Recent News from Fibra Solutions Limited
-
News Release - March 2009 – Fibra applies quality management practices to liquid treatment technology
Fibra has been awarded ISO9001:2008 certification and joins the world’s most widely used quality management system standard.
Fibra were delighted to receive confirmation that their management practices conform to those required by the ISO 9000 family of standards which represents an international consensus on good quality management practices. It consists of standards and guidelines relating to quality management systems and related supporting standards and is the world's most widely used quality management system standard.
The ISO 9001:2008 standard provides a tried and tested framework for taking a systematic approach to managing the organization's processes so that they consistently turn out product that satisfies customers' expectations.
David Wardle, Product & Supply Chain Manager at Fibra was responsible for bringing the project to fruition. David said “I am obviously pleased with being awarded the certification and I am extremely happy with how smoothly the final audit process was conducted. It was a credit to the whole of Fibra’s staff and is a testament to my colleagues’ hard work and commitment to quality standards”.
The scope of the audit covered design, manufacture and supply of Fibra’s fibre based devices for the treatment and cleaning of liquids. Core components of which are Fibra’s innovative fibre bundle design and valve housing assembly.
Contact Us for further information.
Fibra has extended its links with academic institutions and entered into collaboration with the University of Sterling’s Institute of Aquaculture – widely regarded as a centre of Excellence and Innovation in Research.
Fibra have entered into a joint trial with Bennex(www.bennex.no), a Norwegian subsea technology firm, and Stirling University (www.aqua.stir.ac.uk), to establish the potential benefits of Fibra liquid treatment technology in the Aquaculture sector. The purpose of the trial is to directly compare the Fibra filter against conventional media filtration commonly used in aquaculture.
Chris FSLinn, Technical Sales Manager is responsible for co-ordinating Fibra’s involvement in the project. Chris said “This trial demonstrates Fibra’s commitment to bringing innovative technology to market. It is an excellent opportunity for Fibra to bring new technology to an established sector and we are looking forward to the results.”
Advantages of the Fibra option over conventional filter treatment could include: improved fish mortality rates, improved fish growth rates, reduction in filter flush water and reduction in Oxygen consumption.
Salmon farms tend to be either ‘flow through’ or ‘recirculating’. It is believed that ‘flow through’ systems will come under increasing environmental pressure in the near future to switch to recirculation. As well as existing recirculating farms, Fibra may be able to bring the benefits of its technology to a new sector and help organisations meet today’s tough environmental challenges.
The ultimate aim for the Fibra system is to filter suspended solids and oxygenate the water simultaneously. The Fibra filter directly removes particulate matter from the fish tank in a ‘Kidney like’ operation. In addition to removal of suspended solids, there will also be a ‘trickling bed’ biological filter for removal of BOD/NH3/Nitrite and CO2.
Fibra is harnessing Stirling University’s energetic research community to conduct the trial into the benefits Fibra technology can bring to the aquaculture sector. Stirling University personnel will closely monitor the fish and water quality. With an RAE score of 5A, the Institute of Aquaculture is the top rated aquaculture department in the UK. It is the leading international centre in its field and is the largest of its kind in the world.
Contact Us for further information.
-
News Release - August 2008 –Fibra’s CO2 dosing system solves Tarmac’s high alkalinity problem at Sellafield
Tarmac (www.tarmac.co.uk) at Sellafield needed to neutralize their highly alkali excess waste water before it could be discharged to drain but did not want to use dangerous mineral acid. The Fibra system eliminates the use of dangerous mineral acids by injecting the water to be treated with CO2. This forms a permanent bond making the neutralised water safe for discharge or reuse.
The yard at Tarmac is outdoors and uncovered. Lime used in the cement is present in the yard and when mixed with rainwater produces a highly alkaline solution. As the volume of water to be treated depends on the levels of rainfall, Tarmac’s requirements were for a system which could respond to these varying and unpredictable rainfall levels. Once harvested, the yard run off was treated for safe discharge.
The solution was to install one of Fibra’s new CO2 dosing systems. The Fibra system is a simple device which utilises a pipe FSLocculator. The use of CO2 for pH neutralisation is safer than conventional mineral acid and is an easier system to control. The pH was corrected by injecting CO2 into the front end of the pipe FSLocculator as the waste water was pumped in. The neutralised water was then discharged directly to the drain.
Contact Us for further information.
Fibra’s latest installation in Ireland has helped its customer demonstrate their environmental responsibility by cutting their water footprint and use of mineral acids. Cost savings have also been achieved through increased water re-use. In addition, health and safety concerns around acids in the workplace have been alleviated.
Chris FSLinn, Fibra’s Technical Sales Manager sets out the challenge and the solution:
The APC (www.ardeeprecastconcrete.com) site at Ardee, in Ireland, manufactures precast concrete products for the Construction Industry. As with most precast concrete manufacturers, water is used for washing concrete handling equipment to stop the residual cement from hardening. This waste water tends to be high in suspended solids and pH, typically % levels of solids and pH as high as 13, caused by the alkalinity of the lime used in the cement. APC wanted to recycle this waste water for further wash down. The pH had to be neutralised and suspended solids reduced to below 20 mg/l to enable it to be reused.
The solution was to install one of Fibra’s new filtration systems including CO2 dosing. The Fibra filter is a simple flushable device which utilises a bundle of robust coarse fibres, which are compressed pneumatically to form the filter bed. The use of CO2 for pH neutralisation is safer than conventional mineral acid dosing and is an easier system to control. Ardee’s flow rate of 1.5m3 per hour fell within the scope of Fibra’s DN100 filter capacity requiring a three unit installation.
The fibres are fixed at the top end of bundle and are located within a pressure vessel. The pneumatic compression ring can compress and release the fibres rapidly depending on whether filtration or flushing is required.
After first settling the waste water in a sump, the suspended solids concentration was reduced to below 200 mg/l (grey in appearance). The waste water was filtered through Fibra filters to a level below 20 mg/l (crystal clear) then neutralised in a buffer tank. The filtered/neutralised water was then passed to a holding tank for reuse around the site.
Donal Clarke, the company owner, described the automatic system as “straightforward to operate with very little maintenance required, allowing us to save money on water consumption.....”
Contact Us for further information.
The best solutions are often the simplest and this has proved to be the case with Fibra’s latest installation in Scotland. Robeslee Concrete (www.robeslee.co.uk) near Glasgow found themselves in a situation familiar to many precast concrete manufacturers with waste water high in suspended solids and pH. They were looking for a solution which would not require a high degree of operator involvement. The fully automatic feature of Fibra’s flushing technology was a big tick in this box.
Steven Black, the joint owner of the site, commented “the Fibra filter is simple, fully automatic and does what Fibra said it would do.....”
Robeslee’s flow rate of 7m3 per day came well within the scope of Fibra’s DN100 filter capacity requiring just a single unit installation.
Contact Us for further information.
