Influence of Reclaimed Water on the Visual Quality of Automotive Coating

Abstract

In the present study, the possibility of recovering water in a car wash station was presented. The resistance of automotive coatings to washing water recovered at 50% and 70% from wastewater generated at car wash was tested. Wastewater treatment was carried out by ultrafiltration (UF) using tubular polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) membranes (100 and 200 kDa) manufactured by the PCI company. The membranes retained oil contamination, suspended solids, and over 60% of surfactants. For comparison, the 0.5% Turbo Active Green solution, used at professional car washes, was also applied in paint resistance studies. The tested solutions washed the painted surfaces of samples taken from car doors for 8 days. The resistance of automotive coatings to washing solutions was assessed by measuring gloss, Log Haze, RIQ, and Rspec parameters. Scratch resistance was also assessed. The results obtained in the current study indicated that the use of water recovered from wastewater did not deteriorate the quality of the car paint coating.