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Dust and water-free sweepers come Down Under

Mar 30, 2017

European manufacturer of industrial applications using vacuum-based technology, DISAB, has introduced a new concept for road sweepers, comprising a high vacuum cleaning system built into a road and area sweeper.


Road and area sweeping tends to generate dust around the brushes and in the outgoing air from the machine. The Disa-Clean 130 promises a cleaner, high-speed, dust and water-free operation by combining the technology of a standard sweeper with a vacuum and filter technology for industrial use. And the Disa-Clean is able to both brush and vacuum the street surface without the addition of water or chemicals for dust suppression or to aid in cleaning.

Earlier this year, Australian service and equipment supplier Skala, which specialises in bulk material handling and vibratory process equipment, announced that is has been appointed the Australian dealer for the Disa-Clean 130. Skala’s product range caters to industrial applications, which require general dust and waste removal, as well as spillage control and deep cleans, with their units made available for sale, hire, and demonstration.

Skala Australia director Simon Toal told Inside Waste the decision to bring the sweepers to the country was driven by its commitment to provide a fuller service to customers.

“The original enquiries came from our customers who have been telling us that they are interested in the Disa-Clean, and they have an extremely high regard for the brand, so we sought the technology for that very reason,” Toal said.

“They are very well recognised and successful in Europe but they just haven’t really been able to tap into the Australian market previously for whatever reason so we saw an opportunity where we have a worldclass reputable established product that wasn’t represented in Australia.

“They were a good fit and complimentary to what we already do, which is spread across the recycling, mining and bulk material handling space,” he added.

 

How the sweeper works

The Disa-Clean 130 has a unique fourstep filter separation to secure dust-free cleaning through the entire process. This process ultimately cleans outflowing air to just 2.5 microns, with the filters cleaning them automatically whenever needed. Even smaller particles than PM10 are being completely sucked up the vacuum and not blown out in the air again.

The machine also offers a One Touch Command System, which is designed to simplify sweeping managers and contract-owners’ jobs. Without curb brooms, the sweeping path is 2500mm/8.2ft, and with the addition of both left and right optional side brushes, the total sweeping width expands to 3100mm/10.17ft. The sweeper is mounted on a 13-tonne chassis and the sweeper is powered by a four-cylinder turbo engine, which has an engine output of 129Kw/173hp.
“One of the key differences is that it is a dry vacuum system, so it doesn’t need a supply of water to operate, which a lot of other sweepers on the market do use,” Toal reiterated.

“The second major difference is that the vacuum was designed for the really fine particles of PM10 and below, which are some of the standards in Europe.

“The machine is great in highly dusty areas and there are some great case studies of the machine being used on box mine sites, in ports and terminals, as well as places where bulk material handling is done. Of course, there are the standard council and urban road applications, and there is some interest coming from the power stations like your typical coal power plants.”

The Disa-Clean 130 is said to also be very efficient under wet conditions and leaves the area clean and almost dry after vacuum sweeping. The sweeper is also a powerful Vacloader, which is able to suck different types of materials such as water, stone and sand with a connected eight-inch hose.

“We’ve started rolling out the first units and we have units available for you to hire also,” Toal said.

“We’ve started to bring them in and we’ll be showcasing the technology at some upcoming trade shows later in the year, including the Australasian Waste and Recycling Expo (AWRE).

“We are also meeting with customers to find out where they are not being properly serviced now, then we can find out what we can do to overcome those problems. For us, it’s all about identifying where the shortfalls are currently, particularly if some customers already are quite fixed in their current way of doing business.

“The challenge now is being able to demonstrate to the market that there is a better way of doing something, then gaining that market recognition and acceptance.”

The Australasian Waste & Recycling Expo runs from August 23-24 at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre.


Original story was published by Jan Arezza, business/sustainability journalist in the February 2017 issue of Inside Waste Magazine.


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