Lowering Washroom Costs Chemicals and Energy

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Lowering Washroom Costs Chemicals and Energy

• Steven J. Tinker
• sjtinker_at_gurtler.com

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Energy Considerations

• Water Heating
• One BTU equals the energy required to raise the
  temperature of one pound of water one degree
  Fahrenheit.
• One gallon of water weighs 8.34 pounds.

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Energy Considerations

• Assume incoming water temperature is 60F and you
  raise the temperature to 160F for a 100F
  temperature rise.
• BTUs required to heat 100,000 gallons 100F
• 83.4 million BTUs

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Energy Considerations

• One cubic foot of natural gas delivers 1,031
  BTUs.
• A therm is 100,000 BTUs.
• One hundred cubic feet of natural gas (ccf)
  delivers just over one therm of energy (103,100
  BTUs).
• Check with your naturals gas supplier for the
  price per ccf.

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Energy Considerations

• Boiler Efficiency If your boiler is 80
  efficient, adjust your calculations.
• 100,000 gallons of water, 100F temperature rise,
  80 efficiency
• 104,250,000 BTUs
• 1,042 therms
• 1,011 ccf natural gas
• In Illinois _at_ 0.62/therm 646 cost

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Water Conservation

• Saving hot water saves energy.
• Audit your wash formulae to make sure there is no
  wasted water usage.
• Eliminate extra flushes.
• Make sure wash and rinse levels are correct.
• Make sure level controls are accurate and
  reliable.

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Loading Guidelines

• Weighing
• Clean, dry weight vs. soiled weight
• Machine types
• Open pocket vs. split pocket
• Tunnels vs. washer-extractors
• Fabrics

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Sorting

• Match the process to the special requirements of
  the classification
• Maximize soil removal while minimizing textile
  degradation
• Cost effective use of chemistry, energy, time,
  water and equipment

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Water Conservation

• Load sizes Increasing load sizes by 5
  decreases overall water consumption by 5.
• May require slightly longer wash times and more
  chemistry.
• Establish Standards for loading, and make sure
  that they are followed.
• Underloading can waste tremendous amounts of
  water.

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Soil Sorting

• Soil Levels
• Very light, light, medium, heavy, extra heavy
• Special soil classifications blood, grease, ink
• Colors
• Colorfastness, bleaching, dye transfer
• Fabric types
• Cotton vs. polyester

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Water Conservation

• Sorting Consider creation of new sort classes
  to save water and chemical consumption.
• Create a very low soil formula with minimal
  water, energy and chemical consumption.
• Create and extra heavy soil class to limit the
  use of water, energy and chemical use.

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Water Chemistry

• Water Hardness Calcium and magnesium carbonate,
  dissolved in water
• Grains per Gallon (gpg) measurement of the
  degree of hardness, 1 gpg 17.1 mg/l CaCO3

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Water Hardness, CaCO3
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Water Treatment

• Softening Recommended for hardness over 4 gpg
• Ion-exchange, resin-based softeners
• Exchanges two sodium ions for one calcium or
  magnesium ion
• Sodium salts are soluble do not interfere with
  laundering or with boilers, hot water heaters,
  etc.

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Water Treatment

• Softening saves chemical costs and potentially
  water and energy.
• Better washing and/or lower chemical use.
• Potentially lower temperature and/or less water
  usage.

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Basic Washing Process

• Methods of cleaning
• Diluting
• Wetting
• Neutralizing
• Dissolving
• Saponifying

• Emulsifying
• Deflocculating
• Oxidizing
• Reducing
• Antiredeposition

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Standard Laundry Process

• Time
• Temperature
• Mechanical Action
• Chemical Action

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Low Temperature Laundering

• Basic Rule of Chemistry
• The speed of a chemical reaction doubles for
  every 10C (18F) increase in temperature.
• Conversely, the speed of a chemical reaction
  decreases by 50 for every 10C decrease in
  temperature.

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Formula Modifications

• Temperature decreases to save energy have to be
  compensated for
• Increased wash times.
• Increase mechanical action.
• Increased chemistry.

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Low Temperatures and Surfactant Technology

• Surfactants Surface Active Agents
• Emulsifies oils and greases
• Work best near their cloud point or the
  temperature at which they become insoluble.
• Unlike other chemicals most nonionic surfactants
  are less soluble as the temperature rises.

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Textile Considerations

• Polyester vs. Cotton
• Absorbency factors Cotton is much more
  absorbent, and thus requires more water and
  rinsing.
• Extraction efficiency
• Drying efficiency

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Textile Considerations

• Polyester
• Soils Polyester has high affinity for oils and
  greases.
• Temperatures over 160F are not recommended.
• Soil release finishes spun polyester.
• Newest technology is much improved.

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Drying Efficiency

• Drying energy is extremely high.
• Consider this
• 1 BTU required to raise 1 pound of water 1 degree
  F. To heat one pound of water from 100F to 212F
  requires 112 BTUs.
• To convert liquid water at 212F to steam at
  212F requires 980 BTUs of energy.
• A factor of 8.75 times more energy!

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Extraction Efficiency

• Remove as much water from the fabric as practical
  to maximize drying energy savings.
• Final rinse temperature is a critical factor.
• Warmer water extracts better.

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Extraction Efficiency

• Warmer water extracts better.
• Lower surface tension
• Water wont cling to fabric
• 140F is best for extraction efficiency
• Handling issues
• DO NOT extract cold fabric

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Extraction Efficiency

• Test in your facility
• Weigh clean dry fabric in net bag before washing
  and immediately after extraction.
• Calculate water retention.
• Try different fabrics.
• Try different temperatures.

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Drying Energy

• Assume 100,000 gallons of water processes 35,000
  lbs. of fabric.
• Assume 35,000 lbs. retains 20 water after
  extraction, or 7000 lbs. of water.
• Energy required to evaporate 7,000 lbs. water

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Drying Energy

• Energy required to evaporate 7,000 lbs. water
• (7,000 x 112 BTU) (7000 x 980 BTU)
• 7.64MM BTU
• or 76.4 Therms
• Dryer efficiency factor ???

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Open Discussion Review
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Lowering Washroom Costs Chemicals and Energy

• Steven J. Tinker
• sjtinker_at_gurtler.com