2N Mekatronik developed industrial fue gas filter units for stenter smokestack with the initiative of three partners and as a result of 2 years of R&D projects. This system, produced for the first time in the world, is 100% domestic and patented and contributes significantly to reducing environmental pollution and carbon emissions.
2N Mekatronik, which started its activities in Tekirdağ, Çorlu in 2017, completed the accredited laboratory tests of flue gas filter units in 2019 as a result of R&D projects. Started in 2020, the filter system filters all kinds of polluting or non-polluting fumes, vapors and gases, ensuring both the health of employees and the safety of the working environment.
As Tekstil Teknoloji magazine, we interviewed Nazım Uysal, General Manager of 2N Mekatronik, for our January issue special file “Turkish Textile Machinery Industry”. Uysal shared information about the features and the purpose of the industrial fue gas filter units for stenter smokestacks, the first 100% domestic and patented industrial fue gas filter units for stenter smokestacks in the world, developed as a result of 2 years of R&D studies. Uysal evaluated 2023 and talked about 2024 targets and investment plans.
The highlights of the interview are as follows:
First of all, I would like to talk about the main purpose of our project. We started this project to prevent pollution waves from infecting houses and people, to make it possible for it to snow in Çorlu, a textile city, and to leave a clean environment for the future, for children. We hope to increase the number of such projects because it is our responsibility to respect nature.
Climate disruptions caused by 180 to 200 degrees of heat emitted from smokestacks are increasing every day. Depending on the intensity of the wind, these pollutants are released and contaminate the products taken from the soil and the residential and living spaces where they are breathed. Our industrial fue gas filter units are of great importance for stenter smokestacks developed to prevent the release of toxic gases into the sky by lowering the temperature. During our project work, we preferred to use more functional mechanical designs and software, so that as the features required in the product change within the scope of the regulations, we can easily integrate our product into these conditions. Thanks to the filter system we developed within the scope of the air pollution detection and prevention project of the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate, we are able to prevent the poisoning of our living spaces.
I will mention the features of the hybrid model filter system with condensing economizer and Esp module in detail, but basically; it eliminates the risk of fire, does not reduce the production efficiency of the stenter, meets the filter efficiency requested by the provincial environmental directorates with reports, and recovers the investment cost including operating expenses in less than 1 year.
Our first 100% domestic and patented filter system in Turkey offers a result-oriented, sustainable, smokefree and waste-free production at a level where you cannot even tell whether a factory is working or not from the outside. We can serve all factories serving in the textile industry. We filter all wastes, fiber dust, odor, oil and impurities released in the machines that are called stenter machines and perform the process called fabric fixing in textile.
Thanks to our fue gas filter, the waste is disposed of even before it leaves the smokestack. Although the amount varies depending on the factory and machine, 1 ton of oil is extracted from a stenter machine per month for an average of 140-145 tons of fabric production. Considering that an average of 1 ton of oil comes out of a smokestack; there is a huge waste emission in the factory areas. If the filter system is used, all of this oil is collected in collection containers and returned to the company. The oil obtained is sent to recycling facilities. Although it is a secondary waste, it can be recycled.
Such projects are supported by the government. We took action in line with the calls from the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate for the use of filters. The product we developed then successfully passed the tests in accredited laboratories and found its place in the smokestacks of textile factories. Our project is also supported by the Turkish Home Textile Association (TETSİAD) and its members. Hasan Hüseyin Bayram, President of TETSİAD, stated that he was very satisfied by using our flue filter in his own production facilities. Especially the fact that our product works with the smokefree principle and that companies can easily implement it was among the most admired aspects.
We have installed our fue gas filter in many companies such as Altınyıldız, Rayon Tekstil, Arta Tekstil, Else Tekstil, Mertül Tekstil, Bayramlar Brode, Turbo Tekstil. The companies using our system gave us very positive feedback when they saw that the costs decreased despite the same workforce. Many companies started to order for their other machines again and again.
Our filter system, which is constantly checked by environmental engineers, helps to reduce emission values, reduces fossil fuel consumption and prevents the release of carbon and toxic gases. Ram Heat released during fabric fixing,can reach up to 200 degrees Celsius, which unfortunately causes snow clouds to disappear. When our filter system is in operation, the exhaust air at 160-200 C is cooled down to 45 C with feed water at 20-22 C and the water is heated to 55 C (optionally 80C). Thus, it can be directed to the consumption points needed in the facility and recycled back to the factory. Thus, it can be used once again and offers an economic approach. This gives an average factory a financial return of around 30% along with electrical energy. Factory owners reduce their costs with the savings they make on their utility bills.
Coal consumption is quite high in textile factories with stenter machines. These coals are recovered by 30% thanks to the existing filter. A factory that uses 30 tons a day can reduce this consumption to 20 tons. In addition, these factories struggle with the slag waste problem that occurs after fossil fuel consumption. For example, coal consumption generates an average of 15-20 tons of slag waste per 100 tons. Disposal of this waste means additional costs and waste of time for companies. Thanks to our filter system, slag waste is significantly reduced. One of our customers thanked us for the reduction in slag waste alone.
Industrialists affiliated to the Inditex group have started using our filter because our emission groups help them to reach Group A standards. This means more than 90% cleanliness. In coal it’s around 95%. Group A companies benefit from heat conversion while maintaining their rating.
We started this system in Turkey and we operate in textile-dominated cities such as İstanbul, Tekirdağ and Diyarbakır. We receive a lot of demand from abroad. We recently sent four products to Russia. Recently, Bulgaria has also started to show interest in this issue. Within the scope of the incentives given by the European Union, many countries also prefer this system, especially to reduce pollution.
This is actually one of the most important features of our system: fire analysis is available. Our fue gas filter system analyzes the fire analysis of the machine to which it is connected, and when the risk of fire is detected, the necessary interventions are carried out through the system. Since there is no equivalent of the product, companies are trying to reach us. A few companies in Turkey have used equivalent products, but they were worried because they resulted in a fire. Because of this concern, they were hesitant because of the possibility of such a situation with our product, but when they saw the system in operation, they realized the difference of our product. Our customers, whose machines had caught fire before, stated that they did not encounter such a situation after our filter system.
We have a system that recognizes substances such as mineral and organic oil, oil vapor, chemical preparations, waste pile-fiber, paraffin fumes in the stenter machines that fabric scouring. It is not possible to develop the system without recognizing and studying these materials. If there is a wick production in this way, there is a risk of fire.
Due to the odor, smoke and pollution emitted from factory smokestacks, some parts of the facilities were designated as toxic areas. Thanks to our filter system, every space can be utilized. We even had customers who created a common area for their employees and opened a café and recreation area. We are in high demand by companies on the E-5 and TEM highway because our filter reduces the smoke odor and bad image coming out of the factories, so they do not create a feeling of discomfort.
It is also a remotely monitored product with high accountability. The filter system does not have any parts or components that need to be replaced. Since such changes cause additional costs to the industrialists, we paid attention to the absence of these while developing the product. Our filter system, which can do its own cleaning automatically and has a structure that does not occupy the employees, can monitor this machine 24/7 as long as the stenter machine in the factory is running, thus reducing environmental pollution. In case of breakdowns, we provide support by connecting remotely and we can respond instantly. Thanks to the system that can be easily understood by everyone, even employees who do not have any knowledge can easily use our product.
2023 was a great and productive year for us. We had the opportunity to introduce our system to many companies from many countries. In order to promote our company, we are trying to explain our product and why you should use it because our primary goal is that this product contributes to the environment and a green future. One of our goals for 2024 is to introduce our system to the world at the ITM 2024 Exhibition to be held in June.
We are planning to realize the planned facility investment in 2024, so we will continue our activities in a larger facility. This means more production in larger areas, which we can announce through your magazine. Thus, we will reduce production costs and make our products more economical.
