Solvent usage and recycling potential in a research and development setting

Conference · Mon Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 1996

OSTI ID:274135

Vivio, F; Thuot, J R; Peters, R W

Argonne National Laboratory utilizes thousands of gallons of chemicals each year. Laboratory wastes can be broadly characterized as coming from three focus areas: (1) restoration and decommissioning associated wastes generate larger quantities of waste on a one-time basis. The wastes may be non-hazardous to highly toxic and the quantities are variable. (2) Laboratory operations generate approximately 50% of all waste disposed. Operational waste can be characterized as less hazardous, reasonably consistent in nature, generally in larger quantities. (3) the final waste stream is small quantities of many different materials coming from many different waste streams. This waste stream is at the center of ANL`s pollution prevention program. The research areas have implemented many pollution prevention techniques. Solvent substitution has been effective in reducing hazardous cleaning wastes, scintillation cocktail wastes, and other chlorinated wastes. Micro chemistry is effective at minimizing certain chemical process wastes, developing new analytical chemistry procedures has reduced and eliminated other waste forms. New instrumentation has provided first level reductions in many waste streams. Despite these new techniques solvent usage remains the largest research related waste stream. The present solvents are generated from instruments such as electrophoresis and high pressure liquid chromatographs (HPLC), solvent extractions, biological staining and cleaning practices. ANL recognizes the significant role recycling this waste stream is in Pollution Prevention Program implementation. ANL initiated a study to quantify solvent usage, characterization of the waste solvent, and match the purity requirements exploring all opportunities to substitute and recycle.

• Research Organization: Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• OSTI ID: 274135
• Report Number(s): ANL/EMO/CP-90484; CONF-960741-12; ON: DE96012758; TRN: 96:017567
• Resource Relation: Conference: Pollution prevention conference, Chicago, IL (United States), 9-11 Jul 1996; Other Information: PBD: [1996]
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
SOLVENTS
RECYCLING
LABORATORIES
NONRADIOACTIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT
ANL
MATERIALS RECOVERY
ORGANIC SOLVENTS
METHANOL
NITRIC ACID
SULFURIC ACID
HYDROCHLORIC ACID
TOLUENE
ACETONITRILE
HEXANE
CARBON TETRACHLORIDE
DIOXANE
PROPANOLS
TETRAHYDROFURAN
ACETONE
XYLENES
CHLOROFORM
BENZENE
METHYLENE CHLORIDE
NONRADIOACTIVE WASTES
POLLUTION ABATEMENT
MATERIAL SUBSTITUTION