A method for puncturing aerosol spray cans, one at a time to discharge contents therefrom, for collecting liquid contents that discharge from the punctured cans for environmentally appropriate disposal, and for filtering gaseous contents that discharge from the punctured cans to remove environmentally objectionable constituents therefrom before releasing the filtered gas to atmosphere, comprising the steps of:
- a) providing workstation means including structure for defining a workstation for receiving and guiding upright-oriented aerosol spray cans, one at a time, to a predetermined workstation location 1) wherein peripheral portions of the bottom end region of each received can are substantially centered about an imaginary vertical center axis that extends substantially centrally through the workstation, and 2) wherein peripheral portions of the bottom wall of each received can are centered and seated atop an annular resilient seal that forms a part of said structure and is positioned by said structure to present a upwardly facing seal surface that is substantially centered about said center axis and that extends substantially horizontally for engaging said peripheral portions of the bottom wall of each received can in a substantially contiguous ring-shaped region of engagement that encircles said center axis substantially concentrically at a location that surrounds a center opening that is defined by the annular resilient seal;
- b) providing clamping means at a location along said center axis that is spaced above and overlies said workstation location for engaging upper end portions of each aerosol spray can that is received at the workstation location for exerting downwardly directed force on each such received can to clamp the received can in position at the workstation location, with said peripheral bottom wall portions of the clamped can being pressed into firm sealing engagement with said upwardly facing seal surface to form an uninterrupted ring-shaped seal between the seal surface and the bottom wall of the clamped can along said substantially contiguous ring-shaped region of engagement;
- c) providing puncturing means that is operable to extend a pointed piercing pin upwardly along said center axis and through the center opening from a retracted position located beneath the upwardly facing seal surface to an extended position located above said upwardly facing seal surface to puncture the bottom wall of each aerosol spray can that is received and clamped in position at said workstation location, and to retract the pointed piercing pin along said center axis to said retracted position after effecting each such puncture, whereby contents from each punctured can that is received and clamped in position at the workstation location are caused to discharge through the center opening;
- d) providing discharge passage means for receiving contents that discharge through the center opening from aerosol spray cans that are positioned, clamped and punctured one at a time at the workstation location for ducting such contents into a receiving container that has a lower region wherein discharged liquid contents can be collected for environmentally appropriate disposal, and having an upper region into which discharged gaseous contents can be received;
- e) providing filtering means for communicating with upper region of the receiving container for ducting gaseous contents discharged from punctured aerosol cans through filter means that is capable of removing environmentally objectionable constituents therefrom;
- f) providing reduced pressure plenum means 1) for defining a reduced pressure plenum wherein the gaseous contents of the plenum are maintained a pressure that is less than ambient atmospheric pressure, 2) for communicating with the filter means to receive filtered gas therefrom, and 3) for discharging contents of the reduced pressure plenum to atmosphere while maintaining said less than ambient atmospheric pressure within the plenum;
- g) providing emissions collection means adjacent the workstation location for ducting a flow of ambient air from the region located above the upwardly facing seal surface and into the reduced pressure plenum so that, if gaseous emissions from contents that are discharged from aerosol spray cans at the workstation location should rise from the workstation location, such emissions will be entrained in said flow of ambient air that is ducted into the reduced pressure plenum;
- and,
- h) processing aerosol spray cans, one at a time, to puncture each such can and to withdraw and treat its contents by 1) positioning aerosol spray cans, one at a time, so as to be received and centered about said center axis at the workstation location, 2) operating the clamping means to clamp each spray can that is positioned at the workstation location so that peripheral portions of the bottom walls of each such can are held in firmly sealed engagement with the upwardly facing seal surface, 3) operating the puncturing means to extend and retract the piercing pin to puncture the bottom walls of clamped cans and to thereby cause contents of each punctured can to discharge through the center opening and to be ducted through the discharge passage means into the receiving container, 4) collecting liquid contents in a lower region of the receiving container, 5) drawing gaseous contents from the upper region of the receiving container through the filtering means to filter environmentally objectionable constituents therefrom, 6) ducting filtered gas from the filter means into the reduced pressure plenum for discharge to atmosphere, and 7) drawing into the reduced pressure plenum a flow of ambient air through the emissions collection means from the region located above the upwardly facing seal surface so as to entrain in said flow of ambient air such gaseous emissions as may emanate from the workstation location from among contents discharged from aerosol cans that are punctured at the workstation.