Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 25th July 2024 Issue no. 1124
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Christeyns launches enzyme technology to reduce wastewater costs
Christeyns, manufacturer of detergents and disinfectants for industrial laundries in Europe and across the world, has launched EPIC, an innovative detergent system. EPIC, Enzymatic Process Innovation by Christeyns, is based on enzyme technology that allows laundries to reduce their wastewater costs by 25%.
"Industrial laundries are facing several water challenges: the cost and availability of water, the cost of discharging wastewater and ever-stricter environmental regulations concerning its discharge,” notes Alain Bostoen, CEO of Christeyns. “With EPIC, we can help laundries meet discharge standards and reduce wastewater costs. Currently, the technology is already being used in more than 10 European laundries."
It is surfactants that give a detergent its cleaning properties. However, these components have a negative impact on wastewater quality. Thanks to the EPIC detergent system, these surfactants are reduced by 50% and supplemented by biological enzymes. This reduces the wastewater load by 20-30%, providing substantial savings for laundries.
Enzymes have been used in textile care for many years. Their catalytic properties act as an accelerator on certain chemical reactions. So, what makes EPIC so innovative?
Olivier Mareau, application manager and EPIC project manager, explains: "EPIC is a flexible detergent system in which the enzyme mixtures are created and dosed according to the stain. These unique mixtures are dosed in the washing process separately from the adapted, enzyme-compatible detergent. So, it is not a standard all-in-one detergent.
Because we target stains, only a low dose of the mixture is needed for the desired effect. In a standard laundry process for hotel linen, two to four grams of detergent are dosed per kilogram of linen. With EPIC, this quantity is reduced to less than 0.9 grams."
Working with enzymes requires expertise. In early 2019, Christeyns' R&D department and corporate application team started developing the EPIC detergent system. These EPIC mixtures are produced on site at the customer's premises to be dosed very precisely and safely, directly into the wash process. This is done by means of a high-tech, in-house developed unit, EPIX, that doses from 0.05 grams per kilogram of textile.
Because enzymes are biological in origin and due to the low dosages, the carbon footprint is up to 20% lower compared to a standard washing process. This is further reduced as both transport and storage requirements are minimised.
Justin Kerslake, commercial director, Christeyns UK says: "Polluting water as little as possible and reusing it as much as possible are the key objectives in our sustainable water management goals. We are excited to offer our customers in the UK this revolutionary new technology, to take them one step further in meeting their sustainable targets.
This follows the launch last year of HydRO for laundries a joint venture with the Belgian company Veride to help laundries reduce fresh water consumption.
Christeyns is a Belgian manufacturer of cleaning and disinfection products for, among others, laundries, the food industry, cleaning companies and the medical sector. The head office is located in Ghent and the company has 17 production sites spread over 11 countries as well as subsidiaries in 31 countries, serving customers in over 50 countries. More than 1,000 people work for the company worldwide. In 2021, Christeyns' turnover amounted to EUR 287 million. The company was founded in 1946 and has been owned by the Bostoen family since 1989.
16th June 2022