WATER treatment specialist Siltbuster has launched a machine, the Siltbuster pHD, intended to handle the problem of concrete washwater disposal.
Since the release of the Environment Agency’s regulatory position statement on concrete washwater, contractors have had to take care when disposing of wastewater generated during concreting works.
The new unit has been developed to address this. Smaller than Siltbuster’s other units, making it much cheaper to move from site to site, and with consumable costs that are claimed to be almost 80% lower than competitor products, the Siltbuster pHD is ideal for keeping both small and large construction sites compliant.
It can be used with existing concrete washout skips. Siltbuster says it employs a “unique, compact, rapidly deployable carbon dioxide pH adjustment system” that works by bubbling micro fine bubbles of CO2 gas through the concrete washwater which dissolve and in turn reduce the pH.
A host of benefits are claimed for this process, compared to alternative options. For one thing, it avoids the health and safety risks associated with handling acids. Unlike approaches that use mineral acid, this one does not increase the chloride or sulphate concentrations. And unlike citric acid, it does not increase the Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD). There is also the fact that it uses commercially available cylinders of carbon dioxide, which can simply be returned to the supplier at the end of the job. Siltbuster also says it is up to 80% cheaper than mineral or citric/fruit acid options.
