JOHNSTOWN, PA, APRIL 10, 2017 -- A green laundry system invented by Concurrent Technologies Corporation (CTC) and Water Energy Technologies will be installed at the Cambria County Prison and is expected to recycle 90 percent of greywater generated by laundry operations. CTC will install the system at the prison in Ebensburg, Pennsylvania, without any capital outlay from county government.
"Water is too precious a resource to be used just once," said Jeff Grabarek, Senior Director, CTC. "CTC's water recycling system captures water that has been gently used and allows it to be reused in a variety of ways, providing an economically feasible and environmentally responsible means to maximize water resources."
According to CTC engineers who worked with Cambria County Prison officials to identify baseline data, the Cambria County Prison uses approximately 16 million gallons of water a year. By reusing 90 percent of the water from the laundry operation, CTC's green laundry system will save more than 4,000 gallons of water daily, or nearly 1.5 million gallons of water per year. In addition, the system will reduce electricity consumption by nearly 500,000 kilowatts a year and chemical use by nearly 40 percent. All things considered, the system will pay for itself in five years.
"CTC's water recycling technology has global applications as pressures on freshwater resources grow and as new sources of supply become increasingly scarce and more expensive," said Grabarek. "CTC has been approached by a Christian mission in the Philippines, developers in Mexico, and stakeholders in Asia and the Netherlands for this technology. It's exciting to install the system within Cambria County where CTC was founded 30 years ago, giving taxpayers in our own backyard the opportunity to benefit from this invention."
He notes that healthcare, hospitality, food and beverage, pharmaceutical, oil and gas, and mining
industries, for example, can utilize this innovative technology to maximize the productivity of one unit of water.
According to president commissioner Tom Chernisky, "This is a win for Cambria County and CTC. The prison laundry system is in use 24 hours a day, and having this technology to reuse water will provide savings to Cambria County."
New Water Recycling Technology Benefits Commercial Laundry Users
The green laundry system is a product of the collaboration announced in September 2016 between CTC and Water Energy Technologies, Inc. This partnership combines CTC's water reuse and recycling technology originally developed for the U.S. Air Force with Water Energy Technologies' ozone treatment technology that was developed for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
"This is an excellent example of leveraging government-funded technology for non-federal applications that benefit taxpayers and the environment," said Grabarek.
Water Energy's proprietary ozone treatment technology destroys bacteria 3,000 times faster than
chlorine bleach. "When combined with CTC's temperature-tolerant, three-stage filtration sequence and disinfection process, more than 90 percent of washing machine discharge water can be processed as reclaimed water," said CTC's Program Manager, TJ Piro. "As ozone and cold water work much better than chlorine and hot water to kill bacteria and remove stains and odors, this allows commercial laundry operators to save energy in addition to water for every load of laundry."
Concurrent Technologies Corporation (CTC) is an independent, nonprofit, applied scientific research and development professional services organization. Together with our affiliates, Enterprise Ventures Corporation and CTC Foundation, we leverage research, development, test and evaluation work to provide transformative, full lifecycle solutions. To best serve our clients' needs, we offer the complete ability to fully design, develop, test, prototype and build. We support our clients' core mission objectives with customized solutions and strive to exceed expectations. For more information about CTC, visit www.ctc.com.
Water Energy Technologies, Inc. (Water Energy) is an engineering-driven manufacturer and turn-key solutions provider of advanced water treatment technology and equipment designed for the commercial laundry industry and other industries where efficient use of water and environmental stewardship is critical to success in today's markets. Our 35-year experience working with NASA to develop ozone mass transfer technology has put us in the unique position of unparalleled expertise and experience. Water Energy specializes in advanced Ozone Laundry Systems for the commercial laundry industry. The Laundry Consulting division of Water Energy has 25 years' experience with every facet of both the hospitality and healthcare segments of the commercial laundry industry. This level of expertise in both the water treatment industry and commercial laundry industry delivers a one-of-a-kind solutions provider to the commercial laundry industry.
