Whether you operate a large fabrication shop, a maintenance department or a garage, clean parts are an important component to making a business run efficiently, and standard solvent cleaners can be harsh on a work environment and employees. Until recently, however, there weren’t many alternatives. Now, a Canadian company is trying to change that. And gradually, they are winning over new business.

Bio-Circle, an alternative to traditional solvent cleaners, is a product of the J. Walter Company, a company with head offices in Pointe-Claire, Que. The basic product is a self-contained cleaning unit that houses a microbe-filled liquid. The microbes in the liquid, when heated to a certain temperature, essentially digest grease and oil. The liquid then renews itself when it goes down the drain of the system and is reused when the system is used again. Thus, the machine is a closed-loop system – nothing gets lost, except through evaporation and lifting wet parts out of the sink.

“The owner of Walter has always been interested in the environment,” says Chester Collier, Senior Vice President with Walter. “The idea for this was actually hatched after the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Microbes were used to clean that up. What Walter Technologies did was work with scientists at Bielefeldt University in Germany to clone these microbes and came up with one that is harmless to humans.” 

This has been an ongoing process for Walter. Once they had the basic product on the market, they have refined it ever since.

“Clients have come to us with new ideas,” says Collier. “For instance, originally, the solution we use didn’t work well on synthetic grease or bearing grease. We’ve improved the microbe to make it possible to clean parts that use this grease.” The company has since also created products that can be used in high pressure cleaning and for large pieces of equipment.

Pointe-Claire’s Pompaction is one of Walter’s Bio-Circle clients. The company has served as a water and cement pump distributor in Quebec for 30 years and has offices in the U.S. as well. The company has a large rental fleet and offers services pertaining to pumping and construction. As Ron Comeau of Pompaction notes, his company took an interest in the Bio-Circle product because of changing health regulations.

“Laws are changing with respect to cleaning basins and those that use chemical solutions for cleaning,” says Comeau. “To continue using solvents, we would have had to install duct work, new venting systems and more stringent management practices to comply with new health regulations. In the end, it was going to be cheaper to go with this new solution than installing new venting systems.”

Beyond the payback, however, Comeau is quick to note the health values of the product as well.

“Our technicians are happier,” he notes. “I’ve been surrounded by mechanics all my life and they all have very big problems using all these solutions – myself included. I started having some form of allergic reaction a number of years ago. My hands got so sensitive that the wind on them would hurt. Now, using this technology, it’s nothing. It’s like soapy water.”

Like all new technologies, of course, it has taken some getting used to using the new system at Pompaction.

“The transition from the old solvent machines to this one is one that needs to be managed,” Comeau points out. “In the old days, guys used to come in, scrub a part, wash it, walk away and just let it drip on the floor without too much concern. That was how the industry worked. With this machine here, there’s a little more education that needs to happen due to the fact that this liquid is like gold.”

It was also necessary to adapt the technology slightly to the Pompaction environment. For instance, although Comeau hasn’t had much concern with the new equipment, he did have to change the type of filter used on the machine.

“We work in a very particular domain where you could be washing anything from automotive parts to parts that are saturated with everything from grease to rust to general abrasives – depends on what you’re working on any given day,” Comeau explains. “When we first got the machine, we had problems with a filter that would block. Since we’ve introduced a heavy-duty filter that is washable instead of changeable, the system has worked without a hitch.”

Bio-Circle’s business model is designed such that, if you buy a 205 litre barrel of the liquid, they give you the machine and service it quarterly. “They’ll swap out the liquid if necessary, which I have yet to have to do,” says Comeau. “I’ve had to add more liquid but I never have to flush it and simply add what I need – and to be honest, it hasn’t required as much as I expected I’d have to add.”

The Bio-Circle product is continuously improved by the relationship Walter is creating with its clients.

“We walk through the machine to explain to the client how it operates, and we train them how to use it,” notes Collier. “Through that and our quarterly visits, we get many ideas on how to improve the product. For instance, one client suggested we create a version on casters so that the machine can be taken to where it is needed most at any one particular time.”

Another example of an adaptation of the technology is managing the evaporation of the liquid. Because it is heated, the liquid can evaporate and dissipate through the drain, so two concepts have been added to stop that from becoming a more substantial problem – the use of a sponge in the drain itself, and adding a flap to stop the evaporation.

Over the last few years, the product has been catching on, with roughly 100-150 machines being deployed a month. And there’s still huge potential for growth. Happy customers are helping to make that a possibility. Ron Comeau is just one.

“We are now looking at installing the same system in our St. Foy, Que., operation.”
www.biocircle.com