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November 12, 2021
In some ways, the components of a compressed air system are comparable to those of cars. There are some things cars must have to function, such as the engine. Then there are features, for example, seatbelts, that are not technically needed to run the car but that are still mandatory – not only because they make sense but also because they are required by law. Finally, some extras are just nice to have, such as heated seats.
However, just like not every motorist wears a seatbelt even though it is clearly the safe and responsible thing to do, not every business will act responsibly on its own to protect the environment.
That brings us to the second reason: In most countries, this type of water treatment is mandated by increasingly stringent regulations – and violating them can result in heavy penalties.
In the UK, for example, a company can be fined up to £20,000 for improper condensate management. And in Germany, the Water Resources Acts mandates that a permit to discharge waste water may only be granted if the pollutant content in that waste water is kept as low as possible in accordance with state-of-the-art technologies.
Currently, the acceptable residual oil content is considered to be 20mg/l, but local authorities could mandate more stringent levels. This also means that these limits could be lowered at any time, which is why the OSC oil-water separator from Atlas Copco puts businesses on the safe side for the foreseeable future.
As an added bonus, the OSC series uses a new cartridge system that makes the units a lot easier and less messy to maintain than conventional oil-water separators.
That means, in the end, everybody wins: Operators, businesses and the environment.