MINNEAPOLIS — Appliance Recycling Centers of America Inc. (ARCA) announced that it has been granted a patent (U.S. Patent No. 8,931,289) covering its systems, methods, and techniques for facilitating the recovery and recycling of refrigerants and oil from air conditioners, refrigerators, freezers, and other appliances that contain refrigerant.

Using techniques described in the patent, the system incorporates various levels of automation to reduce the number of human operators required during the refrigerant recovery process, reducing the risks of operator error. In addition, certain techniques described in the patent incorporate integrated data logging to enable reporting of events and data related to the refrigerant recovery process.

Commenting on the patent, Mark Eisenschenk, president and chief executive officer, said, “We are very pleased with the issuance of this important patent, which helps ensure our core intellectual property is properly protected. It may also provide ARCA with an increased competitive advantage, as well as a basis for licensing opportunities.”

ARCA’s regional centers process appliances at end of life to remove environmentally damaging substances and produce material byproducts for recycling.

For more information, visit www.arcainc.com.

Publication date: 2/23/2015 

Want more HVAC industry news and information? Join The NEWS on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn today!