One of the major points of water consumption in a beverage company is the bottle washing machine. In the rinsing zone, the alkaline cleaning solution is rinsed out of the bottles in a multi-stage cascade at a quantity of 100 – 500 ml water per bottle. The effluent from the rinsing zone is typically re-used for pre-soaking and/or the washing of crates.
The fumatech water recycling process concept is based on reducing all the impurities carried into the water in the rinsing process. The second important approach involves the choice of the raw water source. The nearest the composition of this source is to fresh water, the less elaborate is the re-treatment of the water. At the same time, there is a greater effect on the outflows in the washing machine which is caused by an increase in temperature and concentration levels in the rinsing baths. FuMA-Tech rejects the composition of the outflow from the pre-soaking stage as a raw water source because the quality of this water is not defined, thus also casting doubt on product water quality. Our approach is not to influence the actual rinsing process which is why we choose the last warm water outflow as a raw water source for recycling purposes.
The treatment process is composed of a combination of ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis together with two-stage neutralisation using carbonic acid. By fitting a UV disinfection unit and automatic membrane cleaning as well as plant disinfection facilities into the recycling system, bacteria do not accumulate in the plant even under super-critical raw water conditions (BOD, temperature). Typically, 50-60% of fresh water can be saved with this water recycling system. The product water is desalinated to a great extent and its quality is in line with drinking water regulations.
A fumatech membrane system is also available for the treatment and recycling of rinsing water. Depending on the rinsing criteria and the use of the water in the rinser, the processes ultrafiltration or reverse osmosis in combination with oxidant degradation are applied.
Due to our know-how regarding oxidant degradation and membrane performance, we are able to solve even complex rinsing water problems (H2O2, peracetic acid).