I agree with Lance's assessment of the Formalin Filtration system from
Creative Waste Solutions. We didn't use the formalin system as long as
Lance had but the results were good.

We did use the alcohol filtration
system also. We would mainly filter the 100% and 95% from the processors.
It required minimal maintenance, but a little attention to detail. It
required using a hydrometer to check the alcohol concentration prior to
dumping it into the filtration system. Prior to using any of the alcohol,
we would check it again and record the information. Once the 100% got too
weak then we would use it as 95%. The only drawback is if techs get in a
rush and don't check concentrations, but this is no fault of the
filtration system. The xylene pads were just becoming available around the
time I left Histology, so I have no experience with them.

I think more folks on the West coast are familiar with the product since
the company is based out of Oregon. I have in the past, encouraged the
owner to attend an NSH Symposium.

Victor

On Tue, 18 Feb 2003, Lance Erickson wrote:

> In the lab that I came from in Seattle we were using the system from the
> onset of the company. I was the one in charge of recycling all waste
> solutions. It is a gravity filtration system that also uses absorbents
> and exchange resins and is not a distillation recycler.  I can tell you
> that is does a very good job filtering and cleaning the formalin. We
> were also running side by side with a CBG formalin recycling unit. After
> every run an assay was performed to see the percentage of formalin
> recovered.  The formalin went back onto the machines and was used
> throughout the lab without any problems or adjusting of
> concentration/rebuffering. We just used the dirty formalin off the
> processors. I heard it may have some problem with formalin that has
> larger portions of fatty tissues. It is currently going on 4 years that
> they are using the system without any setbacks. With the CBG machine we
> were needing to adjust formalin percentages and rebuffer. As to how
> clean the formalin was compared to the "electric, heated, distillation"
> method I don't know. I do know that it was easier, economic, and has
> stood the test of time.
>
> Lance Erickson HTL (ASCP)
> Salt Lake City, UT
> (801) 588-3110
>
> >>> Laurie Colbert  02/17/03
> 11:31AM >>>
> Does anyone use the formalin recycling system from Creative Waste
> Solutions?  The company claims it will recycle formalin without the use
> of electricity or heating.  You "simply dump dirty formalin into funnel
> and it recycles dirty formalin via gravity."  The system gives you back
> the same volume and concentration of formalin - no need to "rebuffer."
>
> They also have an alcohol recycling system and xylene recycling pads
> that remove alcohol and water form your xylene.
>
> Any comments?
>
> Laurie Colbert
> Huntington Memorial Hospital
>
>
>

-- 
Victor Tobias
Clinical Applications Analyst
Department of Pathology
University of Washington
206-543-4823
206-543-3644 Fax