Publication detail

Analysis of energy efficient and environmentally friendly technologies in professional laundry service

MÁŠA, V. BOBÁK, P. STEHLÍK, P. KUBA, P.

Original Title

Analysis of energy efficient and environmentally friendly technologies in professional laundry service

Type

journal article - other

Language

English

Original Abstract

Professional laundry service (i.e., doing laundry for hospitals, hotels, production plants, dormitories, and students cafeterias) is an industrial, energy intensive process. Electrical energy and natural gas are commonly used to heat water and drying air. However, much of the energy leaves the process in waste flows completely without any profit. Professional laundry service has also direct impact upon environment. Waste water is often contaminated with laundry detergents and natural gas flue gas is used as drying medium. Therefore, it is an energy intensive process and its energy consumption and related environmental impact are worth researching. This article presents the concept of professional laundry service and main energy efficiency measures that may be relevant for the process. Impacts of laundry process on environment along with financial aspects are assessed in this article, too. Financial parameters of any measure are crucial for laundry operators. However, every assessment of profitability of particular measure has to be substantiated by source operational data. These may significantly vary depending on local prices of energy, water, and human labor. This fact is presented using case study where the difference between real operational costs in three European countries is evaluated (Germany, France, and the Czech Republic). Successful research and development of energy efficient and environmentally friendly technologies must encompass three aspects of every technology, i.e., energy intensity, environmental impact, and financial aspects. This three-component approach and its application in laundry service are unique and since they have not subject to any academic research yet, they are discussed in the conclusion of this article. Article is basically an overview of energy efficient and environmentally friendly technologies in professional laundry service and it must be asserted that it is a first of a kind in this area.

Keywords

Energy efficient technologies; Environmentally friendly solutions; Operational costs; Laundry

Authors

MÁŠA, V.; BOBÁK, P.; STEHLÍK, P.; KUBA, P.

RIV year

2013

Released

14. 6. 2013

Publisher

Springer-Verlag

Location

Berlin Heidelberg

ISBN

1618-954X

Periodical

Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy

Year of study

15

Number

3

State

United States of America

Pages from

445

Pages to

457

Pages count

13

BibTex

@article{BUT100134,
  author="Vítězslav {Máša} and Petr {Bobák} and Petr {Stehlík} and Pavel {Kuba}",
  title="Analysis of energy efficient and environmentally friendly technologies in professional laundry service",
  journal="Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy",
  year="2013",
  volume="15",
  number="3",
  pages="445--457",
  doi="10.1007/s10098-013-0618-2",
  issn="1618-954X"
}