 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 that can be used with any component washing facility - has been introduced. Aqua-Save quashes 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, that 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, he points out, is a concentrated oily waste that, 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.
He points out that in a typical 500 litre aqueous washing machine savings of some 7500 a year can be realised. Add to this 100% tax allowances available against investment in equipment that is designed to maximise energy saving and water quality.
The Aqua-Save draws water from the heated wash tank and then uses 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 Paul Young, that, 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.
J F Goodrich Control Systems, an aerospace component manufacturer has a number of MecWash systems that 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 Paul Young. Apart from enhancing the companys drive towards maximising environmental quality 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.
The environmental and cost benefits associated with the Aqua-Save units were key factors in our decision to specify MecWash Systems equipment, comments Paul Sollers, Prismatics Improvement Manager at Goodrich Control Systems. Concentrated oily waste representing less than 3% of the tank volume is, thus far, the only effluent resulting from the system that is a key part in manufacturing cells producing high quality, high tolerance, complex components.
The aqueous cleaning technology that is at the heart of each MecWash Systems unit is widely acknowledged for both its performance characteristics and its environmental advantages. The introduction now of the Aqua-Save and its immediate acceptance by industry signals an important step in this regard. This is particularly so as the unit can be added to any type of wash plant and is equally suitable for applications requiring the cleaning of waste coolant or other aqueous solutions. More articles from Mecwash Systems Ltd: | 
