Vilokan on site as SKF opens new factory for railway bearings in Russia.

SKF is now starting production in Tver, Russia of the new generation of sealed, disposable lubrication and compact conical bearing units for Russian and international railway customers. The units are used both for freight cars and railway vehicles.

Vilokan’s expertise is contributing to SKF’s environmental commitment. The environmental benefits for the factory include natural daylight in 90% of the plant, and needs-led ventilation in large areas with carbon dioxide monitoring. The building also has an energy performance 40% lower than average and is equipped with an innovative evaporation system supplied by Vilokan. The system recycles 100% of the water in the phosphate process.

The factory is one of the most modern in the world for producing railway bearings, and follows our BeyondZero® strategy of running and developing our operation with minimal impact on the environment. Furthermore, the investment supports our growth in Russia and strengthens our position on the global railway market,” says Tom Johnstone, President and CEO of SKF. The factory will be one of the first in Russia and Europe to have LEED certification – an internationally recognized standard for sustainable design, construction and operation of buildings.

Cooperation for purifying leach water in northern Norway.

Vilokan Sweden AB and Mercatus Engineering AB have delivered a new technical solution for purifying leach water from a landfill site to ØFAS ANS (Øst-Finnmark Avfallsselskap) in Norway.

The purification system is enclosed in a container, thereby creating major benefits for the customer. The design increases flexibility and makes it possible to start up the purification process quickly.

A flexible container solution for new and old problems
The mobile container houses ultra-filters combined with a system for reverse osmosis. Along with evaporation, the system purifies leach water from the landfill site. This is a new, more versatile technical solution for countries outside the EU that still permit waste to be sent to landfill. Within the EU, this is prohibited. However, even within the EU the new technology solves the problem of old landfill sites that still leach contaminants via their leach water. Vilokan and Mercatus will work together as a single entity on service issues regarding function at the Øst-Finnmark facility in northern Norway.

Evaporation suitable for pharmaceuticals manufacture

Water from Astra Zeneca’s factory in Mölndal, Sweden, is purified using the evaporation technique.
Evaporation is a method of concentrating a solution or suspension through vaporization. By conveying heat to a weakly concentrated liquid solution, the solvent, usually water, is made to boil whereby the concentration of the required substance increases in the remaining fluid. Evaporation can be carried out in several steps and at varying pressures. It is a common process in the food, engineering and pulp industries. Because the active substances in pharmaceutical manufacturing are salts, the method is very appropriate as salts can be vaporized at the same temperature as water.