IPC International Community magazine an association member publication
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90 I-CONNECT007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2026 ARTICLE If you're familiar with the PCB industry, and a little long in the tooth like me, you may re- member the cry, "The water board is here!" (or an equivalent authority). This was the signal for a fran- tic but regularly rehearsed exercise to turn on all the rinses. This anecdote demonstrates that in the early days of PCB production, prevailing practices revolved around a "dilution is the solution" mental- ity, in which manufacturers used copious amounts of water to dilute contaminants before discharging them into regulated municipal wastewater systems or natural water bodies. This approach, while superficially addressing immediate discharge requirements, failed to con- sider the long-term environmental consequences of such practices, leading to growing awareness of pollution and its effects on public health and ecosystems. As the mg/L unit changed to mg/day, the tightening of industrial regulations to align with environmental concerns became paramount. These more stringent regulations led directly to more technological approaches to wastewater treatment. In addition to the water regulations making significant wastewater investment obligatory, the increasing water costs fueled a water-saving mindset. This enforced investment without a viable ROI was coupled with potentially poor rinsing, which then needed to be addressed. That solution was water recycling. Initially, the industry stumbled through a series of inefficient, expensive solu- tions and ultimately could not produce water that supported the more sensitive, chemically based processes, such as electroless final finishing. This misery was compounded by many of the chemical suppliers, who, as a precautionary mea- sure, stipulated that water regenerated by reverse osmosis was not acceptable for use with their products. These growing pains left a distinctly anti- recycling mentality within the PCB and substrate industries. This remains prominent because it is deeply ingrained in most manufacturers' thinking. In short, the cost, thinly veiled by quality, has always been the prohibitive disincentive to waste- water treatment and recycling. But time marches on, technology improves, and BY R I C H A R D N I C H O LS, G R E E N S O U RC E E N G I N E E R I N G The Journey From Dilution to Zero Liquid Discharge