Case Study: New Holland, Inc. Dramatically Cuts Coolant Waste With UF
Challenge
Agricultural manufacturer needs to reduce the volume of wastewater build-ups and reduce disposal costs of spent coolant.
Customer
New Holland, Inc.
Industry
Agriculture
Product
Ultra Mini-Ultrafiltration System
Business Benefits Realized
- Oily wastewater volume reduced 95 to 98 percent
- Reduces cost of washwater detergents, heating and disposal
- System effluent water can be discharged into sewer or reused
- Simple automatic operation requires little attention and maintenance
For environmental engineers or production supervisors who have tried every other option to reduce coolant waste and still don’t feel satisfied, there is another alternative. New Holland, Inc. of Grand Island, NE is a classic case.
Although Nebraska is known for its “amber waves of grain,” New Holland and the many other industrial centers dotting the landscape of the Great Plains are keeping that area on the technological leading edge. New Holland, Inc. (NH) is a premiere manufacturer of farm machinery. The NH facility engages in shaft work, sheet metal cutting and forming, machining of cast pieces and gear boxes, and the assembly of the finished components.
Coolant is used by New Holland in conjunction with various types of machinery: CNC Machines, chuckers, lathes, machining centers, and machine tools. NH has tried to minimize the number of coolants used and has a coolant management program in place, which includes a Guardian System.
Over the years, NH realized that they had a problem with the build-up of coolant wastes. Their first approach was to chemically split the waste from the coolant and haul away the unusable remains. This method reduced the total volume of waste hauled, but 50 to 60 percent of the waste was still sent outside of the plant.
According to Gerry Johnson of New Holland, Inc., this method was used for quite some time and worked well until they changed coolant. When they began using Cimstar 40 semi-synthetic coolant, it became painfully difficult to continue with chemical splitting. What made this coolant different was that the emulsion was much tighter than it was previously. In other words, there was a closer bond between the coolant concentrate and the water.
In hopes to remedy the situation, PRAB was approached and asked to offer a solution. After taking samples and running lab tests on the waste, PRAB proposed the use of an Automatic Ultra Mini-UF.
The Ultra Mini-UF is based on the same technology as those of PRAB’s other ultrafiltration products with the added benefit of lower initial capital outlays. The Mini-UF systems are specifically designed for small volume oily wastewater generators.
The automatic feature of the NH unit made the Ultra Mini a compact and efficient, turnkey system. It was designed for quick installation, easy start up, and maintenance free operation. PRAB backs the system with single source product responsibility and application.
The impact on the waste reduction was immediately apparent. In the year that the unit has been in operation, there has been a 93% reduction in the total volume of waste generated and a 75% reduction in the amount of sludge generated. Today, less than 25% of the waste generated is hauled away. New Holland representatives have indicated that they are pleased with the PRAB unit and that it was able to pay for itself out of the savings in approximately six to eight months.
