Rúni Nielsen on the potential of ECA water and how it can become a major component in water protecting measures in hospitality industry
I talked to Rúni about his product for the first time at this year’s TONIK festival in the Faroe Islands and was fascinated on the story of the Centrego applications and cleaning materials and the ECA water principle he shared with me. It is a rather easy principle:
All companies and organizations must purchase products for cleaning and disinfecting their offices, workplaces and facilities, and in their production processes. Most still purchase synthetically manufactured chemicals which must be questioned in terms of carbon footprint levels in the manufacturing process, transport / distribution, and use of plastic. Looking beyond the carbon footprint, we are mainly interested in water safety and water footprint and I wanted to discuss this aspect of ECA water with Rúni.
What is the background of this formula and the ECA water principle? Rúni is partner of Centrego Ltd, UK, an industry leader in the development and production of ElectroChemical Activation (ECA) technology which generates powerful and safe disinfectant and cleaning solutions (liquids) on-site from water and salt.
ECA water is an old system used for disinfecting surgical and field hospital equipment during wars. It is known to be a disinfectant and has strong anti-bacterial properties, and Rúni used the principle of ECA water first in the fishing industry in the Faroe Islands.
While cleaning fish trawlers in the Faroe Islands, an unexpected side effect was discovered: besides effectively cleaning and disinfecting the fish processing area, ECA water also prevented filters from clogging by separating solid from liquid elements. This leads to a huge synergy potential with protecting and saving water and to reducing chemical water pollution in massive applications, e g in hotels.
ECA water is a nature-based solution for a range of possible applications in the hospitality industry:
- Cleaning: as a major component of water protecting in Hotels and Venues it can be part of the water story in engaging guests in Hotels and Venues. Why? It saves not only on carbon emissions (you can mix the solution on-site and need only water and salt). The water used for cleaning can be re-used as it is perfectly clean and does not smell – so it can be used for sprinkling concrete surfaces for cooling reasons in heat periods or for watering trees and gardens. That means zero waste on using water for cleaning.
- Avoiding chemicals: using ECA water makes harsh chemicals unnecessary, as it is a super disinfectant and safely decontaminates fish and meat production e g in the restaurant kitchen.
- Quantifiable impact reduction: The use of ECA water directly affects to reduce the amount of cleaning products containing chemical substances – they can simply be omitted.
- Protecting Health of Employees: the cleaning staff does not have to inhale chemicals in the cleaning rooms or from their trolleys.
- Less Maintenance: the method saves money on maintenance as it eliminates corroding of metals involved.
- Reducing waste: By separating and compressing sludge from the water, the system minimizes waste quantity and therefore is cheaper to dispose. It also reduces plastic waste from cleaning products.
- ECA water is microbiologically safe – free of choli bacteria and legionella. It must carry the appropriate biocides and safety regulatory listings and certifications in each country of use.
- ECA water is odor-free: When used in the cleaning trolleys, the water does not smell and on top it keeps the trolley clean as well.
ElectroChemical Activation (ECA) systems generate disinfection and cleaning solutions from ordinary potable water and small amounts of salt. The systems are designed for in-situ use, have the benefits of ultra-low water pollution, carbon emission footprints when compared with purchased synthetic chemicals, low operational costs, and improved health and safety for users and environments.
There are more synergies and applications in the use of ECA water and in expanding its options for transformation with highly efficient membranes to restore clean and usable water from different sources.
Read the story of Brandan Hotel in this article – they are presently testing ECA water for cleaning the hotel in a more sustainable and less impactful manner – and what to say
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