Proper Disposal of Isopropyl Alcohol and DI Water

you can send the isopropyl alcohol to me! Seriously - I'll even pay the shipping - I'm an hour north of Fresno.

PM me so we can trade details...

I have 3 - 30 gallon containers of isopropyl alcohol that I am trying to recycle rather than having to dispose as hazardous waste. Are you interested?

Deionized water stops being deionized water when you add ions to it. A few grains of common table salt should take care of a gallon. In all probability whatever you cleaned with the DI water added enough ions to it to take it out of the DI category, especially if metallics are present. So whether or not you can pour it down the drain or use it to top off a lead acid storage battery likely depends on what imputities, inorganic ions or organic compounds it may have picked in your cleaning process. Note that the deionization process doesn't deal with bacteria, viruses and other organics some caution is a good idea if you are planning to drink the stuff. Also the literature indicates that drinking the stuff in quantity may upset the human body's mineral balance.

It's been my experience that DI water that sits around in a plastic container for a few weeks drops down to below the one megohm resistivity level from what it pulls out of the air or the container.

Ed Weldon

RECYCLE IT FOR ANTI-FREEZE

We recycle IPA after distiiling it. DI water is no worse than rain water. Is there a local code about disposing this?

I would get the disposal permit from the government. Better safe than sorry legally. You never know what accidents could happen.

A few suggestions: (1) Convert the IPA to Windex, and use for cleaning employee's car windows, etc. (2) Use the DIW to water plants, either inside or outside, including trees, the building, assuming there isn't too much cutting fluid in the eater. (3) Or give the liquids to a local University, a window-washing company, etc. A University (or perhaps even a high school chem lab) could distill the IPA if necessart to purify it for their use.

A gallon a month...

What's to say you couldn't store it until you had enough to warrant firing up the still?

For that matter why not have the housecleaning crew use it for general cleaning and degreasing jobs in conjunction with or without conventional detergents? you should be able to use a gallon a month that way easy. Same with the water.

There is always something like this too.

http://www.kompass.com/cooking-heating-appliances-domestic-solid-liquid-fuel/space-heaters-alcohol-fired-domestic/clist/CH_GS_L_3_I_en_Z_WW_F_53210503_C_4076033

I have a couple of questions about recycling isopropyl alcohol. Looking for serious answers.

1. We use IPA for cleaning PCB's and PCA's. Also some cleaning of soldering tools and equipment. We pour used IPA into gallon and 5 gallon jugs. Let the sediment settle to the bottom and carefully pour off the "clean" alcohol for re-use. How many times can this be done before it is unusable?

2. Does anyone know where to find local recyclers near The Woodlands, TX or in Houston, TX?

Thank you.

Could not say, depends on what the contaminants are and how much of them there are and how soluble they are in IPA. the "clean" ipa will have whatever the contaminants that are soluble still in it. and every time you go through the cycle the contaminant level will increase. how contaminated can IPA be and still be "clean enough" for your processes. I can't answer that question.

Thank you for your reply. Sorry I couldn't provide more specifics as to contaminants and levels of sediment so I appreciate that you took the effort to try and help.

Have a great day!

as to your second question, try Safety-Kleen, that is who we used over at Welldynamics which is over behind Academy Sports at Rayford and I-45

Just damp the alcohol into gas tank of your car so you would have a free ride. Be carefull to add alcohol when tank is not empty.

I want to thank all of you.

A lot of great suggestions / ideas.

I believe, once again, the fine people of CR4 have supplied great advice.

Thanks again, George...

If any heat or steam source or possible electrically operated or solar based heating facilities available, go for distillation plant as per requirement, recover both ISOPROPYL and DISTILLED WATER of purest grade from the condensate and recycle for your own use and save the cost of fresh purchases. Purification by distillation and recycling seems to be a workable idea than disposal. Devise a suitable system.Alcohol evaporates at a much lower temperature energy than water.

As 99.9% isopropanol in water is readily combustible, combustion is the easiest route. Options include tipping small quantities into a much larger liquid fuel tank so as to burn the blend in a heating furnace, for example, to using it to start a bonfire - just be careful when striking the match, and no, do not offer it to an infernal combustion engine unless that engine has been adapted specifically to burn the fuel.

However, 99.9% isopropanol might be considered an off-the-shelf reagent or solvent to some, perhaps?

I would like to make the suggestion that you consider switching to denatured ethanol instead of IPA. Ethanol is non-toxic and lowers the risk of skin absorption by your employees. It also simplifies disposal/spill issues since it is non-toxic.

you might also consider dispensing with the alchohol altogether and switch to water/ Trisodium Phosphate in the first ultrasonic bath followed by a di water ultrasonic bath. then you can use the water from the second bath with fresh tsp to refill the first. then the only waste stream will be water and tsp (detergent.) and it can be used for mopping the floor. it is very dangerous to use flammable materials in ultrasonic cleaners due to the risk of ignition from the high voltages involved in driving the transducers. Branson and other UT cleaner manufacturers refuse to warrant any cleaner that has been used with flammable solvents.

http://www.bransoncleaning.com/faq.asp#What_cleaning_solution_shouldnt_I_use

Believe it or not I've actually had very good luck with "Dawn" brand liquid dishwashing detergent.

buy Spent/Waste/Recycled Isopropyl alcohol (IPA).

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Please advise I have recently purchased Isopropyl Alcohol 99.9% as I have been told it is a great houshold general cleaner. Have I made a big mistake? is it dangerous? I have a little boy and we have been infested with bed bugs. He has been bitten as they have got in the wood of his bed and matress. Can I spray this stuff of his wooden bed frame and matress? Or is it dangerous?

Please respond as I need advice.

Thank-you

Yes it is toxic. It can be absorbed by skin contact as well as fumes. it is a solvent and will damage some painted/varnished surfaces (mainly varnished). HOWEVER if it is done outdoors, and the article is allowed to dry thoroughly, there will be no residue so there is no lingering toxicity.

All that said, I am unaware of how effective Isopropyl alcohol would be on bed bugs. I know that dry heat will kill them. that is what the local pest control people use. I am not aware of them being able to burrow into wood, but it would not surprise me if they could. They are not typically classified as wood destroying insects however.

If it were me, I would toss the mattress, have a pest control company come out and treat the house/apt. including the bed frame and everything else in the room, then buy a new mattress. YMMV.

many thanks for your reply. I will not be using the product.