How to save money every year by installing an Xtract Glaze Reclamation System
Many sanitaryware manufacturers around the world are using Xtract’s advanced technology to meet the highest of process standards and efficiencies. They are consistently enjoying significant cost savings due to the recovery of glaze from their manufacturing process and contributing ultimately to a ‘zero waste policy’.
The Xtract Glaze Reclamation System extracts water from a dilute glaze slurry to produce a consistent high density glaze which is then re-used within the operation. An important aspect of the Xtract technology is to retain the particle size distribution and density such that the reclaimed glaze is identical to that of the virgin material and can therefore be simply blended prior to re-use, a major benefit to the manufacturing process.
Overview
Glaze is a clay and silica based material which is processed on site from a mixture of mineral raw materials and water. The fired glaze is the glossy hygienic surface of sanitaryware which also provides the final colour. The glaze slurry is applied to the dry clay sanitaryware using manual, electro-static or robotic spraying lines. As a result, the glaze is lost during the spraying process in the form of overspray. It is this overspray that is collected and processed by the Xtract system to achieve a zero waste objective.
Prior to the installation of an Xtract system, manual operatives would be deployed to scrape down the primary glaze from the sides of the spray booths and collect it into tubs or trays for reuse – an inefficient operation with health, safety and cost concerns.
With this manual method, it is only possible to reclaim the high-density portion of the recovered glaze, the low density spectrum is lost. However, an Xtract system also captures and retains the lower density glaze washings from glaze prep, the spray booth water curtains, the ventilation systems and the wash water from the equipment between shifts. This lower density slurry contains significant quantities of glaze particles which would normally be channelled into the site internal drains for processing by the waste water treatment plant, a significant loss and cost to the business, unless an Xtract system is utilised.
By installing an Xtract system, it is now possible to achieve significant cost savings of glaze, process quality water and a reduced demand on the waste water system. The water obtained from an Xtract system is of sufficient quality to be re-used in the manufacturing process before discharge to a municipal drain or river outlet.