SIWash - Sustainable and Resource Efficient Industrial Washing

Industrial washing is a critical step in many manufacturing processes, ensuring the quality and reliability of finished components, particularly within the metalworking industry. However, these processes often consume significant amounts of energy, water, and chemicals, resulting in a considerable environmental and climate impact.

The SIWash project aims to improve the resource efficiency and sustainability of industrial washing through the use of sensor technologies, digitalization, and more sustainable cleaning chemicals. Because washing is typically regarded as a supporting process rather than a core business activity, investments in process development, competence building, and innovation have often been limited. This creates substantial opportunities for improvement.

Today, washing baths are frequently replaced after a predetermined number of cleaning cycles, even though the actual condition of the chemicals may vary considerably. As a result, chemicals are often discarded prematurely, leading to unnecessary waste and resource consumption. Within SIWash, new sensor technologies and digital tools will be evaluated to enable real-time monitoring of washing processes and the chemical condition of washing baths. The project will also investigate how key process parameters, such as temperature, chemical concentration, and mechanical action, can be optimized to reduce the consumption of energy, water, and chemicals while maintaining the required cleaning performance.

Improved process monitoring and greater knowledge of washing operations will give companies increased control over their processes. This reduces dependence on manual assessments and contributes to more robust and resilient production systems that can better adapt to changes in manufacturing conditions and supply chains. Opportunities to implement more sustainable and bio-based cleaning agents, as well as increased reuse and recirculation of water and process chemicals, will also be explored.

Through pilot-scale trials and industrial case studies, SIWash will generate knowledge and practical guidance for the next generation of sustainable industrial washing processes. The overall goal is to support data-driven decision-making, strengthen process robustness, and pave the way for significant reductions in the environmental and climate impact of industrial washing.