IPA Recovery Plants and Solvent Recovery Systems
Recovery systems for isopropyl alcohol (IPA) streams with a defined reuse specification. ATTOMO reviews water content, other solvents and contaminants to determine suitable separation and finishing duties.
Plant and equipment enquiries: this page covers manufacturing plants and process packages, not the supply of bulk chemicals. Engineering is included within the agreed turnkey or equipment-supply scope. Explore Greenfield EPC delivery →
Process and equipment approach
Distillation can be used in IPA recovery, but the IPA–water azeotrope limits what ordinary distillation alone can achieve. Additional separation or dehydration may be required for a particular dryness or purity target. The method must be selected from the full feed composition and the intended reuse.
Applications and product requirements
IPA recovery can reclaim solvent from cleaning or process streams for a defined reuse duty. Suitability depends on the entire stream, including water, other solvents, dissolved solids and trace contaminants. A recovered solvent may be acceptable for one internal operation and unsuitable for another with tighter impurity or particle limits.
Equipment and operating approach
A recovery system can separate non-volatile residues and fractionate volatile components. IPA and water form an azeotropic system, so a requirement for lower water content may need a specifically designed dehydration or hybrid separation step. The separation route and any dehydration package are selected after feed assessment and defined in the agreed supply scope.
Define the right package.
The quotation defines the included equipment, services and battery limits.
- Recovery and separation equipment
- Condensation, receivers and transfer interfaces
- Additional finishing or dehydration interfaces where specified
- Instrumentation and control requirements
Materials and configuration
Columns, reboilers, condensers, receivers, pumps, filters and any selected finishing package are defined from the separation study. Materials and elastomers must suit both solvent and contaminants. Single-stream continuous recovery and campaign-based batch recovery need different storage, cleaning and changeover arrangements. Define how off-specification fractions and heavy residues will be managed.
Utilities and operation
Heating and cooling utilities, vacuum where selected, vent treatment, electrical zoning and solvent storage must be included in the integration review. Recovery economics depend on actual solvent losses, energy demand, residue disposal and the value of usable recovered IPA. A percentage purity or a boiling point alone cannot establish operating cost or product suitability.
Information for your enquiry.
Share the information you already have. Early-stage enquiries are welcome.
| Topic | Information to provide |
|---|---|
| Feed envelope | IPA, water, other solvents, dissolved/non-volatile contamination, composition variation and available analyses. |
| Operating pattern | Continuous feed or batch/campaign quantities, annual operation and expected changeovers. |
| Reuse specification | Water and impurity limits for the receiving process; define usable-product recovery separately from purity. |
| Recovery boundary | State whether dehydration/finishing, solvent storage, residue handling, utilities and automation are included. |
| Acceptance basis | Sampling and test methods, treatment of off-specification fractions, performance-test conditions and destination. |
Frequently asked questions
Can recovered IPA automatically be called semiconductor grade?
No. That designation requires a defined specification and validated control of trace impurities and particles. It must not be inferred from a bulk purity value.
What determines the recovery process?
Composition, water and impurity limits, recovery target, utilities and the intended reuse determine the appropriate process.
Does 99% purity mean 99% recovery?
No. Purity is the IPA fraction of the recovered product. Recovery is the fraction of feed IPA collected as usable product. Both require their own sampling and calculation basis.
Can different waste-solvent batches use one recovery plant?
Only within a defined feed envelope. Other solvents, salts or reactive contaminants can change separation and safety requirements; each intended campaign needs review.
What analysis is needed before choosing dehydration?
Provide water content, full solvent composition, relevant trace contaminants and the reuse specification. Candidate methods should be checked against separation behaviour, fouling and utility availability.