Dalton—J&J Industries’ Aquafinity water reclamation system has reclaimed and reused more than 1 million gallons of water from its Dalton campus since March.
The system is capable of removing dye and chemical additives from its industrial wastewater by using a blend of filters and reverse osmosis, noted Howard Elder, the company’s director of research and environmental affairs. “The past several months have been devoted to tuning of the automatic control systems as the overall system has been brought up to full production capacity.”
This innovative filtration process is an industry first, he explained, and is helping J&J recover 80% to 90% of its dyehouse wastewater annually. It is expected to pay for itself in just over three years.
“This system is a practical and economically feasible way to remove dye and other additives from industrial wastewater,” Elder said. “The reuse of wastewater in carpet dyeing is an environmentally innovative process that J&J is proud to pioneer.”
The company has been tracking water reclamation since the system went live in March. Because J&J thinks a sustainable industry is better than a sustainable company, Elder said, tours of the facility are being offered for its associates, customers, regional officials and even competitors.
This year, J&J anticipates that 30 million to 35 million gallons of dye house wastewater will be recycled by the Aquafinity System—removing dye and other chemical additives, and creating a warmer and more consistent end product for reuse in its dyehouse.
“With the Aquafinity System, we are going to see warmer, cleaner and more consistent water than we have ever seen,” said Jonathan Sierra, J&J’s research manager. “That means we won’t have to use as much energy to warm the city’s 60 degree to 65 degree water. More consistent water for dyeing should improve quality in the dyeing process.
“As a result,” he concluded, “we expect to save 5 billion BTUs of energy each year (the equivalent energy to power 150 local homes for a full year).”
For more information, call 800.241.4586.