Treating Carpet Wastewater Can Save Money

Knoxville, TN, Dec. 8, 2010 -– Water purification company Aqua-Chem and industrial water treatment firm Enviro-Solutions said that a pilot project with a high-volume U.S. carpet manufacturer demonstrated that it is both practical and economically feasible to remove dye and other contaminants from wastewater used in large-scale carpet manufacturing.

The companies said the project shows they can produce potable quality water, and maintain an 80% recovery rate from wastewater that is typically sent to sewers after the manufacturing process, while also extracting heat from the water for reuse in production at the facility. 

“We believe this is the first time that dye separation and water purification have been successful as a one-part process for a high-volume manufacturing facility," said Aqua-Chem CEO David Gensterblum said. 

"While the process employed is a major step forward in water conservation for the carpet industry, it also has wide applications for manufacturers in other water-intensive industries.  With the ability to recycle at least 80% of their wastewater, manufacturers will conserve millions of gallons of water per year.”

According to Hub Brown, sales engineer for Enviro-Solutions, the average industrial plant wastes millions of dollars every year in operating costs for water, wastewater, and water treatment chemicals and energy dollars to create the enormous amount of heat needed within the manufacturing process.

Aqua-Chem and Enviro-Solutions said they are preparing to take the process to market and that their production site is ready.