Background
Queensland meat rendering facility, AJ Bush & Sons, recycles meat and poultry by-products from butchers, meat processors, and abattoirs, processing around four million kilograms of animal waste each week. Recognizing the environmental and economic impact of handling such volumes of waste, the company has committed to reducing its carbon emissions.
Objectives
AJ Bush & Sons aimed to reduce their carbon footprint and operational costs by improving their process water filtration system. Specifically, they sought to enhance the efficiency of their boilers and decrease the frequency of prefilter cartridge replacements.
Challenges
The facility faced significant challenges with their existing water filtration system. The water used for steam in the coal-fuelled boilers needed to be of the highest quality to prevent scaling, which impacts boiler efficiency and increases power consumption. The water, sourced from a river, contained large amounts of sediment, causing the prefilter cartridges to clog quickly and require daily replacement, resulting in substantial costs.
Solution
To address these issues, an Autofine AF3-80 automatic self-cleaning screen filtration unit with a 6-micron screen was installed prior to the Reverse Osmosis (RO) prefilters. This prefiltration system significantly reduced the amount of sediment reaching the cartridge filters, extending their lifespan and reducing replacement frequency.
Outcome
The lifespan of the cartridge filters increased by ten times, and the facility now replaces the filters approximately every fortnight instead of daily. This improvement has led to estimated cost savings of over $100,000 per year and has contributed to the plant’s emission reduction goals. The investment saw a payback period of just six months.
“The outcome has been fantastic!”, the plant’s site process engineer explained. “We have more uptime on the plant and a payback period on investment of just 6 months.”
In Summary
AJ Bush & Sons has successfully enhanced their process water filtration system, resulting in significant cost savings and improved operational efficiency. The installation of the Autofine AF3-80 automatic self-cleaning screen filtration unit has not only reduced the frequency of filter replacements but also supported the facility’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions.
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Southland Filtration is a leading Australian provider of commercial water filtration solutions. We’ve been helping businesses since 1995 with a focus on quality, custom solutions, and reliable service. We work with businesses and organisations in Australia and New Zealand to address their unique water challenges and maintain the highest standards.