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NEW: Accepta's On-Line Technical Advice Centre

To enhance the already high levels of service and support we provide to our customers and partners, Accepta's technical support team have recently introduced an on-line Technical Advice Centre. If you have a question or problem that relates to water treatment, water hygiene, testing or specific product applications simply e-mail our team of experts at advice@accepta.com or visit our on-line advice centre.

We look forward to hearing from you.

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SARS: Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)?
A: SARS is the term being used to describe a serious respiratory illness which has recently been reported in parts of East and South East Asia and which is now being reported from other countries in the world.

Q: What are the symptoms of SARS?
A: The main symptoms of SARS are high fever (> 38° Celsius), dry cough, shortness of breath or breathing difficulties. Changes in chest X-rays indicative of pneumonia also occur. SARS may be associated with other symptoms, including headache, muscular stiffness, loss of appetite, malaise, confusion, rash and diarrhoea.

Q: How contagious is SARS?
A: Based on currently available evidence, close contact with an infected person poses the highest risk of the infective agent spreading from one person to another. To date, the majority of cases have occurred in hospital workers who have cared for SARS patients and close family members and other close contacts of these patients. However, the amount of the infective agent needed to cause an infection has not yet been determined.

Q: What is the treatment for SARS?
A: Antibiotics and antiviral drugs are being used to treat the illness, but there is no specific treatment at this time.

Q: How fast does SARS spread?
A: SARS appears to be less infectious than influenza. The incubation period is believed to be short, around 3-6 days. However, the speed of international travel creates a risk that cases can rapidly spread around the world.

Q: What can I do to protect myself?
A:.....

To read the full article click here.

Improving the Performance of Effluent Treatment Plant

A Good Practice Guide

Most companies operate effluent treatment plants to reduce the potential for pollution of receiving waters and to comply with discharge consent conditions. Effective management and control of the processes used for effluent treatment will help you to:

This Good Practice Guide aims to help companies reduce the costs associated with effluent treatment plant operation by at least 5%. As illustrated by the four Industry Examples at the back of the Guide, some companies have achieved significantly greater cost savings by improving the performance of their effluent treatment plant (ETP). Although the Guide is aimed particularly at the
speciality chemicals industry, the advice given is applicable to many other companies operating an effluent treatment plant.

Before reviewing the operation of their ETP, companies are urged to take action to minimise the amount and strength of the effluent created by production processes. Producing less effluent in the first place will reduce the demands made on the ETP and thus save both money and effort.

A thorough understanding of the nature and properties of your company's effluents is essential for cost-effective pollution control. The Guide describes how to characterise your effluent streams and identifies key control parameters. It describes how to improve the performance of the most common treatment processes, including neutralisation, equalisation and activated sludge treatment.
Advice on how to reduce sludge management costs is also given.

Improving the performance of the ETP will reduce your site's operating costs and make it easier for your site to comply with its discharge consent conditions.

Sites discharging to sewer will also reduce their trade effluent charges.

The five steps to effective effluent management are:

To Receive Your Full Copy of this Guide

To receive your full copy of this Good Practice Guide please e-mail me at sdooner@accepta.com

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Practical Water Management in Paper and Board Mills

The UK paper industry is a major water user, and is under increasing pressure to improve the efficiency of its water consumption. This Good Practice Guide is intended to help companies assess and improve their management of water.
Environmental Performance Guide (EG69) Water Use in UK Paper and Board Manufacture established that there are considerable variations in water consumption both within and between the various paper industry sectors. Most companies are likely to achieve significant cost savings by adopting best practice in this area, thereby improving their competitive position. Other benefits
resulting from improved water management include:

The first task for any company seeking to improve its management of water is to assess its current performance by either preparing water balances or undertaking a detailed water audit. In setting effective targets for water use, the company should take into account the wealth of experience that already exists among its staff and any limitations imposed by either plant or product. Modelling
techniques can, where appropriate, be used to set targets, and companies should also consider running trials before making full-scale changes to plant operation.

The steps that can be taken to reduce plant water consumption include:

This Guide includes several examples of UK best practice, including a detailed study of how one mill has almost halved its consumption of water in a four-year period by better management and by equipment and procedural modifications. It also includes a water use minimisation Action Plan........

To Receive Your Full Copy of this Guide

To receive your full copy of this Good Practice Guide please e-mail me at sdooner@accepta.com quoting the full title.

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