Lower Colorado River Authority

Year Submitted: 2003

Process: Parts cleaning

Industry: Energy Production

Wastes Reduced: Solvent

Equipment: Distillation, solvent

Location: La Grange TX

No. of employees: 350

Contact: Gail Byler

Phone: (409) 249-8426

Description:

Solvent is used at the plant to degrease and clean parts and equipment. The facility installed a distillation unit in 1995 to reclaim solvent for reuse. In addition, filtering systems were installed on parts washers to reduce solvent usage and replacement. By filtering and distilling the used solvent, less hazardous waste was generated to require offsite disposal or treatment and the purchase of new solvent was reduced.

P2 Application:

Distillation is not new to industry as a method to reclaim material for reuse, but the reduction of waste disposal has made the process more cost effective.

Environmental Benefits:

The reclaimed solvent is used instead of purchasing new material, which conserves natural resources. The distillation of used solvent resulted in the reduction of an estimated 6,900 pounds of waste per year to be disposed of off-site.

Details of Reductions

Additional Information :

The distillation unit and installation of filtration units on parts washers save approximately $21,645 annually. The payback time for this project is estimated to be 1.5 years.

Source: TCEQ