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The car wash industry makes strides against the real and perceived challenges of water conservation.
By Don Talend
When it comes to earning a reputation for conscientious environmental stewardship in business, the maxim “perception is reality” often applies. This is particularly true in the professional car wash industry, a retail business that is in the public eye more than most. There is no doubt that in recent years the industry has made great strides in improving the quality of the water that it recycles, as well as reducing the amount of water it uses. At least as important, however, are its endeavors to promote these efforts to the public—creating a friendlier business environment in which to operate.
In actuality, the industry is a relatively minor consumer of water, one that accounts for less than 1% of usage within a given authority’s jurisdiction. But, to a large extent, the public is not aware of that fact any more than it is aware of how much even this relatively small amount of water, if polluted with soap, wax, and automotive fluids, would affect the local environment if dispensed directly into stormwater drains. If the public was aware of the potential environmental damage, it would not wash its own vehicles.
Washing one’s own car allows for such harmful residue from the engine and brakes as antifreeze, grease, oil, copper, and asbestos. Paint and exhaust from a vehicle contain heavy metals such as lead, zinc, and rust. Soap contains phosphates, chlorine, and other non-biodegradable components that are toxic to marine life. Wash your car in your driveway, and these materials can flow directly into a stormwater system feeding nearby streams and rivers. Charity car washes in parking lots only compound the problem, as runoff from perhaps scores of cars finds its way into the local stormwater system.
On a national level, the industry has addressed the charity car wash issue by hosting these events at professional car washes that properly dispose of and reclaim the washwater. Hosting charity car washes is only one measure that owners of these facilities can take to attack both the perceptions and the realities surrounding their treatment of vehicle washwater.
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Photo: SoBrite |
| The reclaim system removes grit, oil,
and grease from the washwater. |
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Photo: New Wave |
| Cyclonic separation reclaims
90% of washwater. |
Changing Perceptions
One of the best ways that the professional car wash industry can promote its environmental stewardship while raising public awareness of Clean Water Act requirements is to host a charity car wash. Nearly everyone has driven down a busy road during the summer and seen students holding up signs promoting a car wash intended to raise funds for school programs. But many are unaware that a philanthropic activity that traditionally takes place in a parking lot is potentially harmful to the environment. In fact, Phase II of the stormwater program portion of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), enacted by the EPA, requires governing bodies to obtain stormwater permits to prevent contaminated waste from being dispensed into storm drains and directly into waterways. Allowing the water to run off from a seemingly innocent fundraiser such as a school car wash is actually illegal.
Around the country, the industry has begun to promote its participation in charity car washes while educating the public about the environmental damage that can result from allowing washwater to run off from the parking lot to nearby storm drains. The industry is following the example of the Western Carwash Association (WCWA). The organization of more than 1,000 car wash operators in 12 western states has been promoting its involvement in charity car washes via its Charity Car Wash Program. In association correspondence, the WCWA identifies members that participate in charity car washes as charity-friendly. The association has also designed a program for all types of car washes.
Conveyor-type car wash operators receive an information packet that includes resources for printing vouchers, good for standard wash packages that charitable organizations can sell to contributors at a discount. Also included are guidelines that operators can use to host the event, as well as resources for reducing their liability. Typically, students hosting the event do not drive vehicles into the tunnel, but they dry and vacuum the vehicles.
Self-serve car wash owners receive a different packet with vouchers as well as guidelines that fit their type of operation. Typically, a charitable organization uses a “bay for a day” and keeps all proceeds earned from cars using that bay, except a portion that covers a portion of the facility’s operational costs.
A third packet that provides contact information for participating car washes is available for the charitable organizations. The WCWA also promotes the program to members and the public by pointing out several benefits of holding charity car washes at professional facilities. They conserve water because professional car washes use much less water per car. They help communities meet Clean Water Act requirements, as any washwater that is not reclaimed by treatment technologies goes into the sewer system and not stormwater drains. Last but not least, the charity groups holding the events can raise more money because professional facilities can wash more cars in less time than volunteers can. Charity car washes are one means by which the industry is improving its image and helping communities meet Clean Water Act requirements.
Bill Sartor knows that the professional car wash industry has come a long way in promoting its environmental stewardship but, he adds, much more can be done. Owner of four self-service Washem Car Washes in San Antonio, TX, Community Conservation Committee chairman with the San Antonio Water System (SAWS), and past president of the International Carwash Association (ICA), he received the EPA’s first Water Efficiency Leader Award in 2006 for his local environmental leadership, largely for his efforts in promoting the SAWS Vehicle Wash Conservation Program. The program was developed by SAWS and the Southwest Carwash Association in response to a drought in 1995 to 1996.
Certification requirements include annually replacing water nozzles, limiting gallons per vehicle (gpv) to a set amount, reclaiming wastewater, allowing inspection of facilities, and hosting at least three charity car washes per year. In addition to being eligible for rebates of up to 50% for purchasing reclaiming and conservation equipment, a major benefit of the program to owners involves competitiveness: They are protected against a reduction in hours of operation or complete shutdowns when severe drought restrictions are in effect. Noting that the threat of car wash shutdowns has been greatly reduced during another drought over the past two years compared with the mid-’90s drought, Sartor argues that professional car washes have been a target due to their visibility.
“Actually, the industry has been a pretty good environmental steward all along; we just haven’t told anybody about it,” he says. “We’ve tried to keep real quiet about what we’re doing and that’s really stereotypical of entrepreneurs: They don’t want anybody bothering them. While we’re not a large user of water, we’re a highly visible user of water and it’s absolutely imperative that we tell our story.” During the mid-’90s drought, Sartor and the local industry prevented regulators from shutting down car washes by educating them about how little water the industry uses.
Sartor and the local industry have expanded their educational efforts to groups such as students and their parents. Aided by a city ordinance that requires charity car washes to be held at professional car washes, these events provide a valuable opportunity to raise environmental awareness, Sartor says. “What makes car washes environmentally friendly is that when you wash your car at home, the water goes right into the storm sewer rather than into the sanitary system,” he notes. “It remains untreated and goes into streams; if you use a professional car wash, that won’t happen. I hold a minimum of three [charity car washes] at each of my car washes. I get to talk to the kids about the environmental impact of car washing versus professional car washes. We’re making a dent in young people that will make a lot of difference down the road.”
For his part, Sartor replaces the wash nozzles at his facilities more often than is required. He is also one of many professional car wash owners who are successfully incorporating water conservation technology.
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Photo: SoBrite |
| Filtration equipment removes particles 25 microns or larger. |
The Real Problem
A few years ago, the ICA published a white paper titled “Water Use in the Professional Car Wash Industry,” the conclusions from an in-depth study quantifying the industry’s water use and detailing conservation measures that can further reduce its water use. According to the study, when no water is reclaimed, the amount of water used ranges from about 15 gpv in self-service facilities to about 85 gpv in a frictionless conveyor car wash that provides a basic wash using optimal equipment and operation. These amounts can decrease to ranges of 8 gpv to 30 gpv for in-bay automatics and to 30 gpv to 70 gpv for frictionless conveyor systems, depending on the technology used for reclaiming washwater. Final rinsing, pre-soak detergent, and wax foaming applications require water that is cleaner than potable; additional technologies are also available to process even cleaner water for these applications.
In the reclaim process, grit, oil, and grease are first separated from the washwater. The first stage of the process uses three tanks: one that separates oil and grease, one for settling, and a third for reclaimed water storage, from which reclaimed water is pumped to the wash, to ultra-clean filtering systems or to the sewer.
After the initial separation of grit, oil, and grease, it is important to address the odor of washwater. The odor of reclaimed water—whether used in conveyor, in-bay, or self-service washes—is a major consideration for car wash owners. This is another case in which public perception is just as important as reality. On a humid midsummer day, the powerful odor of a car wash can extend throughout a large radius from the business and attract the kind of attention that the owner does not want. Potential customers might wonder if a seemingly unclean business would really clean their cars and seek out a competitor without such odor problems in its facility. Even customers at in-bay or conveyor washes, who sit in their cars with the windows rolled up during the entire cleaning process, will likely smell through the car vents reclaimed water that has not been treated for odor. The odds of their repeat business might diminish considerably.
Oxidation causes a loss of electrons, which, in water, convert impurities to a less harmful form and neutralize odor. Typical oxidants used in washwater reclaim systems include chlorine and oxygen or air. These chemicals effectively neutralize odor, color, or organisms such as bacteria and algae in washwater.
Ozonation is a more sophisticated oxidation method that eliminates odors without creating a byproduct odor. In ozonation, water is treated with ozone, a powerful oxidizing agent and disinfectant, to remove hydrocarbons, which cause odor. In water, ozone works more quickly than alternative agents such as chlorine and, unlike chlorine, it does not leave undesirable odors. Typical sources of ozone for injection in reclaimed water include corona discharge or UV light.
A combination of ozonation and coagulation—keeping washwater particles in suspension so that filter media better trap them—is the principle used by SoBrite Technologies Inc. to treat reclaimed water. The equipment also uses a self-backwashing filtration system that filters out impurities larger than 25 microns. The reclaim equipment is sized for car dealers that typically have relatively clean cars and lower volumes and self-service and in-bay washes up to high-volume commercial conveyor systems.
Another method of reclaiming water for car washes is New Wave Industry’s Pur-Clean, combining cyclonic separation and air sparging, demonstrated by the latter process, oxygen is injected into the washwater stream, precluding the growth of odor-causing bacteria. The manufacturer’s Flood Series reclaims 60% to 65% of washwater and suits low-volume applications such as car dealerships where perhaps 50 to 75 cars are cleaned daily; dirt loads are lower than in retail-type washes and fewer chemicals are present that require processing.
Pur-Clean’s Pro Series uses high-intensity cyclonic separation to reclaim up to 90% of the washwater volume in higher-volume applications such as gas stations and conveyor car washes up to fleet operations in which up to 5,000 vehicles are washed daily. Dirt loads are much higher, more chemicals are involved in the washing processes, and washwater volumes are proportional to vehicle volumes, increasing the importance of sewer bill savings and water conservation. This series also utilizes variable-frequency-drive technology that is designed to yield energy savings during off-peak-volume periods and programmable logic controllers that allow user-friendly, centralized control and monitoring for a gas station attendant.
Even though they are not primarily used to reclaim washwater, membrane filtration or ion removal treatment processes such as distillation, de-ionization, and reverse osmosis (RO) are used for multiple processes in the car wash industry. Potable water, though relatively clean, can be high in total dissolved solids (TDS) that would otherwise cause spotting. RO-treated water (permeate) and RO reject water (concentrate) are used in the spot-free rinse and presoak foaming applications, respectively, in which the water must be ultra-clean to prevent spotting.
Distillation is not commonly used because boiling water and condensing the steam is usually cost-prohibitive. De-ionization requires onsite storage of considerable volumes of muriatic acid and caustic soda that are highly alkaline and acidic, creating safety concerns.
That leaves RO as, by far, the most common method used to generate ultra-clean water for these applications. Depending on the potable water source, the water might be pre-filtered to remove larger particles. An activated carbon filter removes chlorine, which reduces the effectiveness of the main component in the RO process—a filtering membrane—by oxidizing it and opening up the microscopic pores. A pressure pump sized to the car wash operation forces the feed water through the membrane at a pressure that corresponds to the water’s TDS level. Water particles break down at the membrane surface and recollect on the other side minus the TDS.
The cost burden of using reclaim and final-rinse purification equipment varies, depending on whether the installation takes place in new construction or a retrofit. Generally speaking, the installation of this equipment itself is less costly in new construction than in a retrofit. Costs in retrofitting include design, permits, electrical, and re-plumbing. Some concrete cutting might be necessary to install reclaim tanks below grade, if conditions dictate.
Communications specialist Don Talend resides in West Dundie, IL.
OW - May/June 2007 |
