Isopropyl Alcohol Waste Solvent Recycling

GN ReSound uses an IPA (Isopropyl Alchohol) Waste Solvent Solution to Cut Solvent Purchase & Waste Solvent Disposal Costs by 90%

GN ReSound uses an IPA (Isopropyl Alchohol) Waste Solvent Solution to Cut Solvent Purchase & Waste Solvent Disposal Costs by 90%Minnesota-based manufacturer of hearing aids, GN ReSound North America, was using isopropyl alcohol (IPA) to clean laser-formed components. Part of the GN Group, a global leader in intelligent audio solutions that's represented in more than 80 countries, the manufacturer required a consistently reliable industrial waste solvent recycling solution that:

  • Reclaimed and recovered IPA in high purity levels to reduce parts reruns, avoid additional labor costs associated with reruns and rejections and lowered overall production costs
  • Helped maintain its EPA waste generator status
  • Fit in the limited physical space the company had near its production cells
  • Separated and removed a sticky plastic resin particulate from the IPA solvent waste mixture

A Custom Waste Solvent Recycling Solution Developed for the Hearing Aid Manufacturing Industry

CBG's industrial and laboratory solvent distillation units/stills are designed to drastically reduce how much solvent a company purchases and disposes of. Additionally, each recycler is designed to reclaim extremely pure solvent, and many CBG units take up minimal or no floor space.

Even given these qualities, the removal of the sticky plastic resin particulate from the solvent waste mixture posed a significant challenge.

Originally, CBG Biotech delivered a Benchtop laboratory unit that met nearly all of GN ReSound's requirements. The unit successfully reclaimed most of the IPA at high purity levels, and the manufacturer was modestly using 60 gallons of IPA per day, an amount that was easily processed by the CBG recycler.

There was only one remaining issue. The sticky plastic mixture clogged the waste port on the Benchtop lab unit after one use. The experts at CBG Biotech immediately started developing a custom recycler that could handle the problematic solvent/waste mixture—and properly deal with the sticky plastic solid waste.

Less than two months later, GN ReSound had a custom solvent recycler in its facility that was effortlessly removing the sticky plastic resin particulate from the solvent/waste mixture.

To meet GN ReSound's exact needs, CBG Biotech developed its SolvTrue™ S700 Solvent Recycler (formerly 8-Gallon TechnoClean™ Plus), an innovative recycler that combines the small footprint and mobility of a laboratory unit with the heavy-duty processing capabilities of a stationary industrial unit. CBG Biotech soon determined that other leading hearing aid manufacturers were looking for similar solvent recycling solutions—essentially, the CBG machine overcame a challenge held by many manufacturers in the industry.

Companies like Widex, Miracle Ear and Starkey Labs have stopped asking how to dispose of isopropyl alcohol and, instead, have started using a CBG Biotech SolvTrue™ S700 Solvent Recycler (formerly 8-Gallon TechnoClean™ Plus)—a machine that's quickly facilitating IPA recovery in the hearing aid and broader medical device manufacturing industries.

In addition to handling the industry's challenging solvent/waste mixtures, this machine has delivered outstanding solvent recovery rates and impressive purity levels. As a result, GN ReSound North America has reduced its solvent purchases and waste solvent disposal costs by 90%, maintained its EPA waste generator status and was able to recoup the initial cost of the unit in less than 18 months.

 

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