HYGIENE chemical specialist Christeyns has launched a new technology in the UK to help professional laundries reduce fresh water consumption.

In a joint venture with engineering company Veride, HydRO technology is expected to play a vital role in in decreasing the environmental impact of industrial washing and contribute to lower water-related costs for customers.

Typically four to ten litres of water is used per kg of linen in an industrial laundry setting. HydRO can reduce fresh water consumption by at least 80 per cent. In combination with effective rainwater collection, the technology enables the reduction of fresh water consumption to only 0.5 litre per kg of linen.

“Empowering our customers to massively reduce their water consumption and effluent bills, to save energy and reduce their CO2 impact significantly, that’s what this partnership with Veride is all about,” said Alain Bostoen, CEO of Christeyns.

The joint venture offers a modular system for water recovery, treatment and recycling, collecting polluted streams of wastewater from the washhouse to purify and reuse it.

It involves a closed-loop water supply reclaiming at least 80 per cent of the process water and transforming it into fresh water with all substances such as micro-plastics, heavy metals and bacteria filtered out.

“As water recycling presents a huge opportunity for the laundry industry, we need to redefine water management for sustainable growth. We look forward to offering our customers this new technology which will have a positive impact across all aspects of their business,” added Christeyns UK engineering manager Peter Jackson.

The new water-saving system is a plug-and-play solution delivered in container units customised to target wastewater quantity.

The HydRO technology makes all additional treatment such as iron removal, softening, reverse osmosis and wastewater treatment obsolete. In addition, a heat-exchanger is no longer required as the reclaimed water has a temperature of 40°C.

HydRO is the latest addition to Christeyns’ engineering portfolio, driving innovation in the laundry sector across the UK and Ireland.

The technology has already been implemented in more than ten industrial laundries in Europe and is now available in the UK.

Belgian firm Veride and Christeyns co-own the brand, each having a 50 per cent stake.

Christeyns is a Belgian manufacturer of cleaning and disinfection products for laundries, the food industry, cleaning companies and the medical sector. The company was founded in 1946 and has been owned by the Bostoen family since 1989.

The UK head office is located in Bradford. Christeyns UK includes cleaning chemicals specialist Cole & Wilson, Oscrete construction products, Clover Chemicals and Food Hygiene.