New recycle system at Bentley puts waste water to work

Following a successful pilot project, Bentley has now launched a system that can recycle waste water from the Crewe factory’s paintshop.

The existing onsite water treatment units at the plant use “reverse osmosis” – high-pressure pumps that separate contaminants to help maintain high quality standards for vehicle body finish. 

For every three litres of water processed, however, only one litre enters the manufacturing process, leaving two litres as waste. The new treatment system means that the waste water can be captured and used for factory floor cleaning and ground maintenance. 

Bentley Board for Manufacturing member Peter Bosch said: “Water plays a vital part in a number of our manufacturing processes, but it’s also a natural resource, so reducing our consumption and reusing as much as we can is a key part of our philosophy. The new recycling systems we’ve installed help us to meet that objective.” 

Bentley’s projections show that, during 2020, more than 350,000 litres of water could be captured. It can then be fed into site maintenance use, such as the daily cleaning regime that covers more than 16 miles of internal routes around the factory.

Bosch added: “The project is a great example of the innovative thinking our colleagues are coming up with to reduce the impact of our site on the environment. Our next focus point will be to capture even larger volumes through rainwater harvesting.”

Last year, the Bentley Motors plant in Crewe, achieved the PAS 2060 standard for carbon neutrality. Electricity at the factory is either produced on-site by solar panels or purchased as a certified ‘green’ supply.