Background

There is no denying that clean water is the most valuable resource on Earth. In order to insure usage for generations to come, the treatment and conservation of water is of upmost importance. This responsibility is all of ours, but especially in industries synonymous with large water usage.
Ozone Laundry Systems (OLS) is a private company based in Cranbourne, Victoria, which understands the need for water and energy conservation, and has been recently established for the specific purpose of introducing ozone technology into washing systems into Australian commercial laundry operations.

Ozone is an oxygenated chemical gas that is created by applying an electric current to air. When used in laundering operations, Ozone increases the chemical activity of water, resulting in a reduction in the number of wash cycles and in the residual moisture content of the washed textiles. This reduced residual moisture content results in decreased drying time and ironing time; producing savings in electricity, gas, water and chemicals compared to an existing laundry system. This technology has been used with great success in the USA but is innovative in Australia.

OLS’s aim was to capture a share of the laundering market by importing specialised equipment not available in Australia, and to facilitate the design of the washing system and oversee the installation and operation of the equipment.

In January this year, OLS successfully installed a trial ozone system into a laundry at the Oak Towers Aged Care Facility located in Oakleigh, Victoria. An aged care laundry was selected as a starting point because the type of soiling and regulated guidelines for operating laundries is more stringent than other industrial laundry markets. If OLS could successfully clean aged care textiles and meet their standards, it was sure to be a success in other industries.

Project

The first steps of introducing ozone into Oak Towers were to undertake studies of the existing laundry system. This included water and electricity metering and records of chemical consumption and labour costs. In addition, tests of air quality and rinse water purity were carried out.
From here, OLS personnel installed and commissioned the system utilising their vast laundry experience and extensive training undertaken in the United States on ozone laundering. Their local experience and knowledge in professional laundering was crucial to the successful implementation of the system.

This particular set-up by OLS allowed the entire system to be installed, tested and commissioned without any disruption to normal laundry operations.

Sustainability Victoria supported the project as an innovative approach to laundry systems in Australia, and contributed to the funding, planning, monitoring and reporting aspects of the project - this also included preparation of a case study.

Benefits

Thanks to the pre-ozone monitoring at Oak Towers, it was easy to calculate precise savings in energy and water consumption once the new technology was installed. The ozone system provided the facility with a 491GJ per annum saving in energy with a total greenhouse abatement of 61 tonnes per annum, equivalent to the removal of 23 cars from Victorian roads.
Significantly, the ozone system revolutionised Oak Towers’ water and chemical usage and secured a reduction of 1,245 kL per annum of water, and 850 litres per annum of chemicals. In addition, there was also a productivity improvement of 688 hours per annum, as the efficiency of the laundry was increased dramatically.

Completed in January 2006, Australia’s first ozone fitted laundry at the Oak Towers Aged Care Facility was merely the tip of a greater opportunity to replicate the ozone process.

Since its installation, Ozone Laundry system has replicated the process at another 18 sites around Victoria, with many more potential facilities eligible. There are 508 aged care facilities in Melbourne Metropolitan Area, and 311 facilities in Victorian Rural Areas in which this technology can be applied.
There is also possible further application of the ozone technology in industrial work-wear, healthcare, aged care, garment laundering and hospitality industries. This is something that Sustainability Victoria will be looking to actively promote as a way of encouraging energy efficiency, and better usage of our most valuable resource.