Spent coolant costs: where the money goes and how to cut it
Disposal fees are only part of the cost of spent coolant. Look at new concentrate, changeover work and machine downtime too, and the savings become clear.
Add up the hidden costs too
A single coolant change costs more, and in more places, than most people expect.
- Disposal fees paid to a waste contractor
- New concentrate to refill the sump
- Labor for cleaning the sump and changing the fluid
- Machine downtime during the changeover
First: dump less often
The single biggest lever is extending coolant life. Keep concentration and contamination under control to slow spoilage, and you change the fluid less often, which cuts every one of the costs above at once.
Second: reuse the coolant you would have dumped
Coolant at the end of its life can often be reused once contaminants are removed and it has been sanitized. Recycling it in-house cuts both disposal volume and new coolant purchases at the same time.
Third: look for support programs
Equipment for reusing wastewater and waste oil may qualify for government programs that support cleaner production. In Korea, SELTEC has been an approved equipment supplier under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy Clean Factory program for three consecutive years. Program details change from year to year, so ask us before you invest.