Filtration is a major part of most industrial processes. There are numerous types of filtration, from treating wastewater to recycling coolant. In this case study, we’re going to look at how Interfil’s wheel wash filtration system helped one Queensland recycling plant meet its local council obligations and drastically reduce its water costs in the process.

The Problem

A recycling plant in Queensland, just like any waste management facility, has a huge number of trucks going in and out throughout the day. Needless to say, heavy vehicles have considerably large tyres that collect mud and other sorts of grime. This becomes a serious road safety issue because truck drivers often leave a waste management facility, quarry or other depot with mud caked on the tyres.

As the truck moves, the mud is shaken loose from the tyres, but the issue is that it ends up all over council roads. Excessive mud on roads, particularly in areas near such facilities, becomes a hazard. In wet and slippery conditions, made that’s fallen from truck tyres and become caked on the road just makes things all the more dangerous.

Searching for Solutions

The recycling plant contacted Interfil with concerns over the amount of mud being tracked onto nearby roadways by trucks leaving the facility. With today’s rising costs of doing business, traditional wheel washing systems aren’t cost-effective because they waste too much water. They’re also a nightmare to operate, maintain and clean.

In a bid to reduce expenses and free up staff time, they asked Interfil about installing a wheel wash filtration system. The existing system already had a wheel wash station that could be retained and used. However, the major problems to be solved were water wastage and employee time spent managing the station.

Another Issue to Consider

While the recycling plant itself doesn’t present any significant risk on this front, there is another issue that a wheel wash filtration system solves. When vehicles leave facilities with contaminated land, they can spread contaminants throughout the surrounding area as they travel. A wheel wash is crucial for removing contaminants and pollutants that could harm the environment.

The solution: The Interfil Wheel Wash Filtration System

The Interfil Wheel Wash Filtration system comprises many components and may look complex. However, the system is fully automatic, making it cost-effective to operate. In simple terms, here’s how it operates.

A truck rolls through the specially designed wash station with a corrugated, water-laden surface to help free any loose dirt or mud. Immediately after, jets of water spray the lower portion of the truck to remove excess mud. A sump collects the used, muddy water and sends it through the filtration system. Importantly, dirty water and clean water are stored in separate tanks.

The filtration system itself involves a control cabinet, reaction tanks, storage tanks, static mixers and more. Once the water is cleaned and filtered, with all contaminants removed, it is moved to the clean water storage tank, where it can be reused once again.

What We Considered

One of the recycling plant’s major concerns was the excessive water being wasted using outdated wheel wash systems. Interfil’s wheel wash filtration system allows for water to be recycled over and over, staying clean and free of contaminants after every filtration process. The system can recycle up to 10,000 litres of water every hour and 100,000 litres every day. So, the ability to recycle this volume of water means the recycling plant saves a lot of money on water.

Another main consideration was reducing the effort required to manage the wheel wash station. Cleaning and maintaining the existing setup was cumbersome and, therefore, costly in terms of wages. The Interfil system is fully automated, requiring minimal manual effort. An operator must empty the waste collection bin and refill polymer tanks occasionally. Aside from that, the operation is fully automated.

The Result

The video on this page clearly demonstrates the new system in action, and the results speak for themselves. Interfil’s wheel wash filtration system handles up to 100,000 litres of water recycling daily. For the recycling plant, this represents an enormous cost saving. They are no longer using new water for every wheel wash, but the same water is used over and over again thanks to our industrial filtration expertise. So, rather than paying for thousands of litres of water, they’re saving that money.

There’s also another way that this system has saved our client money long-term. We were extremely conscious of how labour-intensive cleaning, maintaining and operating the existing wash bay was. Wages are a big business expense, but rather than being an exercise in cutting jobs, it was the opposite. With less manual intervention required with the new system, current workers have more time to focus on other tasks. This is the beauty of automation in industrial filtration.

Last but not least, there are environmental benefits. The trucks of tyres leaving this recycling facility are now clean, and free of mud and other contaminants that may affect the local environment. Mud is now processed appropriately, rather than being spread over local roadways and causing a traffic hazard.

Every target was achieved on this project, and our client reports significantly improved operations since installation. If you operate a facility that requires a wheel wash station, Interfil is more than happy to discuss your needs. We specialise in tailoring industrial filtration system to suit your specific requirements. Contact our team to find out more.

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