Cosmetics manufacturer Hegron renews its entire water treatment system. With the new installation, including UV-systems of Van Remmen UV Technlology, they now meet the highest safety and environment standards, while also increasing production capacity. Manager Mark Dingerdis: ‘We can now produce one or two more batches per day.’
Safe shampoos
You rub shampoo into your hair in the shower without a second thought. And rightly so. As a consumer, you should be able to trust that the product is safe. But this demands a great deal from manufacturers like Hegron, based in Purmerend. Their process must meet the strictest standards. And that includes the ingredients they use, such as water. ‘Water must be 100% free from contamination when we use it in the mixing process’, says Mark Dingerdis. ‘That’s how we prevent bacterial growth later on, when the finished product is already on store shelves.’
Preheated before use
Until recently, the process worked in a specific way: ‘We used to heat and soften the water just before it entered the mixing machines, to remove limescale and microbiological contamination. That was done using several small installations placed at different points in our process.’ It was a time-consuming task, with high energy consumption and relatively intensive maintenance. ‘That’s why we decided to innovate our water management. Together with Wairtec and Van Remmen UV Technology we developed a complete new centralised water treatment system.’
Innovative water treatment
The new installation features two buffer tanks of 7,5 cube: one for hot water and one for cold water. Mark: ‘We treat the hot water with a UV system as it enters the tank. The heat then keeps it free of contamination. The cold water tanks is continuously circulated, with the water passing through a UV system each time. This ensures it remains free from bacteria, fungi or any other microbiological contaminations.’ The heating of the hot water tanks is done sustainably. ‘We use a battery system that stores excess energy from our solar panels. That way, we can use the water directly in our productions process, without needing to reheat it.’