Wondering what topics will be highlighted at this year’s Texcare International? In this two-part series we’ll cover what Texcare organizers say you can expect.
FRANKFURT AM MAIN, GERMANY — Soaring energy costs are a driving factor for innovations in the commercial textile-care sector. They generate new solutions that lower consumption, reduce emissions and in many cases extend textile durability. At Texcare International in Frankfurt am Main from 6 to 9 November, a large number of manufacturers will be presenting a broad spectrum of solutions that help drycleaners and laundries to increase their resource efficiency.
Commercial laundries represent an energy-intensive business sector. Currently, energy accounts for around 15 percent of total costs, with process heat making up the lion’s share. Against a backdrop of continuing high energy costs and the challenge of global warming, energy-saving measures and the move away from fossil fuels are of increasing importance for laundries. Hence, all machine and equipment manufacturers are working on the development of concepts that optimise the use of resources and reduce carbon dioxide emissions through modern washing methods, the recycling of water and energy and the use of renewable sources for heat generation.
Water is the key to cutting costs
Recycling process water is nothing new in the laundry business. However, concepts for recycling pressing water, filtered rinsing and process water and the use of cooling water from the dry-cleaning machine for transferring articles to the wet cleaning machine are
constantly being improved, which further reduces the amount of fresh water used. In addition, the modern technologies installed in laundry machines, such as weighing cells or low-level sensors, adjust the resources used to the actual load weight and thus contribute to a reduction in costs.
Concepts for reducing machine energy consumption
Energy is a very valuable resource for textile care businesses, and this is why manufacturers of laundry and dry-cleaning machines, as well as finishing appliances, focus on technology with an optimum efficiency classification: such machines ensure the best possible water extraction and low residual moisture in the laundry so it can be dried quickly and efficiently. Plant manufacturers use new materials, e.g. ceramics and carbon steel, to reduce ironer gas consumption. They also utilise heat-pump technology and generate hot water by means of solar energy. Modern machines are also equipped with special coatings that stop dry, energy-absorbing fluff from adhering to the various
surfaces. New technologies improve evaporation performance thanks to direct heat transfer in a heated trough or improve solvent distillation by preventing boil-over, measuring turbidity or filtration.
Increasingly, the energy contained in vapour is also being harnessed: technologies such as low-pressure vapour recovery systems ‘recycle’ energy from steam to generate process heat. Special collectors store excess heat and make it available again when needed. Moreover, the energy trapped in exhaust air or wastewater is recovered using special heat exchangers before being fed back into the production process, either as preheated fresh water or fresh air.
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In Part 2 next week, we’ll wrap up what Texcare Organizers say you can expect from the upcoming show.
Image Credit: Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH
