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Recover Solvents
Recover Solvents
Solvents are used in a wide array of industries and can be costly to dispose of. It is highly encouraged to recycle or reuse solvents to reduce the amount of waste produced. By recovering your solvents you can save on disposal costs and cost of solvents while also helping the environment.
Why Solvent Recovery Matters and Why Use A Thin Film Evaporator
Solvent disposal isn’t just expensive, it’s wasteful. Many industries use solvents in production, and the cost of getting rid of them adds up fast. But most of those solvents can be recovered, reused, and saved. That’s where solvent recovery can significantly save money, cut down waste, and help the environment. And a thin film evaporator is one of the most effective tools for the job.
Today, LCI has over 85 systems doing solvent recovery helping to recover ~1,559,354,400 lbs of solvent/yearWhy Use Thin Film Evaporators?
Lower Operating Costs
- Uses indirect heat—saves energy
- Reduces downtime between batches
- Squeezes more out of residues, lowering disposal volume
Higher Profitability
- Recovers expensive solvents for reuse
- Dries temperature-sensitive materials without damage
- Helps produce higher-grade products
Reliable and Easy to Maintain
- Continuous operation
- Few wear parts
- Backed by local engineering and a fully stocked parts warehouse
Real World Results
A customer is currently paying a disposal company to process their solvent laden waste streams. One particular stream is a solvent stream that is 1-2% solids with the balance being methylene chloried (MeCl). Thin Film Evaporation was identified as a potential solution to increase the total solids content of the stream, reducing the total amount of solids disposed. LCI tested the MeCl stream at our Charlotte based test center and was able to bring the %TS from 1% to 20% in a single pass, a 20x concentration, reducing solvent disposal by 20%.
Based off a throughput of 1,000 lb/hr, and operating 8,400 hrs a year, this results in 1,671,600 lb/year in recovered solvent. Using a disposal charge of $500/drum, the installation of a thin film evaporator can potentially provide an annual cost savings of $1,519,936.
Density of MeCl = 11 lb/gal
50 gal drum
How Much Can You Save?
Use our solvent recovery calculator to get a rough estimate of how much you can save by recovering your solvent.
1. Reduction in Waste Amounts
2. Solvent Raw Material Cost Savings
3. Off Site Removal Cost Savings for Solvent
What Solvents Can Be Recovered?
LCI has performed numerous tests at our Charlotte, North Carolina, testing facility. Below is a list of solvents we have tested that can be recovered. Don’t see your solvent? Reach out to a Sales Engineer today and see if your process is the right fit.
- Acetone
- Apisal
- Benzene
- Butyl Acetate
- Butyl Carbitol
- Butyl Cellosolve
- Cellosolve Acetate
- Chloroethylene
- Chloroform
- Cyanoacrylate
- Cyclohexane
- Cyclohexanone
- Cyclopentanone
- Decane
- Dichloroacetic Acid (DCA)
- Diglyme
- Diphenyl Oxidechlo
- Dichloroethane
- Ethyl Acetate
- Ethyl Amyl Ketone
- Ethyl Chloride
- Ethyl Glycol Acetate
- Ethylene Glycol
- Ethylene Glycol Monomethyl Ether Acetate (EGMEA)
- Epichlorohydrin
- Heptane
- Hexane
- Isobutanol
- Isobutyl Acetate
- Isooctane
- Isophorone
- Isopropanol
- Lactol Spirits
- Methanol
- Methyl Ethyl Ketone (MEK)
- Methyl Ethyl Ketone Tetrahydrofuran (MEK-THF)
- Methyl Isobutyl Ketone (MIBK)
- Methylene Chloride or Dichloromethane (DCM)
- Mineral Spirits
- NMP (N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone)
- Octane
- Octenes
- Oleic Acid
- Perchloroethylene
- Phosphoric acid
- Polyethylene
- Polypropylene
- Polystyrene
- Propanoic Acid
- Solvesso 100
- Styrene
- Sulphonic Acid
- Tetrachloroethylene
- Tetradecane
- Tetrahydrofuran (THF)
- Tetraglyme
- Tertiary Butanol
- Toluene
- Trimethylolpropane (TMP)
- Trichloroethane
- TXIB (2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentanediol diisobutyrate)
- Xylene
- Varsol
- VMP Naphtha
- 3,3'-dimethyl-4,4'-diaminodiphenylmethane (MDT)