This info-letter is the eighth entry of our series on drycleaning operations, their impact on the environment and ensuing hurdles they pose in real estate transactions.
The previous entry can be viewed here.
Distillation Unit
Although
distillation units are built into the newer drycleaning machines, they
are sometimes a separate piece of equipment in drycleaning facilities.
A
common operational problem with distillation units was overfilling (when
too much spent solvent or muck was placed in the still/muck cooker) and
subsequent boilover of distillation residues resulting in the discharge
of still bottoms or cooked powder residues to the facility floor.
Boilover
can also be caused by excessive still operating temperatures. In early
drycleaning operations, the distillation unit was often located in a
separate room or even outside the facility in a covered area due to the
strong odors generated during the distillation process.
Former still locations can often be identified by brown colored staining on facility floors or walls.
This
staining is associated with either boilover of still bottoms or from
splashing or spilling of still bottoms or cooked powder residues during
still cleanout. The area around the still is a prime sampling location
at drycleaning facilities.
(The information in this newsletter has been gleaned from an EPA sponsored site http://www.drycleancoalition.org and enhanced with pictures obtained from the Web.)
