Solvent recovery is the process of extracting useful materials from waste or by-product solvents that can then be repurposed, reducing the need to produce new solvents.
The beauty of solvent recovery is that you not only are eliminating a large amount of waste but simultaneously removing potentially hazardous or unwanted substances from your end product.
Typically, one would recover their solvent, such as ethanol, and reuse it for more extractions. However, this hasn’t always been a simple task. Since 1950, a device called the rotary evaporator (RotoVap) was invented by Lyman C. Craig to gently remove solvents from compounds using heat combined with reduced pressure to evaporate, dry, purify samples for further use.
The RotoVap set the industry standard back in the ’50s. Today, it can be inefficient and create a big bottleneck in your production. A generic 20L RotoVap has a recovery rate of about 1.5 gallons per hour. For small-scale setups, this may suffice, but large-scale manufacturers have been forced to run multiple RotoVaps. The working capacity is only the beginning of the limitations of the RotoVap:
- Moving, Breakable Parts
- Manual Operation
- Long Residence Time
When TruSteel was founded, the team aimed to improve upon the inefficiencies of the RotoVap and set a new standard. With passion and a team of innovators, TruSteel focused on creating an end-to-end extraction solution that would carry large-scale manufacturers to reach their goals.
In their research, TruSteel knew that falling film evaporation is the most efficient, effective solution to solvent recovery. And so, TruSteel developed a falling film evaporator that is not only effective and efficient at solvent recovery but is completely scalable and built to last.
The AutoVap™ Alcohol Recovery Systems have transformed the capabilities of extraction while TruSteel continues to look forward in their innovation, efficiency, precision, scalability, and quality. One machine can potentially fulfill the capacity of up to 20 RotoVaps! The AutoVap has:
- No Moving or Breaking Parts
- Full Automation
- Short Residence Time
- Closed-Loop System
With our automated falling film evaporation and solvent recovery systems, you can increase your working capacity while lowering the overall costs of your production. Other advantages include reduction of solvent waste, reduction of costs for new solvents, simplification of daily tasks, lesser manpower needed, better space management, and improved safety measures.
By anticipating growth in the manufacturing industry, TruSteel has developed machinery that is able to grow with your business. Check out our AutoVap series and entire product lineup to discover end-to-end solutions that allow scalability to grow your business. Let our solvent recovery systems exceed all expectations and capacities for your production!