Car wash water treatment
Get more from your reclaim water
Complete water-treatment solutions for existing and new car wash installations. Improve reclaim water quality, reuse more water and reduce the operating burden of your water system, with more stable reclaim water as the technical foundation.
Reuse more water
Lower cost per wash
Reduce sludge, odor and maintenance
Mechanical separation · Biological treatment · High-efficiency oxygenation
Two ways to use BioSep
The same treatment processes, delivered either into the reclaim system you already run or as a defined module for a new site.
Keep the infrastructure that already works
Many existing car washes already have usable tanks, pumps and reclaim infrastructure. BioSep can integrate additional treatment around the existing installation instead of replacing the complete water system.
Process flow
- 01Existing reclaim system
- 02Mechanical separation
- 03Biological treatment
- 04High-efficiency oxygenation
- 05Improved reclaim water
- Existing tanks can often be retained
- Existing pumps and pipework can be assessed for reuse
- Treatment is added where it creates value
- Installation can be modular
- The upgrade can be scaled over time
New car wash installation
For new sites, BioSep can supply the complete water-treatment layer as a defined module alongside the car wash equipment. The system is designed around peak flow, wash volume, available tank capacity and the desired level of water reuse.
The module can include
- Mechanical separation
- Biological treatment
- High-efficiency oxygenation
- Dosing
- Pumps and controls
- Sensors and monitoring
- Tanks where required
BioSep works alongside the car wash equipment supplier and delivers the water-treatment system as a defined module with clear interfaces, so responsibility for the water loop stays in one place.
Lower the cost of every wash
Better reclaim water can reduce operating costs across several parts of the car wash, not only freshwater consumption.
Freshwater
Reuse more of the water already available in the wash system.
Wastewater
Reduce the amount of water requiring discharge where reclaimed water can replace fresh water.
Sludge & cleaning
Better solids management and biological stability can reduce accumulation and cleaning burden.
Maintenance
More stable water conditions can reduce fouling, clogging and unnecessary intervention.
What limits reclaim water in a car wash?
In many reclaim systems, hydraulic capacity is not the main limitation. Water quality determines how much of the water can actually be reused.
Solids, odor, biological instability and inconsistent water quality can restrict the use of reclaim water even when sufficient tank volume and pumping capacity already exist.
Odor
Low-oxygen reclaim water can become anaerobic and produce unpleasant odors.
Sludge & muck
Road dirt, oils, suspended solids and organic contamination accumulate through the reclaim loop.
Filter and screen clogging
High solids and biological loading increase cleaning frequency and maintenance.
Inconsistent water quality
Unstable reclaim water limits where it can practically be reused in the wash process.
Freshwater dependence
Every process step that cannot use reclaim water increases freshwater and wastewater costs.
Three processes. One water loop.
The value does not come from three separate machines. It comes from designing all three treatment mechanisms as one system, sized around the same water loop.
Mechanical separation
Remove suspended solids, sand, road dirt and particulate contamination early in the water loop.
Biological treatment
Selected microorganisms help break down organic contamination and maintain a more stable biological environment.
High-efficiency oxygenation
Efficient oxygen transfer maintains aerobic conditions and supports biological degradation throughout the reclaim system.
Better separation reduces the load on biology. Better oxygenation improves biological performance. Together they create more stable reclaim water.
Where can reclaim water be used?
The answer depends on treatment level, wash chemistry, equipment requirements and the required water quality at each stage.
No single configuration is correct for every car wash. High levels of water reuse (in some cases up to around 90 %) depend on wash configuration, water-quality requirements, treatment setup, local regulations and which wash stages accept reclaim water.
Undercarriage and pre-soak
Common reclaim applicationLowest water-quality requirement and usually the first stage to move to reclaim water.
High-pressure wash
Common reclaim applicationRequires stable solids removal to protect nozzles and pumps.
Brush and foam stages
Possible with sufficient treatmentMay accept reclaim water where quality, odor and biology are consistently controlled.
Final rinse and spot-free rinse
Typically fresh / high-quality waterFresh, softened or RO water may still be required depending on the wash design.
- Common reclaim application - Typical stages where reclaimed water can often be used.
- Possible with sufficient treatment - Stages where improved water quality may allow additional reuse.
- Typically fresh / high-quality water - Final stages where fresh, softened or RO water may still be required.
Built around your operation
Four parameters decide the design. We ask for them before we propose anything.
Peak flow
The system is sized around real peak water flow, not only daily consumption.
Cars per day
Treatment capacity is matched to throughput and wash pattern.
Existing infrastructure
For retrofit installations we use existing tanks, pumps and reclaim infrastructure wherever practical.
Target water quality
Treatment is designed according to where the reclaimed water will be reused.
Peak flow matters
A treatment system must handle the real hydraulic peaks generated by the wash process. BioSep therefore evaluates peak flow, operating pattern, tank capacity and daily wash volume before dimensioning the system.
Intelligent control. Data-driven biology.
Biological treatment performs best when the process conditions are known. BioSep systems can monitor key operating parameters and use that information to maintain stable treatment conditions and identify changes before they become operational problems.
Monitoring configuration is selected according to the installation and treatment objectives.
Know how your water-treatment system is performing
Connected monitoring can provide visibility into system status, treatment conditions and alarms, helping operators manage multiple sites and identify changes in performance.
Water-treatment system
Separation, biology and oxygenation running as one water loop.
Connected control
The control system collects operating data from the installation.
Secure data
Operating data is transferred securely from site to reporting.
Customer dashboard
Status, trends and alarms on desktop or mobile for one or several sites.
Dissolved oxygen
Water temperature
Flow
Water-treatment system
Connected control
Secure data
Customer dashboard
Monitoring and remote-data options can be configured according to project requirements.
Water treatment, not another standalone machine
Successful reclaim depends on the interaction between solids separation, biological conditions, oxygen availability and the existing car wash infrastructure. BioSep evaluates the complete water loop and builds the treatment around the actual problem.
Modular
Upgrade one process or build a complete treatment module.
Retrofit-friendly
Designed to make use of existing infrastructure.
Designed for low maintenance
Mechanical separation and biological processes selected for reliable daily operation and practical servicing.
Scalable
Suitable for single locations and multi-site car wash operators.
Let us assess your water loop
Four steps from first review to a treatment proposal you can hold us to.
- 1
System review
Tanks, pumps, flow, wash volume and current reclaim configuration.
- 2
Identify the limitation
Solids, odor, biological load, water quality, maintenance or insufficient reuse.
- 3
Treatment proposal
Retrofit module or complete water-treatment system.
- 4
Measure performance
Define practical KPIs before implementation.
Let's talk about your water treatment
Tell us about your situation and we will come back with options to improve your water system.
Or call us: +45 50 26 20 25