How Solvent Towel Reports Improve Solvent Management

For printers and other manufacturers that use solvents, managing VOC emissions is an important part of environmental compliance and overall solvent management.

One area that can be difficult to track is the amount of solvent that ends up in shop towels or printer towels during cleaning. Understanding how much solvent is actually recovered from those towels can provide valuable information for your VOC reporting and help you better understand where your solvent is going.

What Is VOC Management in Printing?

Volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, are found in many solvents, inks, coatings, and cleaning products used in printing operations.

Depending on your facility and location, VOC emissions may be regulated through air permits and other federal, state, or local requirements. Managing VOCs often requires tracking the amount of solvent used and determining what happens to that solvent after it enters your operation.

Some solvent may evaporate into the air, while some may remain in towels, waste, ink, or other materials.

The more accurately you can track these different pathways, the better information you have to manage your solvent use and VOC emissions.

The Importance of Solvent Tracking

Tracking solvent can be challenging. It is important to understand where your solvent goes throughout your facility.

For example, when employees clean presses or other equipment, solvent may be poured directly onto the equipment, sprayed onto the equipment, or applied to a towel.

These different cleaning methods can make it difficult to determine how much solvent is actually captured in towels and how much may be lost through evaporation or other waste streams.

Many facilities use assumptions or estimates when calculating solvent usage. While these assumptions can be useful, actual solvent recovery data can provide another piece of information to help you understand what is happening in your operation.

What Is a Towel Solvent Report?

A Towel Solvent Report measures the amount of solvent recovered from reusable towels during the laundering process.

ITU AbsorbTech uses proprietary technology to measure the solvent extracted from customers’ towels. This gives customers information about the actual amount of solvent being recovered from their reusable towel program.

Instead of relying only on an estimate of how much solvent remains in towels, a Towel Solvent Report provides data based on the solvent actually recovered during processing.

This information can help you better understand your solvent usage and identify potential gaps between your assumptions and actual results.

How Do I Use My Towel Solvent Report?

Your Towel Solvent Report can be used as another tool to evaluate your overall solvent management program.

For example, suppose your facility uses 100 gallons of solvent during a reporting period and your current calculations assume that 50 gallons are retained in towels.

If your Towel Solvent Report shows that only 32 gallons of solvent were actually recovered from the towels, there is an 18-gallon difference between your assumption and the measured recovery.

That does not necessarily mean those 18 gallons were released as air emissions. Instead, it gives you an opportunity to look more closely at where that solvent may have gone.

Possible areas to investigate include:

• Evaporation during cleaning
• Solvent remaining in containers
• Liquid waste
• Ink or process waste
• Spills or overspray
• Other solvent recovery processes

Your facility’s VOC calculation and reporting requirements may vary depending on your permit, location, and applicable regulations. Always work with your environmental professional or regulatory agency before changing the way you calculate or report emissions.

Solvent-Contaminated Towels and EPA Requirements

Solvent-contaminated towels may also be subject to environmental requirements beyond VOC reporting.

Under the EPA’s Solvent-Contaminated Wipes Rule, certain reusable solvent-contaminated wipes that are sent for laundering or dry cleaning may qualify for a conditional exclusion from the definition of solid waste when applicable requirements are met.

Those requirements can include proper container management, labeling, storage, recordkeeping, and management of free liquids.

State requirements may vary, so facilities should verify the regulations that apply to their specific location and operation.

How Can I Reduce Solvent Usage?

Once you understand where your solvent is going, you can look for opportunities to reduce solvent use within your facility.

Here are several practices that may help:

Schedule jobs strategically. Group similar colors or ink systems together to help reduce the number of complete press cleanups.

Dedicate presses when possible. Using certain presses for specific colors or specialty inks can reduce cleaning frequency.

Remove excess ink before using solvent. Scraping or removing as much ink as possible before cleaning can reduce the amount of solvent needed.

Use controlled dispensing systems. Pumps, squeeze bottles, or similar systems can help employees use only the amount of solvent needed.

Avoid over-saturating towels. Applying solvent directly to the towel in a controlled manner can help reduce unnecessary solvent use.

Use drip pans. If solvent is poured over equipment, drip pans may help capture excess solvent.

Reuse solvent when appropriate. Depending on your process and applicable requirements, spent solvent may be suitable for dirtier cleaning applications before final disposal.

Use recirculating solvent sinks. Recirculating parts-cleaning systems can help reduce overall solvent consumption.

Train employees. Consistent solvent-handling practices can make a significant difference in solvent usage over time.

Better Solvent Data Can Improve VOC Management

Understanding how much solvent you purchase is only one part of solvent management. Knowing where that solvent goes after it is used can give you a much clearer picture of your operation.

Towel solvent reporting provides another useful data point by showing how much solvent is actually recovered from your reusable towels.

Combined with purchasing records, production information, waste data, and your facility’s approved VOC calculation methods, this information can help you better understand your solvent usage and identify opportunities for improvement.

ITU AbsorbTech uses proprietary technology to measure the solvent extracted from reusable printer towels during processing and report the recovered quantity back to customers.

Learn more about ITU AbsorbTech’s printer towel service and how solvent recovery reporting can support your facility’s solvent management program.