E.O.S.

Agfa's Environmentally Optimized System (E.O.S.) cuts chemical costs and reduces the concentration and freight-value of silver in the rinsing water, in compliance with most ecological standards. E.O.S. furthermore keeps the option of High Throughput (HT) processing open while requiring little, if any, extra footprint. It also offers ecological benefits for every imaging type, while requiring no additional peripherals (such as silver recovery or water treatment units). This means no extra investments, no extra floor space, and no extra expenditures on maintenance.

E.O.S. processors are equipped with the environmentally friendly cascade fixing approach. Every Agfa processor is equipped with this technology. Fixer replenishment, fixer waste and water consumption are reduced by 35%. The concentration of silver in the rinsing water is decreased to less than 1 mg/liter and the freight value of silver to less than 50 mg/square meter of processed film.

The cascade fixing approach utilizes two fixer tanks between the developer and wash tanks. First the film is developed in the developer tank. Next, it enters the first fixer tank where it is properly fixed. The first fixer tank contains all the removed silver from the film and thus has a high silver content. The film is then treated again with fresh fixer in the second fixer tank. This tank receives the fixer replenishment and has a very low silver content. Finally, the fixed film passes through the wash tank where it will carry over less than 50 mg of silver per square meter of processed film.