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Waterless washing machine saves 2.5m litres of water in just 6 months

by ClickGreen staff, Published Tue 30 Sep 2014 11:41

A pioneering washing machine that uses polymer beads instead of much of the water, has saved its customers 2.5 million litres of water in just six months – enough to meet the daily drinking needs of more than one million people, equivalent to the combined population of the cities of Sheffield, Manchester and Oxford.

By replacing much of the water with polymer beads, the Xeros machines are saving customers up to 75% of the water, up to 50% of the energy (used to heat water in the washing machine) and up to 50% of the detergent compared to standard, aqueous washing machines.

Xeros’ revolutionary bead cleaning system is currently being used by customers in the commercial laundry sector, including Sterling Linen Services and White Rose Laundries, and has reached the 2.5 million litres milestone for the water saved in its installed machines from March 2014 to September 2014.

The Xeros machines work in a similar way to a standard washing machine but replace much of the water with polymer beads which are reusable hundreds of times. Xeros’ team of scientists and engineers has worked with partner BASF to develop the beads, which gently agitate clothing, lifting dirt and stains off the fabric where they are absorbed into the body of the polymer. This approach to fabric cleaning gives a more sustainable and efficient method of cleaning compared to traditional washing systems.

The beads are captured in the machine at the end of each wash cycle and reused hundreds of times. At the end of their usable life span they are recycled by Xeros and used as raw materials in the manufacture of products such as car fascias.

Xeros CEO Bill Westwater commented: “To save 2.5 million litres of water across our customer base in just six months is a significant achievement, and we expect the water and energy savings to increase as customers use the machines more intensively and new contracts are initiated.

“We believe there is significant market opportunity for the bead cleaning system as commercial laundries and other industrial washing operations (such as textile manufacturing and leather processing) look to save precious water.

“Worldwide water prices are rising and water saving is at the frontier of a new technology revolution, with the Xeros bead cleaning system driving the biggest change in clothes washing for 60 years.

Analysis conducted by Xeros has shown that washing clothes in the UK uses approximately 340 billion litres of water a year, equivalent to draining Lake Windermere 20 times, and costs UK households over £2 billion in electricity.