Balaji Multiflex’s renewable strategy through DEC’s solvent recovery system

In 2024, Balaji Multiflex completed the installation of a solvent recovery unit (SRU) from Dynamic Environmental Corporation (DEC). This investment reduces volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions, ensuring that Balaji's high-performance packaging is as environmentally responsible as it is functional. By integrating DEC's activated carbon technology with nitrogen regeneration, Balaji Multiflex is transitioning to a circular production model.

The partnership between Balaji Multiflex and DEC was born from a shared vision of "future-proofing" industrial production. Having already optimised its manufacturing footprint through printing and film extrusion, Balaji's leadership recognised a gap in its environmental strategy: The management of VOC emissions.

In order to fill the "missing link" for a transition to a circular economy, Balaji collaborated with DEC which was capable of:

Bridging standards: Bringing European environmental protocols to the evolving Indian market.

Engineering synergy: Integrating complex solvent recovery technology into a multi-line production environment.

Operational integrity: Ensuring that the recovery process yielded a solvent pure enough to be reintroduced directly into production, thereby "closing the loop."

DEC was selected as the strategic partner because of its DEC RSG technology, which aligned with Balaji's high-performance culture. Nirav Bhalara, PMO at Balaji Multiflex says, "This step talks about the infrastructure of sustainability. Our partnership with DEC creates a flagship facility, one that combines Italian engineering excellence with Indian market agility."

The twin-skid solution

Balaji Multiflex operates a sophisticated production environment with multiple high-speed printing and lamination lines. Its primary requirement was a high-efficiency recovery system capable of handling fluctuating solvent loads from various sources simultaneously. A system without compromising the suction pressure or performance of the individual production machines.

Fabrizio Imarisio, vice president, sales of DEC explains, "To address this challenge, DEC engineered a customised twin-skid (modular) configuration, which utilises the award-winning DEC smart modular system (SMS) platform. This modular approach allows for staggered or parallel operation, where the SRU can scale its recovery capacity up or down in real-time based on how many printing lines are active."

Imarisio further adds, "We engineered a bespoke collection manifold that ensures balanced airflow across the factory, preventing solvent breakthroughs and maintaining a safe, VOC-free working environment." DEC provided a dedicated, user-friendly human-machine interface (HMI) that allows Balaji's operations team to monitor recovery rates and solvent purity in real-time across different shifts. The system was tuned to ensure the recovered solvent meets the stringent purity standards required for immediate direct reuse in Balaji's ink and adhesive mixing stations.

The nitrogen advantage by DEC RSG

DEC believes, for technical stakeholders, the choice of recovery medium is the most critical decision in a plant's lifecycle. Talking about the recovery medium, Imarisio shares, "While traditional solvent recovery systems are usually steam-based, the DEC RSG (nitrogen regeneration) thermal swing adsorption (TSA) process represents the modern gold standard for high-performance flexible packaging."

The challenge was that steam regeneration is not compatible with multi-solvent inks; it introduces moisture into the carbon bed, which can lead to the hydrolysis of key solvents like acetates. This process results in acidic byproducts that damage equipment and degrade solvent quality.

By using an inert bone-dry nitrogen stream, DEC aims to eliminate water contamination entirely. Imarisio says, "The recovered solvent maintains its original purity, allowing for immediate reintegration into the production line without expensive dehydration or complex distillation." The DEC SRU is engineered to handle multi-solvent blends such as mixtures of acetates and alcohols without compromising recovery efficiency.

Inherently safer operations

According to DEC's Fabrizio Imarisio, safety is the non-negotiable priority when handling VOCs. Traditional air/steam systems must constantly manage the fire triangle involving oxygen, fuel and heat. He explains that DEC's process operates in a fully, positive pressure, inert nitrogen atmosphere. "By removing oxygen from the equation, we fundamentally eliminate the risk of internal combustion or explosion, providing a safety profile for the facility and the surrounding community," he adds.

Steam systems are resource-intensive, requiring energy to generate steam and subsequent waste water treatment process (WWTP) to separate water from the recovered solvents.

DEC's nitrogen systems operate in an efficient loop. This avoids the high thermal load of steam production and, critically, removes the need for wastewater handling, lowering the site's overall utility footprint.

The four-month engineering triumph

Executing a project of this magnitude in just four months required synchronised logistics between Milan and Rajkot. The primary hurdle was integrating massive industrial skids into a high-output production environment without halting Balaji's existing 24/7 operations.

DEC overcame this through a proprietary "parallel engineering" strategy. While the core twin-modular SRU units were being precision-engineered, pre-assembled, and tested at DEC's facilities, the groundwork was already moving in India. Balaji ensured in Rajkot the local infrastructure, foundation, and ducting networks were prepared concurrently. And because the units were shipped as pre-tested, modular skids, the final on-site integration was transformed from a lengthy construction project into a streamlined installation.

This approach eliminated downtime associated with large-scale environmental upgrades. By the time the skids arrived in Gujarat, the site was ready for immediate connection, allowing Balaji to maintain its production commitments to global food brands while simultaneously upgrading its sustainability profile.

A self-funding sustainability model

While the ROI length depends on local solvent market fluctuations, energy costs and amount of solvents consumption, according to Imarisio, a DEC SRU of this capacity typically achieves full payback within 18 to 30 months. This is driven by three primary financial pillars.

By recovering and re-using approximately 2,500 tonnes of solvent annually, Balaji Multiflex eliminates the recurring cost of purchasing virgin chemicals. The system also reduces the need for tanker transport and on-site bulk storage. This not only lowers costs but also mitigates the insurance premiums and risks associated with high-volume solvent handling.

Beyond immediate savings, the unit lowers the company's carbon footprint, shielding Balaji from potential future carbon taxes and enhancing green tier status when bidding for contracts with global food brands.

Pranav Bhalara, director of Balaji Multiflex, says, "The DEC SRU ensures that our supply chain partners consistently receive quality with a drastically reduced carbon footprint. We are no longer just reacting to the market; we are setting the values that will guide it."

Adding to this, Andrea Formigoni, CEO of DEC explains, "Without a DEC SRU, these solvents were exhausted fumes polluting the air. Today, they are a recycled resource. By looking beyond current regulatory requirements, Balaji Multiflex is achieving an economic advantage while elevating the very definition of sustainability."

The DEC commitment in India

India is not just a market for DEC, but a cornerstone of its global growth strategy. To ensure the long-term success of partners like Balaji Multiflex, the company has initiated the expansion of DEC Service, focused exclusively on after-sales excellence and lifecycle management.

DEC is strengthening local technical support teams and establishing specialised spare parts hubs. This infrastructure is designed to provide rapid response times for on-site maintenance and advanced remote diagnostics to minimise downtime.

The company also provides inventories of critical components including high-grade activated carbon, specialised valves, and sensors — eliminating international shipping delays.

Impact by the numbers
Impact Metric	Annual Savings
Solvent Recovery	Around 2,500-tonnes recovered and reused
Carbon Footprint	12,000-tonnes of CO2 eliminated
Ecological Equivalent	Equal to planting 5,00,000 adult trees
Logistical Reduction	160+ fewer tankers on local roads