The Delicate Balance of Sustainable Business and Going Green

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Alex Stepinski is known throughout the industry as an innovator and disruptor committed to environmental sustainability, primarily through his current work around zero liquid discharge (ZLD) for PCB fabrication. But Alex says financial sustainability must come first. Standing firm in his belief that green is the most financially sustainable option for manufacturing and financial success, he explains his position and vision for a greener, more lucrative future for bare board fabricators. “Before I retire in about 10 years,” he says, “I want to make sure that all new fabs, and at least 25% of the old ones are zero liquid discharge in this industry.”

Nolan Johnson: Alex, what are the biggest technological and cost challenges for zero liquid discharge?

Alex Stepinski: Globally, the single biggest challenge of ZLD is the economics, but overall, there are three distinct technical challenges. The first is how to reduce the amount of liquid chemicals you have to boil, which is the biggest cost. Next, it’s about how to treat the portfolio of organic compounds cost-efficiently. Third, you must have a way to deal with mistakes, such as when the wrong chemistry is dumped into the wrong place—something that happens in every shop.

Zero liquid discharge in Europe is primarily done by concentrating the waste and then shipping it out to central facilities where the liquid is boiled off at scale. They have a different ecosystem. Because we don’t have this ecosystem in place in the U.S. yet, I originally took this concept when I worked in New Hampshire and purchased boiling units normally used in European centralized treatment facilities and put them into some of the new fab shops. Boiling chemistry is the biggest cost driver in this system. Through my travels and due diligence, I often extract ideas from other industries, and my most recent significant process discovery provides a nearly 95% reduction in the chemical boiling cost for ZLD.

To read this entire conversation, which appeared in the March 2024 issue of PCB007 Magazine, click here.