Prokleen saves $200,000 by optimizing cleaning processes

Prokleen Washing Services has eliminated 5 tonnes/year of Methylene Chloride, 5 tonnes/year of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), 30 tonnes/year of hazardous wastes, 550 tonnes/year of process wastes, and decreased water consumption by 5,000 tonnes/year with an overall payback of 5 months. The opportunity and incentive to make these environmental improvements were made possible with financial and technical assistance through the Toronto Region Sustainability Program. Prokleen management agreed to undertake a pollution prevention assessment conducted by Enviro-Stewards Consulting, which led to a number of solutions to address areas of environmental concern. Prokleen implemented the process optimization solutions highlighted below, which are now saving the company $198,000 annually.

Prokleen operates a 20-person tanker truck and bulk tank cleaning facility in Oakville, Ontario, consisting of eight chemical and food grade wash bays. When clients bring their tankers to Prokleen for cleaning, they contain a small amount of residual material, having not been completely emptied at the location of the original recipient. These residual materials were a problem for Prokleen because of their heavy burden on the company’s wastewater treatment system. By diverting and collecting a portion of the food and chemical residuals for reuse, their impact on the system is significantly reduced, bringing the cost of wastewater treatment down by $180,000 annually. This improvement of the wastewater treatment system is a direct result of reduced biological oxygen demand (BOD), VOC-contaminated chemicals, solid waste, and sludge which originated in residual materials from the wash bays.

Enviro-Stewards also identified an opportunity to reduce the amount of water used for cleaning. Because Prokleen utilizes a succession of rinses to clean tankers, the final rinses are usually relatively clean, and can therefore be reused as the initial rinses for dirty tankers. This solution results in a 5,000 tonne reduction of water consumption annually. Furthermore, by using an alternative cleanser and installing a solvent reuse sink, Prokleen could eliminate its use of methylene chloride (five tonnes per year), which is a toxic substance under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA).

For more information on Prokleen’s participation in the TRSP visit www.oceta.on.ca/TORSUS/ProkleenOakville.pdf .

Prokleen’s website can be viewed at www.prokleenwash.com.

For more information on the Toronto Region Sustainability Program visit www.oceta.on.ca/TORSUS.