RE: glass recycling (sample containers)

[Robert S Butner <butner@battelle.org>]

          Jeff --

          The best solution, without any other details, would seem to
          be (1) reducing sample size as small as possible; or (2)
          going to in-line monitoring/control of the material and
          avoiding sample taking altogether.

          How effectively you can implement the above will depend in
          large part on the physical/chemical properties being
          monitored/measured.  Some testing or analytical protocols
          can be done using truly small samples (on the milliliter
          scale) but in practical terms there's probably a lower limit
          set by the dead volume of the sample loop.  Being a viscous
          fluid doesn't help, but depending again on what they are
          measuring, there may be true micro-scale approaches.

          In-loop, online measurement has improved vastly in many
          areas over the past few years, and dedicating a PC to
          control loop to the task is cheap compared to the labor of
          sampling.  Not to mention disposing of all those baby food
          jars!  If your client hasn't looked at this recently (in the
          past year) I would suggest strongly revisting the issue.  Be
          sure to consider all the various proxy measurements if
          direct measurement isn't possible; optical, density, and
          viscosity measurement can all be made on-line and can serve
          as proxies for other properties.

          There are some other suggestions for P2 in chemical process
          design/operation at our web site: 
          http://www.seattle.battelle.org/P2Online/  

          I hope to have a new article on the topic up online within
          the next week or so.

          Hope this helps.  

          Scott Butner
          Battelle
          butner@battelle.org
          206-528-3290





          P2Tech-

 NJTAP is working with a chemical company that uses clear glass
jars (4 ounce jars - the size of my fist) to take samples of the
high viscosity, liquid resins they manufacture. They use over 100 a day.
The jars are have a thin resin coating - right now they try to drain the
jars by placing them upside down on a grill on top of a 55 gallon drum.
The jars don't drain well enough though, and are disposed of as solid
hazardous waste. We are considering a few P2 options:

- find a way to cut down on the number of samples taken

- see if some sort of a drying rack might drain the jars better

- see if some sort of washer could clean the jars well enough so they
can be reused

- use a glass crusher (not P2, but they pay for solid haz waste by volume)

- finding someone who would take, or pay for, this glass


Has anyone encountered this problem, or have any thoughts? Thanks.


Jeff Lewis
Pollution Prevention Analyst
New Jersey Technical Assistance Program