Day: 1 November 2000

Mosquito blight?

An innovative floating aerator could be the answer to clearing mosquito breeding grounds around the world.

WMEC stands sentinel over multiple contaminant drums

Situated between the floodlights of Old Trafford Football Ground and the Trafford Park Container Depot is a small family business which cleans and refurbishes tanks and drums for the chemical industry, M&N Containers. Somewhere in the region of 800 items per week are pre-cleaned, washed out, steam cleaned, rinsed with clean water and dried ready for re-use by the customer. The main contaminants in the drums on arrival are salt, detergent, light oils and acid-based compounds.

Bubbles trouble for aggressive constituents

Fine bubble diffusers are often used in the activated sludge process for the secondary treatment of wastewater, with ceramic diffusers being particularly suited for some of the aggressive constituents of industrial wastewater.

Reclarified vinegar for vegetables

Geest Prepared Foods processes a wide range of fruits and vegetables, including carrots, celery, apples, onions and peppers, which are sold through a number of retail chains. Before the fruits and vegetables are sliced and cooked, it is important that they are thoroughly cleaned and disinfected to remove any remaining dirt or unwanted biological and microbial matter.

Performance standards for grey water systems

The Building Services Research and Information Association (BSRIA) has been awarded funding for a research project from the DETR to propose and validate construction and performance standards for grey water systems for domestic and small commercial applications. Grey water tends to come from baths, showers and hand basins. Once treated it can be reused for toilet flushing and irrigation and can offer savings of up to 30% on mains water consumption.

Cleaning precision parts: from solvents to supercritical CO2

A Swedish-based sewing machine manufacturer faced a problem: the Swedish government banned the chemical solvent it used to clean its sintered parts. The solution? Supercritical carbon dioxide. Steve Minett and Chris Taylor describe the process and the potential.

North Wales project saves £5m per year

North Wales Waste Network (NWWN), a two-year project dedicated to the provision of advice and guidance on waste reduction at source for small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs), came to an end in June this year. Savings of £1,255,000 per year have been identified for 40 participating businesses, with total projected savings of £5m per year for the overall project.

Water awards honour Brick

The first ever Water UK and Environment Agency Water Efficiency Awards took place at the Royal Society of Arts on September 19. More than 150 submissions were received from industry, business, the public sector and individuals. The judging panel - which included representatives from Water UK, the Environment Agency, the National Trust, The Environmental Technology Best Practice Programme (now 'Envirowise') and the CBI - identified 12 winning or commended submissions across seven categories: Communication; Industry & Business; Joint Initiatives & Collaborative Projects; Public Sector; Research & Development; Water Operators; and Significant Personal Contribution.

Waste cut want cut

Richard Burbidge, manufacturer of timber-based home improvement products, has gained ISO 14001. A key benefit has been reducing waste. IEM looks at how it was achieved and some of the profitable, if unusual, outlets for the recycled material.

…plus shoes, floors, roofing…

Typical products manufactured using recycled rubber fillers include insulation panels and rubber mats, flooring for sports halls, shoe soles, carpet backing materials...

Oil from old tyres…

Bolsover-based Coalite has discovered that its low temperature process for 'cooking' coal to remove the smoke which caused the smog problems of the 1950s and 60s, can be modified to cook tyres. The process produces a range of useful by-products, including oil, in useable and cost-efficient quantities.

No min no fee

Environmental consultants Enviros - a recent brand consolidation has seen the 'March' and 'Aspinwall' suffix dropped - has packaged ISO 14001 accreditation together with waste minimisation and a guarantee: the savings pay the fees, or the shortfall refunded. Textile rental operation Johnsons Apparelmaster took them up. Matt MacAllan reports.

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