Marquis Associates, 5 Church Street, Old Woking, Surrey, GU22 9JE
Tel. 01483 723176 ..Fax. 01483 757049
email davidhemsley@marquisassociate.f9.co.uk
web site www.marquisassociate.f9.co.uk
For refurbished plating shops and new process plant, Marquis uses multi-stage cascade rinsing, with up to five stages after some plating processes. In these circumstances, the water consumption is so small that further economy through rinse water recirculation with ion-exchange or other technologies is not financially viable.

Evaporative systems are also an important tool in the drive towards waste minimisation. Evaporation with cascade rinsing offers a simple and effective way of closing the loop. The benefit is a substantial reduction in process and effluent treatment chemicals. Nickel and chromium plating are particularly suited to this approach, and the technology is common in Germany, Scandinavia and the US. Several in-house and sub-contract plating shops in the UK are using these sustems.

In addition to water conservation and evaporation technology products, Marquis provides process design and project management services for new and refurbished plating plant. This enables plating companies to obtain the best plant for its capital outlay, and ensures that the installation meets the required specification and performance with minimum day-to-day involvement of the purchaser's management.

A recent example is the supply of process design specifications and purchasing services for installation of a process heating system with hot pressurised water as the thermal fluid for a £multi-million turnover plating contractor in the West Midlands.

Another example is the specification and project management for an automated magnesium plating facility for Ingram & Glass Ltd.

Marquis is convinced today's plating shop should have an integrated design approach to the process plant - effluent treatment facility package. The IPPC Directive will see the end of buying plating plant from one contractor and the effluent plant from another. A single package supply with an integrated design strategy, and a single performance warranty will be the order of the day. Marquis will be there to see that this happens.

An initial plating shop study, which usually takes two to three days, forms the basis for a formal report. The report predicts the expected cost reduction, forecasts equipment investment and payback period, and provides an action plan.

The Marquis methodology for a conservation study is to establish a definitive water balance across the metal finishing shop. Water usage for each process line is determined by using non-evasive ultrasonic flow measurement equipment and other techniques. New water consumption rates are then established and based on rinsing ratios established by real time experience obtained during the last six years. During the site study, the opportunity is taken to analyse trade effluent concentration, sludge/filter cake quality, process drag-out rates and other data relevant to improving the process operation of the shop.

A formal report and presentation is then made to the client. At this time an overall water reduction objective is established set against a benchmark based on the previous six month period for invoiced water and trade effluent costs.

The report defines the capital investment required and the necessary steps to be taken to achieve profitablity improvement.

Following acceptance of the report, the project goes ahead under Marquis supervision. Water and trade effluent flows are monitored and performance of the water reduction devices confirmed. The extent of the water saving usually becomes apparent within a few days.

The practicality of substantial water reduction in the aqueous water surface finishing industry was first demonstrated at METAL COLOURS LTD in 1994, when water usage was reduced by 75%. The company's overall water cost is now less than 0.8% of sales volume.
The well known FROST ELECTROPLATING conservation programme was initiated and carried through to a successful conclusion with Marquis acting as a project manager for Enthone-OMI, the lead company. Recent contracts include: BRITISH AEROSPACE and ROBERT STUART PLC.
MARQUIS' water conservation projects generally result in an overall water cost saving of 30 - 50% through simple and inexpensive measures.
MARQUIS has a proven track record for water conservation and effluent treatment, and encourages the concept of waste minimisation at source as the way to reduce raw material costs and increase profits.
The introduction of cascade rinsing is a powerful weapon in the armoury of water reduction tools. Marquis has innovated a cascade rinse transfer pumping system which is specifically designed for the up-grading and conversion of existing plants.
Web Site by RACOdesign

Marquis is now promoting the use of ANDRITZ continuous backwash sand filtration for the treatment of plating shop trade effluent. Originally developed for the potable water industry, these systems obviate the need for clean and dirty wash water storage, circulation pumps, and automated backwash programmes. The system needs only a small supply of compressed air for its operation. Filtration takes place by gravity.

Glacier Vanderrell Europe in Scotland and Metal Colours Ltd in the southeast have recently installed units achieving excellent results.

Metal concentrations are greatly below 1mg/l, thus enabling the filtered water to be recycled to the less critical plating line rinse stations.
Promoting the POLY PRODUCTS system, Marquis has supplied process plant for three evaporation projects at the hard chromium plating facility of DMI (UK) . Evaporation equipment for closing the loop at the cadmium plating facilities of three aerospace/defence companies are now in operation.