Having an outsourced maintenance and service agreement is a tough decision. But with production increasing and improving – the need for an outsource provider is more significant. A reliable and planned maintenance service is critical. One call can solve many problems, giving the manufacturer a quick response facility in place for costly and timely breakdowns, where knowledgeable well trained engineers solve the problem or work with onsite engineers to get production up and running or a problem solved quickly and easily. Of course the quicker the resolution the more you pay!

New PureCare Service and Maintenance offering – giving customer four levels to choose from, onsite response and capability to service any plant from any supplier.

Puresep Technologies, the filtration and water treatment specialists are proud to launch the PureCare service offering.  Responding to current market conditions, Puresep revised their existing offering and have created the PureCare Range of Service and Maintenance Agreements.

The PureCare range has   four service levels, giving the client clearer choice and flexibility to choose the level of support required depending on need, application and budgetary requirements.  The levels of service give varying response times and discounts on call outs, consumables and spare parts.  Puresep pride themselves by guaranteeing that all response is onsite response.

Puresep have embraced latest technology to provide a better service to the end user. With the engineers using PDA’s, all reports, invoices and orders for spare parts can be made on the move.  Each customer can log into a personalised web area where the engineers reports, up to date certificates etc, can be accessed 24 hours a day

Due to the expertise, experience and knowledge of Puresep’s in-house engineers, any filtration and water treatment equipment can be maintained, whether it is a Puresep system or not.

Mark Beveridge, Technical Service Director says:

“In this market, the cost of having a service agreement is a huge consideration for a company, our new range means our customers can have a balance of reliability and cost.

Our engineers are very experienced, and only a phone call away. We feel that this offering better meets our customers’ needs from a service and maintenance point of view.”

Visit www.puresep.com/service for more information

At the 25th Food Processing Awards, Puresep, the global food and beverage filtration and water treatment specialists, were awarded the environmental initiative award based on the work carried out at Universal Beverages Ltd.

Universal beverages, the drinks solutions provider, commissioned Puresep to provide top-of-the-range filtration and water treatment plant, including; PureFlow Crossflow systems, duplex ion exchange softener system, Triplex Granular Activated Carbon filters, and a PureChlor Chlorine Dioxide system. All of this plant boasts high performance, efficiency and productivity with minimum environmental impact in order to meet UBL’s environmental requirements and the latest legistlation in the beverage industry.

The Food Processing Awards organisers said they had had an overwhelming number of entries for this year’s FP Awards, which made the judges’ job in picking the finalists particularly difficult. But the result was an outstanding group of finalists. To decide the winners, people within the industry were invited to vote through food processing’s website.

Vince Payne, MD Amplio Filtration Holdings, the group that owns Puresep says: “It’s great for Puresep to win such an award – it recognises our commitment to ensuring we and our customers are meeting environmental targets”.

David Parocki has recently joined Puresep Technologies, a member of the Amplio Filtration Holdings Group, as Business Development Manager for their waste water and membrane technologies division.

David will be introducing the range of waste water technologies within the group to the UK market, along with broadening and growing the membrane offering. David will also work with fellow group members Envirogen Technology Inc to leverage the group offering globally.

David is well known in the water and waste water industry having most recently held the position of Country Manager for Norit UK. It was here he helped launch the Xflow membrane into the UK in response to the cryptosporidium regulations in 1999. He has had experience in installing over 70 plants including waste water plants from 1m3 per hour up to 10,000m3 per hour.

Having graduated from Birmingham University as a chemical engineer, David went on to Severn Trent as a Management Trainee, specialising in odour control, disinfection technology and waste water treatment. David became an expert in disinfection technologies as a whole, before moving to Koch industries and then to Norit in 2000.

With a passion for customer service and building relationships, ensuring profitable growth, David says: “it is my aim to establish Puresep as the pre-eminent supplier of advanced water and waste water technologies within the food and beverage industry”

Giles Fawcett Business Development Director says “This is a significant boost in our ability to address this market, which is a strategic focus for the Group. David brings with him a wealth of experience in understanding the available waste water technologies, and the best solutions for our customers and their requirements. David understands best practice and the stringent environmental and government regulations and will be able to advise our customers on the most efficient way of treating or disposing of waste water. As an expert in this market we are looking forward to our customers coming to David for his advice.

1 Could you define what Puresep does in your own words?

In very simple terms, Puresep provide filtration and water treatment technologies and 24/7 expert service capabilities. We work across a number of markets but we are strong in the Food and Beverage market and like others we are riding the cider wave.  If you take someone like Universal Beverages – we provide technology or plant for every part of their production process; from the borehole ready for bottling or packaging. Technology installed onsite includes – Demineralisation plant, softeners, Deaeration kit, PureChlor Chlorine Dioxide, Activated Carbon beds, PureFlow CrossFlow, Sheet Filters and Cartridge housings along with an ongoing supply of filtration consumables and chemicals and a 24/7 bespoke service contract.

That example shows the scope of our offering, however, we have smaller customers where we purely provide a regular supply of consumables, or smaller plant.

2 Describe the founding of the company, and the origin of its name

The company was set up in October 2002. Today three directors still preside and through their drive, determination and knowledge of the market place and our customers have got us to where we are today and we look forward to future continued growth, particularly in light of the latest company changes.

As for the name – whether it’s filtration or water treatment – both processes involve purification and separation – hence Puresep.

3 There have been some company changes recently. Could you elaborate?

The Amplio Group was brought in to purchase shares in Puresep Holdings following the retirement of one of the directors. Owners of The Amplio Group, Andrea Davi and Riccardo Segat have worked with our MD Vince Payne for a number of years and so the partnership was a natural decision. The Amplio Group specialise in investments within the filtration, water and sustainable energy markets and so it’s a very beneficial and positive fit for us.

With Amplio now owning part of Puresep Holdings, along with the three existing directors, there was a name change to Amplio Filtration Holdings – which is purely a holdings company – but within that group sits Puresep Technologies, and the recently acquired Environmental Water Systems (UK) Ltd. EWS are water treatment specialists predominantly across the healthcare and industrial sectors.

4 What do these changes mean for the end-user?

We now operate as a group and with that come a number of benefits for our customers.

We can further invest in and expand our product and services model and can accelerate the development of innovative products and services that help our customers face the challenges that these times are presenting; ever tightening budgets and stringent environmental regulations being just two. Our wider product range will include waste water capabilities and we will be looking to expand the service team with expert engineers who will work closely with our customers on the ground.

We will soon have the ability to sell consumables and off the self items online giving our customers another route to purchase.

5 Could you elaborate on the purchase by Amplio Filtration Technologies (formerly Puresep Holdings) of Environmental Water Systems (UK) in Cheddar?

Environmental Water Systems UK are a successful and growing business. They offer complimentary technologies to Puresep but predominantly within the healthcare sector where they are a strong force. They have over 200 installations within hospitals and 350 service contracts in place. They are very service driven and market orientated. They have answered calls from the healthcare industry to develop specific products and have met these with state of the art and cost effective solutions.

What is so great about both Puresep and EWS is the capability to meet customer and market demands quickly and cost effectively. We have short lines of communication and employees are given the autonomy to make decisions to ensure we are at the forefront of the industry.

6 What is your involvement with the US-based company Envirogen?

Envirogen is wholly owned by The Amplio Group, so they are a sister company for us. They are a waste water treatment company with a strong focus on lifecycle performance – so can tell you how quickly you will make your money back on installed plant. They are based in the US and we plan to work very closely with them to bring their products and services to the UK and Europe. Another benefit of being part of a group –customers are looking at reducing their supplier lists to achieve better economies, being part of a group means we have an extended product and service offering so can offer our customers that.

7 What sets you apart from your competitors?

Expertise. Knowledge. Flexibility

A great  culture. We don’t think we are the best, we are not arrogant. We strive to be the best and do the best for our customers. It’s about the customer and what they want…. it’s them and their products that need to be the best. Cheesy but true.

We have an extensive product range, with internal knowledge and flexibility ensuring our solutions and technology can be entirely bespoke to meet customers, application, and market needs. Particularly now with Puresep, Ews and Envirogen working together

8 What are Puresep’s views on investment in China?

It’s a hugely growing market.  It is said that demand for water treatment products in China will soar 15.5 percent annually through 2012. Filters and membranes will be the fastest growing segments, although all types will see double-digit gains. The pace of development in China is rapidly gaining momentum.  It is something we are seriously looking into…..

9 How important are skills & training to Puresep?

Very. We can’t expect to stay ahead of our competitors if our personnel aren’t kept up to date with the latest technologies etc.

We have very tight stipulations when it comes to employing engineers and sales people. These are the people on the ground, the people in touch with our customers and prospects every day. They represent our brand and our culture. We can’t afford to, and don’t want to get it wrong. Therefore skills and training are utterly important to us. Our engineers need to have the expertise and the knowledge to answer customer questions, deal with onsite issues and make recommendations. All our engineers are trained in an engineering discipline. Ongoing process training for each of our engineers is given on our process technologies and control systems as per our training matrix.

10 What challenges, in your opinion, does the food sector face with respect to water management?

The main challenges include increased regulation and rapidly rising costs, with the three main drivers for producers being to: lower operating costs, adhere to regulatory requirements and to operate in an environmentally friendly manner.

Lowering operating costs and improving efficiencies is crucial for all organisations to remain competitive. But, lowering these costs, must never compromise the quality or safety of a product. Adhering to regulatory requirements can be more challenging as requirements are continually changing and becoming more stringent and more specific. Operating in an environmentally friendly manner is the responsibility of the industry as a whole.

Solutions can be expensive and so total cost must be factored into operating budgets. Understanding current and future regulations, waste-water technologies that are available and selecting the right partner will ensure the most cost-effective and safe operation.  We work hard to help our customers tick all these boxes.

By Jo Collins, Marketing Manager of Puresep Technologies

EWS specialises in the design, manufacture, service and supply of water treatment, water purification and waste water recovery systems in the healthcare and industrial sectors, with state of the art products including the EndoTherm and EndoPure.  EWS are a major service provider with exceptional service and technical support capabilities. Based in Cheddar, UK, EWS has 34 employee’s and a turnover of more than £4.2m.  

Formed in 2002, Puresep Technologies, the other member of the Amplio Filtration Holdings Group has over 300 clients, an experienced team of 15 employees and revenues of £3.7m. Puresep provides a comprehensive range of conventional and leading edge water treatment and process filtration systems. Customers include blue chip organizations; such as Heineken, Diageo, and Britvic.

The combination of the two organisations into one group means the technology and service’s business model can be broadened and strengthened to target a wider market and to continue to bring to the market place; flexible, efficient and cost effective solutions in a time of tightening budgets and increasingly stringent environmental regulations.

The Amplio Group successfully develops and works with businesses characterised by high growth potential. The Amplio Filtration Holdings Group focuses on water, waste water and industrial filtration. The expertise that Amplio Filtration has in this market is based on market knowledge and its network of global management with a given track record.

Vince Payne, Managing Director of Amplio Filtration Holdings said:

“This is a fantastic opportunity for all concerned. We are delighted with the new relationship and look forward to building on already successful product ranges. This partnership allows both Puresep and EWS to continue to innovate and grow as technology leaders and major players in the healthcare and industrial markets.  Further investment means both EWS and Puresep can continue to build on current growth with programmed development of innovative products. We will continue to bring to market products and solutions that customers require to achieve the competitive advantage they desire in these particularly challenging times”

Water is an essential raw material and the quality of feed and discharge water can have a significant impact on the efficiency, reliability, performance and cost to the site. As water and effluent costs rise, the treatment of discharge water and the recycling of site water for other process applications is becoming more financially viable.

For effluent treatment Puresep offer two technologies – Membrane Bioreactor and Dissolved Air Flotation. Both systems treat wastewater, bringing it to a standard that meets legal requirements as well as significantly reducing costs.

An MBR is a compact-build purification system combining the biological degradation step with a membrane separation step. This combination offers several significant advantages, such as an increase in solid contents resulting in a more compact system and a decrease in sludge carry over in the effluent reducing the need for post-treatment.

DAF is an efficient flotation method for the removal of turbidity, colour, suspended solids and other contaminants from water. It uses pressurised air to make small bubbles form. These bubbles attach to particles in the water causing their density to become less than that of water. The particles float to the surface for collection and removal, leaving the clarified water behind to either be disposed of or recycled through further treatment systems.

The re-use of water is a key opportunity to reduce costs and meet strict environmental standards. Recycling and onsite disinfection using PureChlor Chlorine Dioxide is one way of doing this, where chlorine dioxide is produced through the tightly controlled mixing of acid and salt. It is an effective, fast acting killer and well suited to a range of water treatment applications, but it must be generated on site and if not properly controlled can be hazardous. PureChlor is PLC controlled with full safety features.

The PureChlor Chlorine Dioxide system has been installed at Universal Beverages, where the system feeds five points of use – deaerated liquor, softened towns water, two CIP lines and post carbon filtered water. Chris Newall, Operations director at UBL, says, ”The PureChlor Chlorine dioxide system is very efficient for our needs and the fact we can use one system with numerous points of use makes it operationally beneficial and cost effective”

Secondary Disinfection Treatment

Secondary treatment of waste water will enable further re-use within local site processes. Secondary treatment systems include Reverse Osmosis. Reverse osmosis membrane systems are commonly used for reduction of salts in a water source or to treat waste water streams. These systems are easy to sanitise, offer high rates of flow and removal efficiencies and are generally compact, self-contained and can be controlled by PLC. Although the capital cost can be deemed high, the quality of the water is much greater.

There are numerous options to efficiently minimise water costs through the pre-treating and recycling of substandard water. The fundamental issue is to understand which option best suits the plant in question and the financial viability. Puresep Technologies can offer in depth consultancy services to review and assist company’s with their water treatment needs to ensure performance and cost targets, as well as legal requirements, are met.

The environmental impact of businesses has taken on increased importance in recent years, and its use of waste water is a particular example. Indeed, regulation in this sector is stronger and tougher than ever, with many food and drink companies being fined thousands of pounds – and in some cases even threatened with prison sentences – for the illegal discharge of waste.

The challenge now, therefore, is for companies to find effective ways to neutralise their effluent, using the services of many experts in this field. Sometimes the treatment can actually help companies make a profit. For example, Wehrle have introduced their BIODIGAT process, which separates the treated water from the biogas produced very efficiently. In addition to the low operating costs and minimal effluent production, the system can help the company turn a profit as the biogas which has been separated can be used to power the plant.

Indeed, much wastewater generated can now be renewed – a growing number of new buildings have been constructed with rainwater harvesting systems in place to save water. Other waste water produced by a manufacturer can be reused thanks to effective treatment. For example, a PureSec electrochlorination system from water process company Puresep was recently installed at Britvic Soft Drinks. The system generates onsite chlorine solution, which is safe to store and stable for long periods with no loss of activity. Britvic’s Kevin Cunningham says, “We chose the PureSec electrochlorination system due to its high level of safety and efficiency.”

Similarly, a PureChlor Chlorine Dioxide plant was installed at Universal Beverages. In this case, chlorine dioxide is produced through tightly controlled mixing of base reagents. It is a powerful disinfectant making it an effective and fast acting killer. Chris Newall of UBL says, ”The PureChlor chlorine dioxide system is very efficient for our needs and the fact that we can use one system with numerous points of use makes it operationally beneficial and cost effective.”

The obvious problem when it comes to filtering waste water is that the filters can quickly become blocked up or suffer from excessive condensation. A further issue in this instance is that of corrosion of both the hardware and the equipment used to monitor the filtering. In addition, too, the heavy vibration can be an issue and many monitoring devices have to be particularly robust.

Wehrle exhibited an effective wastewater treatment when it recently installed a new system at Dairy Crest’s plant in Foston. The plant already had a Balance Tank and DAF unit but upon expansion the company saw the latter reoptimised to treat the waste prior to entering a new crossflow MBR system. With its enhanced treatment performance, the system now provides more reliable final water quality, with the water being of a high enough standard to discharge directly into a local river.

In addition to the treatment of water the company is offloading, increased interest in health and safety also demands that the water used in products is of the highest standards imaginable. Increasingly companies are using ultraviolet technology such as that provided by Hanovia so they can identify and deal with a number of chlorine resistant organisms that are effectively destroyed with UV. One of its most recent tasks was to replace the ozone-based system used at Nongfu Spring in China for a UV system. Many companies, particularly those in China, use ozone in this situation but this can cause the Consumers demand that the water served up reaches the highest standards imaginable. Increasingly companies are using ultraviolet technology such as that provided by Hanovia so they can identify and deal with a number of chlorine resistant organisms that are effectively destroyed with UV. One of its most recent tasks was to replace the ozone-based system used at Nongfu Spring in China for a UV system. Many companies, particularly those in China, use ozone in this situation but this can cause the conversion of bromide into bromate – and high bromate content is now enough to get the products thrown off the shelves.

UV is already widely used in high purity applications like pharmaceutical processing and microchip manufacturing, where particularly clean water is required, and is likely to become more important in the food and drink industry – treating not just water-based products on the manufacturing line but also the wastewater to avoid excessive contamination of the surrounding area. Manufacturers’ responsibilities mean that water both incoming and outgoing has to reach the highest standards possible. Fortunately, new systems are allowing consumers piece of mind that what they drink is as clean as it can be, and that the company producing it is aware of its environmental obligations.

As water costs rise the treatment and recycling of site water for use in other processes is becoming more financially advantageous. As a leading water process company, Puresep offers several state-of-the-art technologies. For the purpose of this article, three complementary technologies will be looked at; Ultraviolet irradiation (UV), PureSec electrochlorination and PureChlor chlorine dioxide. All of these have recently been installed at food and beverage sites across the UK.

Ultra-violet irradiation

UV is primarily employed as a disinfection process that inactivates waterborne pathogens without using chemicals, where UV light changes the DNA and protein structure of viruses and bacteria and stops them from reproducing. Advantages of UV disinfection include:

• Effective for all types of microorganisms
• Low capital, operating and maintenance costs
• Compact and easy to install
• Efficacy is independent of pH
• No impact to the aesthetic water quality
• Safe and environmentally friendly

A Puresep Water UV system was recently installed at a soft drinks production factory, as a final sterilisation process. Upstream of the UV, the town’s water is treated with a chlorine sterilant, to a prescribed residual with contact time. To prevent water or final product tainting, a PureFlow carbon adsorption process removes free residual chlorine. Post UV, final filters offer cryptosporidium protection before supply to product make up. A PureFlow reverse osmosis system treats the product make up water, to supply low mineral content water for isotonic beverage production, three ways with water Clean it up Implementing an appropriate treatment process can deliver financial and environmental gains, maintains Puresep. with a point of use UV steriliser on the treated water storage tank outlet.

PureSec electrochlorination systems generate onsite chlorine solution. Brine is converted to produce 1% chlorine solution by electrolysis, salt and power are the raw materials for the process. The solution is safe to store and stable for long periods with no loss of activity. Multiple points of use can be applied from a common storage tank, with dosing control feedback via specific ion residual sensors.

Electrochlorination

Over recent years the PureSec electrochlorination system has gained favour, due to the elimination of transportation, handling and storage of chlorine gas or other disinfection chemicals. This results in a safe, reliable and economic method of disinfection. The full range of PureSec systems are PLC controlled and have the flexibility to be configured to site specific process control requirements. They are well suited to the treatment of product water, drinking water, cooling water, as well as other industrial applications.

Puresep recently installed a PureSec electrochlorination system at Britvic Soft Drinks replacing a chlorine gas system. The electrochlorinator produces 36kg per day of chlorine supplying a buffer storage vessel with level control for make up. The point of use dosing system is a duty/ standby pump arrangement with feedback control for chemical injection and an auto pump changeover facility.

Kevin Cunningham, Engineering Support Team Leader at Britvic Soft Drinks says “We chose the PureSec electrochlorination system due to its high level of safety and efficiency, and the specialised knowledge of the Puresep engineers”

Finally, PureChlor chlorine dioxide is where chlorine dioxide is produced through the tightly controlled mixing of Puregen base reagents. Chlorine dioxide is a powerful disinfectant making it an effective and fast acting killer, by breaking down cell walls and attacking bio film leaving no resistant strains. It is well suited to a range of water treatment applications at low concentration, including CIP, feed water, product water and water re-use. The PureChlor systems are PLC Controlled with full safety features and multiple points of use. Benefits include:

• Fast acting killer unaffected by the pH range it operates in
• Hugely efficient low chemical usage ensuring a safer environment for everyone
• Zero harmful chlorinated by-products
• Easy future expansion
• Single reagent storage area

Chlorine dioxide

A PureChlor chlorine dioxide system has been installed at Universal Beverages, where the system feeds five points of use; these applications are de-aerated liquor, softened town’s water, two CIP lines and post carbon filtered water.

Chris Newall Operations director, UBL, says, “The PureChlor chlorine dioxide system is very efficient for our needs and the fact that we can use one system with numerous points of use makes it operationally beneficial and cost effective”.

There are numerous options to efficiently and effectively treat water; the fundamental issue is to understand which option best suites the plant in question, the application and the financial viability. Puresep provide onsite consultancy services to review and assist companies with their water treatment needs, ensuring process, financial and legislative requirements are fulfilled.

Ultraviolet Irradiation

UV is primarily employed as a disinfection process that inactivates waterborne pathogens without using chemicals, where UV light changes the DNA and protein structure of viruses and bacteria and stops them from reproducing.

Advantages of UV disinfection include:

• Effective for all types of microorganisms,
• Low capital, operating and maintenance costs,
• Compact and easy to install,
• Efficacy is independent of Ph,
• No impact to the aesthetic water quality,
• Safe and environmentallyfriendly.

A Puresep Water UV system was recently installed at a soft drinks production factory, as a final sterilisation process. Upstream of the UV, town’s water is treated with a chlorine sterilant, to a prescribed residual with contact time. To prevent water or final product tainting, a PureFlow Carbon adsorption process removes free residual chlorine. Post UV, final filters offer cryptosporidium protection before supply to product make up. A PureFlow Reverse Osmosis system treats the product make up water, to supply low mineral content water for isotonic beverage production, with a point of use UV steriliser on the treated water storage tank outlet.

PureSec Electrochlorination

PureSec electrochlorination systems generate onsite chlorine solutions. Brine is converted to produce 1% chlorine solution by electrolysis, salt and power are the raw materials for the process. The solution is safe to store and stable for long periods with no loss of activity. Multiple points of use can be applied from a common storage tank, with dosing control feedback via specific ion residual sensors.

Over recent years the PureSec electrochlorination system has gained favour, due to the elimination of transportation, handling and storage of chlorine gas or other disinfection chemicals. This results in a safe, reliable and economic method of disinfection. The full range of PureSec systems are PLC controlled and have the flexibility to be configured to site specific process control requirements. It is well suited to the treatment of product water, drinking water, cooling water, as well as other industrial applications.

Puresep recently installed a PureSec electrochlorination system at Britvic Soft Drinks replacing a chlorine gas system. The electrochlorinator produces 36kg per day of chlorine supplying a buffer storage vessel with level control for make up. The point of use dosing system is a duty/ standby pump arrangement with feedback control for chemical injection and an auto pump changeover facility.

“We chose the PureSec Electrochlorination system due to its high level of safety and efficiency, and the specialised knowledge of the Puresep engineers,” says Kevin Cunningham, engineering support team leader at Britvic Soft Drink.

PureChlor Chlorine Dioxide

PureChlor chlorine dioxide is where chlorine dioxide is produced through the tightly controlled mixing of Puregen base reagents. Chlorine dioxide is a powerful disinfectant making it an effective and fast acting killer, by breaking down cell walls and attacking bio film leaving no resistant strains. It is well suited to a range of water treatment applications at low concentration, including CIP, feed water, product water and water re-use. The PureChlor systems are PLC controlled with full safety features and multiple point of use.

Benefits include:

• Fast acting killer unaffected by the pH range it operates in,
• Hugely efficient low chemical usage ensuring a safer environment for everyone,
• Zero harmful chlorinated byproducts,
• Easy future expansion,
• Single reagent storage area.

A PureChlor chlorine dioxide system has been installed at Universal Beverages, where the system feeds five points of use, these applications are; de-aerated liquor, softened towns water, 2 CIP lines and post carbon filtered water.

“The PureChlor chlorine dioxide system is very efficient for our needs and the fact that we can use one system with numerous points of use makes it operationally beneficial and cost effective,” explains Chris Newall, operations director of UBL.

There are numerous options to efficiently and effectively treat water – the fundamental issue is to understand which option best suites the plant in question, the application and the financial viability. Puresep provides onsite consultancy services to review and assist companies with their water treatment needs, ensuring process, financial and legislative requirements are fulfilled. For further information visit www.puresep. com.