Innovative parts washer improves environment and health

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Jennifer Seidl
  • 97th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
ALTUS AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  An environmentally-friendly parts washer here is getting attention for using oil-eating microbes, which means workers are no longer exposed to the solvents previously used.

The system uses bioremediation to avoid the waste streams of liquid found in traditional parts cleaning systems. Bioremediation is the accelerated break down of organic compounds through the use of enzymes, bacteria or fungi.

The new parts washer uses a patented liquid and filter pad to wash away dirt, oil and other pollutants quickly and completely without exposing the workers or the environment to harsh chemicals.

"The old system used to be petroleum based," said Bulent Uygur, the 97th Logistics Readiness Squadron vehicle management flight shop foreman. "Well, this stuff uses something micro-bacteria based; basically the solvent is harmless. There's nothing in there that harms you. You don't even have to have any kind of protective equipment but unfortunately the stuff we're cleaning, the old greases and oil, has got stuff in it."

Mr. Uygur added that the 'green' liquid is pH-neutral, non-caustic, and water based, but workers here still use standard personal protective equipment. The petroleum products being washed away can be hazardous until removed, and workers use protection to protect them from that.

"We will continue using the protective equipment, because the dirt and oil is the same," said Mr. Uygur.

With the new parts washer, workers use a spray hose with a bristle nozzle attached to scrub down vehicle parts. The water-based "juice" is filtered by a pad in the self-contained sink to remove solid waste and can be poured down a standard drainage system with no harmful effect to the environment.

"The old unit had to have accumulated sludge drained off every other week and weekly we put the old machine in cleaning mode, which takes 8 hours," said Mr. Uygyr.

With the new system, there is no cleaning mode down time, and no hazardous sludge to be removed. Workers top-up the supplied cleaning liquid and change the filter pad every three months.

"The solvent here, you could dump it in the drain," Mr. Uygyr said. "We have a waste process stream being checked and we're going to find out what we're creating here and once that happens we want to push it worldwide. On busy days, we clean as many as 40 to 50 parts."

The cost of using the old system was $350 per year, and the new system is estimated to be $220 per year, Mr. Uygyr said.