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<\/a>Not only clean but sustainable and efficient.\nThis is the one and only way Ecolab interprets the cleaning of textiles, as efficiency must be based on inalienable values like environmental protection as well as the careful management of financial resources and operating costs.<\/p>\n
This approach has made Ecolab into a company whose presence spans 171 Countries, 45,000 employees, a sales force of 25,000 and an overall business volume of $13 billions in 2013. Ecolab has 120 customer service centers in different countries, capable of answering over 11.5 million calls a year.
\nEcolab\u2019s Textile Care division supplies products, dosage systems and technical assistance services specifically designed to fulfill the complex needs of industrial laundries.
\nA clear example of continuous investment in innovation and customer support are the low temperature laundry systems (40\u00b0C) and new products in the Textile Care Solutions line, which further consolidated Ecolab\u2019s leadership over two important issues for the entire sector: textile care and protection over their life-cycle.<\/p>\n
PERformance 40 & OxyCare 40<\/strong> Ecolab will further address these and other interesting topics in Milan between 3 and 6 October 2014, at EXPOdetergo International.
\nThe on-going development of sustainable laundry solutions that conserve
\nvital resources such as water and energy is of primary importance for Ecolab.
\nThe PERformance 40 program for the hospital and health care sector was conceived along these guidelines. From the year 2010 to this day, European customers have been working with this innovative 40\u00b0C laundry
\ncleaning and disinfecting system. On a global scale, the chemical products and equipment developed by Ecolab for this system have allowed laundries to save more than \u20ac15 millions, 31 million m3 of gas, 325 million kW\/h of energy and 1620 million liters of water.
\n<\/a>PERformance 40 involves the use of a one-shot liquid emulsion in combination with a bleaching and broadspectrum disinfectant, Ozonit 40.
\nThe main benefits of implementing the PERformance 40 laundry system are:
\n\u2022 It reduces washing and drying cycle times while increasing productivity
\nby up to 30%.
\n\u2022 It is less harsh on fibers, so they last 20-25% longer.
\n\u2022 It decreases water & energy consumption; shutting off the machine
\nsteam inlet results in energy savings of up to 15%.
\n\u2022 It boosts cleaning efficiency, with no drain after the pre-wash cycle.
\n\u2022 It keeps fabrics white (GANZ scale of 200 or higher).
\n\u2022 It keeps colors bright (\u201ccool down\u201d is not required).
\n\u2022 Improved finishing quality (no steam is injected in the finishing part of the tunnel washer).
\nEcolab, thanks to the excellent results achieved with the PERformance 40 in the hospital and Health Care sectors, has developed a new 40\u00b0C laundry system named OxyCare 40 for the hospitality market, where disinfection is not a primary requisite.
\nIt provides the same benefits as PERformance 40 in terms of washing efficiency, whiteness of the fabrics, increased productivity and operating cost reductions.
\nThe new OxyCare 40 system involves the use of a new special emulsion designed to remove stains at 40\u00b0C with an oxygen-based bleaching agent.
\nBoth PERformance 40 and OxyCare 40 systems provide even greater water and energy savings when combined with suitable Ecolab \u201cWater & Energy\u201d laundry systems. In the end, this on-going improvement process may involve all laundry sectors and lead to a \u201csteam-fre laundry\u201d market.
\nTEXTILE CARE SOLUTIONS<\/strong>
\nWithin the scope of textile care and with a view to maximizing textile durability while preserving their original characteristics as much possible, Ecolab has developed specific wet cleaning processes.
\nWe are talking about the Textile Care Solutions line, which includes the Turbo super wetting and Turbo super white programs as well as the PERformance Industrial
\nPerformance Industrial line for workwear.
\nTURBO SUPER WETTING<\/strong>
\nLet\u2019s start with Turbo super wetting. This agent was specifically designed to remove the finishing treatments applied to the fabrics during the manufacturing process.
\nThese treatments, unless completely removed, can cause several issues:
\n\u2022 may undesirably interact with laundry detergents;
\n\u2022 may cause general or localized yellowing of the fabric;
\n\u2022 may irritate the skin of operators who touch the fabrics or garments;
\n\u2022 undesirably affect quality during ironing or even after the drying cycle by \u201csetting\u201d creases and folds which are hard to remove thereafter.
\n<\/a>In this regard Ecolab started to research products capable of creating and implementing the processes required to remove the initial factory finishes from new fabrics and hence eliminate these issues to cut costs (washing and chemicals) and improve productivity (work cycle time) at the same time.
\nEcolab developed specific laundry processes that in combination with the use of the Turbo super wetting agent can thoroughly remove the initial finishing agents and ensure the fabric can safely undergo its first wash and ironing cycle.
\nA special process was researched to optimize removal of different types of finishes, such as starch, modified-starch, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polyvinyl acetate (PVAC), carboxyme \u2013 thyl cellulose (CMC) and polyester-based finishes.
\nTURBO SUPER WHITE<\/strong>
\nOne of the quality indexes of fabrics is whiteness.
\nProtecting the level of whiteness means protecting the fabric itself, and therefore the laundries\u2019 investment.
\nSince yarns are made in different countries across the globe, the level of \u201cwhiteness\u201d of fabrics sold on the market varies accordingly. These textiles undergo several different treatments, including the use of optical brighteners and special coloring agents to enhance the fabric initial whiteness level.
\n<\/a>The action of these agents is not permanent and therefore brightness can quickly decrease over a few washes and this also depends on the composition of the fabric itself (100% cotton or cotton\/polyester blend): the level of whiteness is likely to differ in the same lot of new fabric, and even more so among different lots of fabric.
\nHow can differences in color brightness be compensated?
\nWith this in mind, Ecolab has created special laundry processes which, in combination with the new Turbo Super White product, allow washed garments to be restored to and maintain a high level of whiteness. It is important to assess the condition of the wash water because water hardness, due to metals or other salts that may be present, can also affect how white the fabric is at the end of the process.
\nTo obtain an overall acceptable level of whiteness it is necessary for the detergent to contain the correct amount of optical brightener, conditioner
\nand chlorine or oxygen-based bleachin agents. Turbo Super White liquid booster is <\/a>based on an innovative optical brightening compound of a particularly effective optical agent and several biodegradable solvents. It can be combined with any type of detergent.
\nTurbo Super White can be used in two ways: to maintain the initial whiteness or to whiten up older fabrics.
\nPERformance Industrial<\/strong>
\nEcolab provides double protection to the workwear laundry sector: it protects the investment and those who wear the uniforms.
\n<\/a>Special fabrics in fact need a specific type of care. This is why Ecolab created a new line of products and delicate laundry processes specifically designed to maintain the fabric characteristics, increase durability and keep the colors bright.
\nOverly hot water, aggressive pH levels or the use of the wrong brightening agents may cause work and safety uniforms to wear out prematurely in addition to altering their performance characteristics.
\nEcolab, in collaboration with uniform manufacturing companies has developed special laundry processes that yield excellent results starting at 55\u00b0C based on new emulsions and liquid detergents containing special boosters for cleaning heavy metals or salts commonly found in the workplace, and innovative surfactants that deeply penetrate textile fibers to remove grease and oil stains.
\nEcolab designed special delicate cleaning processes for uniforms in a wide range of sectors spanning from the food service to the hospital sector, the automotive industry as well as firefighting, waste collection and safety uniforms (the so called \u201cHigh Visibility\u201d).
\n<\/a>The goal is to clean the fabric without causing excessive damage. In addition to implementing different laundry systems Ecolab also monitors the process: its technicians regularly check the laundry critical parameters and adjust the settings as needed according to the type of uniforms in the load. They periodically test the fabrics to evaluate their cleanliness, whiteness, and wear.<\/p>\n
\nHALL 2 – STAND R01 \u2013 S 10<\/p>\n