TINTSWALO BALOYI
JOHANNESBURG – CAR washes in Gauteng, South Africa’s economic hub, are poised for transformation from water-heavy concerns (and wasters) to businesses that implement water-saving thanks to new chlorine-free natural waste water treatment technology.
This new technology used by Ozone Services Industries (OSI) diminishes the requirement for equipment that would need a large floor footprint and also greatly reduces electrical consumption.
OSI’s ozone technology clarifies and deodorises used car wash water which is then safely stored for reuse in pressurised car wash hose systems.
The ozone treatment is combined with effective oil removal so that no smear marks are left on the cars being washed.
The OSI carwash system is compact and inconspicuous and can be placed on any level surface.
According to Len Oort of OSI, OSI’s car wash water treatment system reduces water consumption at these concerns by some 90 percent.
He says the process is completely natural and uses a low voltage ozone generator to process and to clean car wash water of impurities such as soap and grease.
Ozone works 3 000 times faster than chlorine and is 2,5 times stronger and leaves no harmful residual effects so the water can be recycled and/or reclaimed.
Once the treatment process has been completed, the water is returned to the wash bay ready for re-use in the washing of the vehicles.
“Any loss in used water is replenished using stored rainwater from special storage containers before using the municipal water supply,” Oort explains.
This is a far cry from the historic wasteful use of water that is soundingCthe death knell of car washes that do not care enough about the environment to reuse water using newly-available recycling technologies, says Oort.
“Chief amongst the latter is water reclamation using chemical-free ozone-based treatments.”
The technology comes amid several leading South African cities announcing plans to slash potable water consumption within their metropolitan areas. Car washes are a focus area.
In Johannesburg, for example, tighter water restrictions will be implemented in the coming weeks to ensure the city can meet the national water department’s instruction to reduce consumption by 15 percent.
The restrictions include bans on irrigation during the day, filling up of swimming pools using municipal water and using hosepipes to wash cars. Only the use of buckets or automatic systems will be allowed at shopping centre car washes.
– Guardian
