Solutions for Success: Crystal Clean

This article appeared in the June 2026 issue of MiMfg Magazine. Read the full issue and find past issues online.

Manufacturers are steadily looking for additional ways to improve efficiency while reducing their environmental impact.

To that end, closed loop processes — as a part of the circular economy — have been gaining steam in recent years as a way for businesses to reuse materials, reduce waste, save time and meet various regulatory requirements.

Many man-made products or natural resources are reclaimed through closed loop processes, including antifreeze, heat transfer fluid and winterization fluid. Illinois-based Crystal Clean, MMA’s longtime partner for environmental and industrial services, recovers these three products through a modern distillation and additive reintroduction process.

The business — which provides numerous services for members at a 25 percent discount — collects spent antifreeze and heat transfer fluids at customers’ sites and takes it to one of its antifreeze recovery centers in Battle Creek for distillation. The distillation process removes impurities, excess water and any solids that may be in the used antifreeze — or the heat transfer fluid or winterization fluid — in order to recover the glycol base.

Afterward, various chemistries and corrosion inhibitors, known as “the additive package,” as well as deionized or distilled water are added, resulting in a new antifreeze product for customer use.

“We are not just reusing or recycling the antifreeze,” explains Alan Bender, Product Manager for Crystal Clean’s antifreeze recovery program. “We are recovering the ethylene glycol through the distillation process, and that becomes the base material for new antifreeze.”

While glycol reclamation is not new, distillation is a modern and efficient method. In the past, the liquids could have been processed through equipment such as filter presses or micron filters, he says.

Today, distillation is preferred, and it meets pertinent environmental and performance standards. The recovery process keeps the antifreeze, heat transfer fluid or winterization fluid out of landfills and eliminates the need to solidify the liquid before disposal.

It’s an easy win for any supply chain looking to sustainably improve operations, says Mike Ademe, Communications and Marketing Manager for Crystal Clean.

The recovery option also helps businesses manage used antifreeze and obtain new antifreeze efficiently, which can be particularly helpful for businesses that have large fleets of vehicles or extremely large tanks that must be emptied and refilled regularly, Ademe notes.

“The consistency of having this process of collection, reclamation and then regularly scheduled delivery of new product simplifies their operations because it’s through a single vendor,” he adds.

See Member Benefits to learn more about Crystal Clean’s other services and solutions or contact MMA’s Brenda Nalett at 517-487-8512 or nalett@mimfg.org.