Mpact reduces acid consumption by around 90% with Milestone traceCLEAN

Discover how Mpact, Southern Africa’s largest paper and plastics packaging and recycling business, has improved the efficiency and safety of its laboratory cleaning workflow with the implementation of Milestone traceCLEAN.

Trace-metal analysis plays an important role in Mpact’s regulatory compliance activities. The laboratory must measure very low concentrations of regulated metals in packaging materials and demonstrate compliance with food-contact requirements.

Before adopting traceCLEAN, Mpact relied on a conventional manual acid-cleaning procedure. In addition to being time-consuming, the process involved significant acid consumption, hazardous waste disposal costs, and potential operator exposure to corrosive acids and acid vapours.

Milestone traceCLEAN automates the process using freshly distilled hot acid vapours inside a sealed chamber. According to Mpact, the system has reduced acid consumption by approximately 90%, from around 5 L to 500 mL for a batch of glassware. This reduction also translates into lower acid purchasing costs and significantly less hazardous chemical waste requiring treatment and disposal.

The closed, automated process also limits manual handling, helping improve operator safety and reduce the risk of cross-contamination.

Resource details:

Resource type: Case study
Page count: 3
Read time: 5 mins