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JANUARY 2019 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 73 minimization and quality focus of the automation. Water Use Minimization Figure 2 shows a system diagram of the waste and water recycling system. With water evaporation, the GreenSource facility has to use about 500 gallons of water per day, but the only waste is a pH neutral, environmentally safe dry cake of 60–80% solids for the sanitary landfill. Processes That Accept Volume Make-up From Capture Rinses The majority of processes at GreenSource are either Atotech or non-proprietary. These have been carefully formulated to have their volume make-up from dragout or evapora- tion supplied by the first captive rinse of a chemical process. In addition, significant improve-ment in dragout and solution carry- over from the panels traveling through the conveyors have been implemented. The improvement in machine design has permitted a facility expansion of this size while also requiring less water to be recycled than the original plant in 2016. Hermetically Sealed Equipment to Eliminate Venting The new generation of equipment is also engineered to be hermetically sealed, minimizing the need for ventilation and preventing any outside contamination of the PCB panels. New squeegee rollers and splash guards have been designed to prevent any dragout and puddling on the panels as they travel through the machines. There are strategically placed audit stations that the technicians can access the panels in case of a need, but normally, the conveyors are sealed and in their own microclimate. Inline process Inline static rinse Inline cascade rinse Collect rinse water Remove contamination (Core wastewater recovery system) Water returned to process or discharged Week Acid/Strong Base Ion Exchange + 2 Pass RO Hermetically sealed system with output recycled Distilled water returned to process Waste Brine FILTER PRESS Thermal Distillation Sludge de-watering Final dewatering by air flow (Product is 65%-80% solids) UNIT 1: Regenerate etchant/recover Cu+, recycle etchant UNIT 2: Plating electrolytes destroyed UNIT 3: Resist stripper regenerated UNIT 4: Oxide alt.-organic destruction Recovered Cu for re-use or sale Process Sealed Tank Centrifugal Pump Vertical Pump Centrifugal Pump Typical non-hazardous solids for disposal Extra brine reprocessed Weak Acid/Strong Base Ion Exchange + 2 Pass RO Figure 2: Recovery and regeneration of chemicals for processes along with total recycle of water including hermetically sealed ventilation systems that provide for a rapid ROI. (Source: Stepinski Innovations LLC [3] )