The de-icing fluid sprayed on aircraft before take-off is taking centre stage as more and more airports around the world move to reduce their environmental impact, save valuable resources, and reduce costs. Aircraft De-icing fluids contain Glycol, with treatment and disposal after use, a major problem for the environmental teams at Airports globally. The fast-growing Swedish environmental group Vilokan is now realizing a new milestone, designing, and providing the technology and equipment to the world’s largest glycol recycling and water purification plant. The system at Syracuse Hancock International Airport, which will be owned and operated by Aero Mag 2000, will be the fourth Airport in North America utilising the Vilokan Group’s Glycol Recycling systems.
The plant will have the capacity to treat 20 million gallons of water, produce 5,500 tons of glycol, and reduce CO2 emissions by 27,225 tons each year, (equivalent to the annual emissions of 5,380 cars in the US, according to the Environmental Protection Agency).
With twelve Nordic and two Canadian airports already on its customer list, the Vilokan Group is seeing increased interest from the U.S. market. Deliveries to Cleveland, Ohio, are now followed by a major order for $4.8 million for the equipment to be used at Syracuse, New York.
“We are honored to have been entrusted by Aero Mag 2000 to provide our unique Glycol Recycling Technology for the Syracuse Hancock International Airport project here in the U.S.,”,” says David Schueler CEO of Vilokan Group Corp USA.
The project is carried out in collaboration with Burns & McDonnell, responsible for design and construction of the facility that houses Vilokan’s environmental technology, and Aéro Mag, which will be both owner and operator.
Extremely energy efficient recycling
Thanks to extremely energy-efficient LCE (Low Concentration Evaporation) technology, all water collected from the airport’s apron can be treated, even the flow containing low concentrations of glycol. As a result, virtually all of the glycol can be recovered while the water is treated, and both can then be reused in a closed loop process. The glycol raw material from spent de-icing fluid on the airfield is collected, separated from stormwater, and recycled to produce certified Type I de-icing fluid that can be used again at the airport.
Replacing traditional methods that increase emissions
Today, biological methods are commonly used to treat the waste glycol before discharge to the environment. These processes break down the glycol into water and carbon dioxide (CO2). With Vilokan’s separation technologies, this is avoided, and airports can lower their CO2 emissions, reduce their water footprint, significantly reduce wastewater treatment disposal costs, and reduce their de-icing fluid purchase costs from creating an available supply on-site.
”It’s great to be part of a global movement towards more sustainable airports by working to recycle glycol and clean water. By taking care of our environment, we can also save resources and create a more sustainable future,” adds Tim Peyton CEO of Vilokan ADF Solutions AB and Business Area Manager for Solutions in the Vilokan Group.
Recycling raw materials and purifying water has made Vilokan a successful environmental technology group that also delivers economic value to companies and organizations. The group currently has 150 employees, annual revenue of approximately $120M and sustainable closed loop recycling solution sales to many different industries in 27 countries.
This is how emissions are calculated for cars in the US:
The amount of carbon dioxide emissions from a car can vary depending on several factors, including the type of fuel used, the size and weight of the car, and how efficiently the car is driven. On average, a passenger car in the United States emits about 5 tons of carbon dioxide per year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).