Off-site disposal of waste water has been reduced from a collection every four to six weeks to, potentially, one every two years as the result of the use of a single Aqua-Save waste water recycling system installed at a specialist engineering company in Coventry.

Pailton Engineering, which has gained a leading reputation for the manufacture of steering and suspension equipment for the HGV and construction equipment market world-wide, is reporting a significant enhancement of environmental performance alongside dramatic waste water disposal cost savings as a result of the installation.

Developed by the specialist Aqua-Save Technologies division of leading aqueous component cleaning company, MecWash Systems Ltd., the Aqua-Save Junior at the site is now the focus for waste water processing from some 30 machining stations. Benefiting from a compact footprint, the unit first separates waste water from emulsified oils using a pre-heat facility then concentrates the contaminants in the water making disposal very cost effective and returning clean water for reuse or disposal. Richard Mather is Maintenance Manager at the site and quantifies this performance –

"Previously, waste material was gathered in an external tank with the waste water it contained then collected in an adjacent 7,000 litre bund," he explains. "In turn, this required off-site disposal every four to six weeks. Now, however, material is pumped from the holding tank into an IBC, which is then located alongside the Aqua-Save Junior. From here, some 95% of the separated waste water can be disposed of via the foul drain with the remaining 5% transferred back to the bund. Because of this significantly lower volume, off-site disposal will now only be required approximately every 24 months."

Pailton Engineering is looking to enhance these advantages further still by assessing possible re-use of the water that is currently disposed of via the drain – potentially within the heat treatment area of the production facility.

"This is not only enhancing the production capability and the environmental performance at Pailton Engineering but is also playing a key role in the company's ISO 14001 accreditation," explains Aqua-Save Technologies Manager, Paul Jarratt. "Moreover, it is helping the organisation demonstrate a high level of environmental commitment in line with increasing requirements in this regard from its customers."

Given the range of machining operations undertaken at Pailton Engineering, the Aqua-Save Junior has now become an important focus. "Pailton Engineering's customer list includes major international organisations, many of whom have leading reputations in their own fields, and expect environmental responsibility from their suppliers. We are confident that the Aqua-Save Junior is already making an important contribution to meeting this vital objective while also saving Pailton Engineering a substantial amount of money," concludes Paul Jarratt.

Image caption: The compact design of the Aqua-Save Junior waste water recycling system - from Aqua-Save Technologies - is helping Pailton Engineering benefit from dramatic reductions in off-site disposal requirements.