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Sweeping in Italy |
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Italy's Comac 'Twin Action' Sweeper Offers Waterless Air and Broom SweepingVerona, Italy – September, 2014 The Comac CS140 sweeper was developed to clean urban and industrial areas in a unique fashion from most all other types of sweepers. Not only does it sweep without the use of water for dust suppression; in addition, the CS140's 'twin action' system combines the performance of both mechanical broom and air sweeping into one single sweeper.
"Roads, parking lots and large squares are currently cleaned using mechanical or suction machines. These two systems are, in general terms, suitable for different types of cleaning: Mechanical sweepers are more suitable for heavier waste and air machines are more suitable for lighter waste material. Consequently, for optimum cleaning both systems have to be used and currently two machines are required to obtain the two actions, thereby doubling times, costs and consumption." So reads the promotional material for Italy's Comac model CS140, which goes on to say "The exclusive Twin Action System designed and patented by Comac, combines the strength of mechanical action to collect larger waste and the efficiency of the suction action for finer dust to provide excellent results, reducing water consumption and therefore increasing the sweeper's range."
Intake air is filtered using a filter surface of 50 square meters (538.2 square feet), which is touted as being more than double the filtration area of its competitor's street sweepers. The CS140 is designed to keep even the smallest particles from re-entering the atmosphere, but does not use water with all the problems and disadvantages of water-based dust suppression. 
For example, there are none of the systems associated with dust suppression on the sweeper. The Comac CS140 may also be used throughout the winter since water system freezing is not an issue. Waste disposal costs decrease since water isn't being dumped (at a cost the company cites as $10,000 Euros ($12,800) per year; stopping for water filling is unnecessary; better removal of small-micron particles is attained since the dust is removed instead of left on the pavement as part of the water trail. The company attests that up to 100,000 liters (26,417 gallons) of fresh water are also conserved. Comac also touts that the sweeper can be operated at speeds up to 40 kph (@ 25 mph), depending upon the pavement surface and amount of debris on the roadway, and still do a good job. The company has also addressed noise level via the use of soundproof acoustic panels. As may be seen in the photos, the operator sits in a purpose-built chassis that offers excellent visibility.
Thanks to Villiam Abbondanza, an expert in machines for industrial cleaning in urban and airport settings based in Ravenna, Italy, for providing us with the link information for this article. You may reach Mr. Abbondanza via email sent to info@stradepulite.com; his website is www.stradepulite.com.
About Comac
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Although the CS140 is primarily a mechanical broom sweeper, both the main and the side brushes work in an area subject to strong suction. The dust lifted up by the right brush is immediately drawn in, and fed into the intake channel, without dispersing into the surrounding environment. The suction power and airflow rate of the CS140 is listed as 14.000 m3/hour (18,311 cubic yards/hour), which the company says offers significant benefits with regard to both cleaning the ground and keeping small-micron dust particles out of the air.
If you would like more details about the Comac CS140, we invite you to 