ECOSAN 3.0

The problem

A general problem of many energy and water saving measures are increasingly poor washing and rinsing results. The continuous lowering of the washing temperature leads to poorer stain removal and lower degree of whiteness. To compensate for the low washing temperature, the amount of chemicals used is increased. The discharge of chemical residues throughout the washed laundry up to the finishing section can cause skin irritation with the staff and/or problems with machine components and finishing devices.

Furthermore, fresh water is hardly used anymore for washing. Depending on the process control, active oxygen, salts and washing-active substances accumulate in the rinsing zone, and partially there are even foaming problems with regard to drainage. The small amount of water in the rinsing zone is also reflected in well-known problems such as greyed and discoloured laundry and insufficient rinse-off of hair or greying if the recovered water is not filtered adequately.


The solution
ECOSAN 3.0: High quality with sensible water and energy saving concept

ECOSAN 3.0 is a washing procedure for washer lines that is safe and ecologically as well as economically sensible with regard to washing-related technical aspects. ECOSAN 3.0 is the first procedure that uses water and detergent from the main wash and rinsing zones for prewashing.

The fresh water consumption is reduced to 3 l/kg dry laundry, with the entire fresh water being used only in the rinsing zone. This procedure control that uses only fresh water and treated press water in the rinsing zone ensures that, unlike in many „savings concepts“, rinsing is performed far more effectively with a considerably higher rinsing flow of 6 l water per kg dry laundry.

The full development stage of the Ecosan 3.0 procedure consists of two independent energy recovery steps.

In order to use the energy content of the waste water from the prewash and main wash cycles, all the waste water is routed through a waste water heat exchanger; in large-scale laundry operations, this has by now become standard. The approved UniTwist DT system of our partner UHS is perfectly suited for this purpose. After the heat exchange process, the water flows into the sewage system. This procedure allows 50 – 60% of the energy to be recovered from the waste water and to be used for heating the fresh water.

The basic idea of the ECOSAN 3.0 procedure consists of processing the rinsing water for use in the prewashing zone. One might think that this is quite obvious and not really new since the rinsing and press water is generally not heavily soiled and its reuse would therefore be logical. This is correct, but it only works after the underlying technical problems have been solved prior to nthe reuse because the active oxygen content from press water and active oxygen carried over from the main wash zone had until then practically excluded the use of the rinsing water in the prewashing zone without adequate treatment. The active oxygen content of these liquors would bake blood and protein dirt in the prewashing cycle immediately onto the textile and make the removal of this dirt extremely difficult or eve impossible. The problem of protein stains has long been recognized in the laundry industry; active oxygen contents in the prewashing zone must be avoided.

The solution of this problem and the heart of the new ECOSAN 3.0 procedure is the Aquaheat Purifyer, our latest technical development for saving resources in commercial laundry operations. This completely new multi-function device was first introduced at the Texcare International in Frankfurt in May 2012. The innovative combination of filter, heat recovery and adsorber has made it possible for the first time to process the heavily soiled water. The approx. 2.5 to 3 liters of press water accumulating per kg of dry laundry are used, together with the fresh water, for rinsing so that there are approx. 6 liters of water available for the rinsing process. This is considerably more water than typically used for conventional rinsing in washer lines and makes the rinsing results superior to those of previous procedures in washer lines. 2 liters, which is approx. 1/3 of the rinsing water, are routed through the rinsing reservoir overflow and used in the main wash cycle, depending on the washer line design (reverse flow or bath change). The other 4 liters of the rinsing water are fed into a collection tank whose volume is continuously processed via the Aquaheat Purifyer.

The Aquaheat Purifyer combines waste water filtration, energy and water recovery and an innovative system for eliminating active oxygen from waste water liquors in one single device. The filter module removes lint and suspended matter from the waste water which is then routed through a plate heat exchanger for energy recovery. The adsorber unit reduces the active oxygen concentration of the service water in the prewashing zone without additional chemicals and therefore prevents the unwanted effect of an increased salt content of the washing liquors.
These three preconditions (filtration, heat recovery and most important elimination of active oxygen) are the prerequisite for the recovery of the processed washing liquor into the prewashing zone.

The waste water filter is self cleaning and has low maintenance requirements. The filtered waste water is routed through the heat exchanger, and the recovered heat is used for heating the fresh water. A maintenance-free adsorber module eliminates the active oxygen without additional chemicals and therefore without the risk of an increased salt content of the liquor.

Typically, the Aquaheat Purifyer is used for processing rinsing water from washer lines and can be integrated into their water circulation without any problem. The device is also suited for the central processing of the rinsing water from several washer extractors after an upstream rinsing water collection tank has been installed.

The unique ECOSAN 3.0 procedure ensures perfectly hygienic and perfectly clean laundry for the health service industry and for the catering and hotel industry!

• Use of fresh water solely in the rinsing cycle.
• Use of only 3 l/kg fresh water.
• Considerably improved rinsing results due to use of 6 l/kg in the rinsing cycle.
• Nearly complete processing of the press water for the rinsing cycle.
• Less greying.
• Fewer dirt and detergent residues on the laundry.
• Lint and hair can be rinsed off better.
• Excellent cleanliness and stain removal at 60 °C at minimal detergent consumption.
• Safe hygiene due to listed disinfecting washing procedure.
• Due to the reuse of liquor from the main wash and rinsing zones, washing-active substances are not lost but supplied to the prewashing zone which reduces the required detergent quantity by 15 – 20 % and saves additional costs.

Our Aquaheat Purifyer is unequalled in the field of washing technology and offers completely new possibilities for saving resources in laundry operations. The modular water processing system allows the optimal utilization of the used resources, e.g. detergent, energy and water.
Filtration, energy recovery and effective elimination of the unwanted active oxygen from the washing liquor and reuse of yet unused washing-active substances – compact, effective, ecologically viable and nearly maintenance-free – simply a clever idea that also pays off!

For flat textile products from the hotel and catering industry, work clothing from food processing operations and hospital laundry as well as for other laundry items with slight to medium soiling, the Aquaheat Purifyer makes a significant contribution to energy and water savings while reducing the consumption of detergents and washing auxiliaries.

The result of the Ecosan 3.0 procedure speaks for itself. A fresh water consumption of merely 3 liters and a significantly improved rinsing result due to increased rinsing flow. The warm water in the rinsing zone also improves the rinsing effect. Approx. 15 – 20 % of the surfactants used in the main wash zone are recovered so that they are not lost in the washing process. For washer lines, ECOSAN 3.0 is the most innovative and efficient procedure for washing laundry. ECOSAN 3.0 is our response to the increasing cost pressure in the laundry industry!