In order to clean the instruments in its development laboratory in Buenos Aires, Brenntag Argentina consumes around 1,000 litres of water per month. Previously, this involved the use of drinking water, which was collected after the cleaning operations and then disposed of as industrial waste water. The site has now installed a simple, cost-effective system in order to make this cleaning water reusable.
In a first step, it is collected in a special tank and mechanically filtered using paper. It is then chemically treated so that the remaining dirt particles flocculate and the pH value of the treated water reaches the legally required level. 90% of the water purified and processed in this way is used for cleaning operations at the site. The positive effects: The volume of industrial waste water is reduced by around eleven tonnes annually, less drinking water is consumed and the laboratory’s operating costs are cut.