The issues related to water shortages in laundry industry urges many business owners to spin to a water-saving practice. The industry is also under pressure to cut the use of water as a way to minimize its environment impacts. Is it possible to realize a water-efficient laundry industry? Padraig Belton, a contributor of Forbes, cited a story on Charl de Beer, who owned a laundry business.
Charl de Beer ran a linen-renting business immediately after moving to Cape Town, South Africa. Of course, the business is closely associated with water consumption. When Cape Town was under water shortage crisis, his business was in danger of bankruptcy. The water costs increased dramatically.
A Technology to Realize a Water-Efficient Laundry Industry
Charl de Beer did not give up. He came up with a smart solution by applying a new technology. Hi idea was to change water with polymer beads. It was expected to reduce water consumption by up to 80%. Fortunately, specially designed washing machine had been available for the new methods. It was Hydrofinity produced by the British tech firm – Xeros. The technology was resulting from a scientific research conducted by a team of professionals at UK’s University of Leeds.
Why using nylon polymers to replace water? The reason is simple. It has natural characteristics to attract stains. When cycled in laundry machine, it can replace most water while removing the stains perfectly. A lecturer of textile chemistry at the University of Leeds – Stephen Burkinshaw – justified the benefits of nylon polymers as a solution to create a water-efficient laundry industry.
Xeros is currently working to meet the licensing procedures for the washing machine to 7 global washing machine manufacturers. The main targets of the washing machine are water-intensive businesses like hotels, hospitals, and caterers. These businesses do a lot of laundry.
How Hydrofinity Works for a Water-Efficient Laundry Industry
You may wonder how Hydrofinity works to create water-efficient laundry industry. The key is XOrbs. They are small polymer spheres that work with some water and detergent. When you put the laundry into the machine, it will add about 23.000 XOrbs. These small spheres will work to absorb stains. When done, the XOrbs get collected on their own for being reused in the next washing cycle.
The technology can save substantial water costs. For household scale, the saving is about 50%, and for industrial scale, it can reduce water consumption by up to 80%. Imagine how much it can save if a single industrial-sized washing machine with a capacity of 25 kg can run up to 14 cycles a day! A single machine can save up to 2 million liters of water a year.
Of course, Hydrofinity seems to be promising for a water-efficient laundry industry, despite other inventions that hardly use any water for washing cycle. For instance, Unilever has actually invented a new technology called Day2. This invention works like dry shampoo, as it refreshes the clothes, which have laid on the chair for days, as long as they are not dirty. Instead of washing the clothes, spraying them with Day2 saves more liters of water.