Water scarcity and pollution prompt Mallorca hotels to switch to chemical-free limescale protection
The regional government of the holiday island Mallorca is sounding the alarm: once again, water resources pose a significant problem. The water supply is in a partially deteriorated state due to lack of maintenance and simultaneously extremely high pollution. The local purification plants are no longer capable of treating the highly saline water, leading the first hotels to decide to implement BIOCAT limescale protection systems.
Wolf Hanke from WATERCryst, who has lived and worked in Mallorca for 45 years, states, "All responsible figures in politics and tourism now understand that only more environmentally friendly solutions can ensure long-term supply security. The tourism industry faces the challenge that the groundwater in Mallorca has a high lime content. Therefore, unfortunately, resorting to softening systems has been common practice for decades."
Sustainable tourism is the way forward
Fernando Martin Pazos, the technical director of the hotel chain Hipotels, has played a significant role in the chain's decision to invest in environmentally friendly limescale protection systems in eight hotel complexes in Mallorca. "Sustainable tourism is taken very seriously by the Hipotels Group. We have systematically implemented strategies to effectively minimize our CO2 footprint. For the sake of our guests, the environment, and the residents, we must protect our valuable water resources and use them sparingly," says Fernando Martin Pazos.
Quick amortization and significant water savings
"We also benefit from the quick amortization, long maintenance intervals, and time and cost savings with BIOCAT, as neither personnel nor storage capacity for salt needs to be accounted for. In terms of the EU's sustainability goals, we are already making a significant contribution to environmental protection in Mallorca by saving around 10,660 m3 of water per year compared to the old softening systems," says Fernando Martin Pazos.
Saves 215 tons of salt annually
The operation of the 10 BIOCAT systems in the eight hotels saves approximately 215 tons of salt per year. Since the wastewater from BIOCAT systems is completely free of chemical residues and salt, the regional purification plants are relieved, and the used water can be recycled. "Today, we divert some of the used water to the sprinkler systems. Now, we can even reuse large quantities in the hotel's water circuit, for example, by refilling the existing water reservoirs," says Fernando Martin Pazos from Hipotels.
Urgent need to modernize water systems
A lack of rainfall, significant water losses due to leaks in the pipeline network, and, finally, a rising per capita consumption have made water a scarce resource worth protecting. "The regional government is now seeking solutions to address the water scarcity and pollution while urgently modernizing the systems. Especially here, chemical-free limescale protection offers clear benefits because the water remains uncontaminated. The purification plants are significantly relieved, the salt content in the water cycle is reduced, and far fewer resources and less energy are required for water recycling," concludes Wolf Hanke from WATERCryst.