Aquatherm is asked this question often. The answer depends on the volumes used and the cost. Where mains water is inexpensive or a borehole is in use, it makes economic sense to focus on energy saving. However if energy is cheap and water is scarce - the focus should be on water reuse.
For the majority of laundries who are dealing with unprecedented increases in oil and gas costs closely followed by water and chemicals, a composite approach is called for.
Well known in the industry since 1980 for the development of laundry heat recovery systems, Aquatherm took the opportunity of COVID lockdown to address their entire product range. Whilst all of the new systems share the same DNA the all new Micro is a packaged process water system which incorporates heat and water reuse (typically 70% and 30% respectively) and a built in heating system to reduce process times.
Designed for plants using up to 7,000 litres of water per hour (other products in the Aquatherm range go up to 200,000 litres per hour) it’s easy to install and will soon repay the investment, and continue to do so for a generation.
It’s only a saving if you actually use it…
The best water reuse systems recover just the final rinse, which will be relatively clean and chemical free. A single rinse will account for about one third of the total water consumption so all of this can then be used for the prewash and main wash.
If water recovery is from the total mixed waste water, only one third of it will be reusable. The claim is often made that ‘by saving water you also save energy’. True, but only one third of what is saved can actually be used.
Compare that with recovering 30% water, 70% energy, AND faster process times, the Micro is a much needed breakthrough.
For larger plants with higher water consumption, separate modules are supplied with flexible interconnections which achieve the same result as a Micro, but scaled to the demand.
For more information click on the links below: