Cosmetics and detergents

Purifying wastewater from cosmetics and detergent applications is essential to protect aquatic life, preserve the human food chain, and maintain the beauty of Europe’s waterways. Compounds commonly found in this type of wastewater include parabens, microplastics, lead, sulfates, surfactants and foaming agents. Some are known to accumulate in the environment, such as the preservative butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) used in moisturisers, and the antibacterial triclosan found in laundry detergents. Some are also odorous. Together, these compounds are measured as chemical oxygen demand (COD). Desotec’s mobile sustainable filters bring down COD levels, working either as a standalone technology or in combination with other techniques as a pre-treatment or polishing step. After filtration, water is safe for discharge to municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), saving your company the cost of specialist disposal. To boost sustainability and cost-effectiveness further, the purified water may also be reused for your industrial processes (e.g., cooling, washing, etc.).

The manufacture of many cosmetics and detergents also produces air emissions that require treatment. Perfumes, deodorants, and hair sprays are among the beauty products that emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) during manufacture and application. Desotec’s mobile filters are the simple and sustainable answer, reducing VOCs to protect air quality. Our full-service solution includes purification needs analysis, helping you put the optimal filtration set-up in place.

While fragrances for cosmetics are generally enjoyable at a low level, they can be overwhelming at very high concentrations. Desotec filters treat these odorous molecules, ensuring that your site is a pleasant place to work and maintaining good relations with your local community.

Besides making human skin look perfect, cosmetics must be perfectly safe on human skin. So, it’s vital that all products used in cosmetics meet stringent purity standards. Desotec’s activated carbon filters remove impurities in process liquids, such as unwanted colours, odours, or potentially harmful compounds. A typical example is glycerin, which is derived from vegetable oils. During purification, Desotec’s filters remove colours and odours to create pharmaceutical grade glycerin. As our filters are mobile and supplied on a rental basis, they are ideal for temporary problems as well as long-term usage.