Environmental Progress - Winter 2005

IEPA Pollution Prevention Interns Help Companies Save Money and Environment

Program marks 15^th anniversary

This past summer marked the 15-year anniversary of the Illinois EPA's Pollution Prevention (P2) Internship Program, a program that has helped Illinois businesses save millions of dollars and reduce environmental releases by over 200,000 pounds. Starting in 1989, the Agency's Office of Pollution Prevention has recruited between 15 and 20 upper-level university students each year to intern at manufacturing facilities, small businesses, trade associations, and government facilities throughout Illinois. During their internships the students help identify pollution prevention opportunities that reduce or eliminate waste or emissions at the source. This is typically done through substitution of safer raw materials, improved housekeeping, use of more efficient production processes, or product reformulation.

Each student works on a predetermined P2 project and makes recommendations directly to the facility on ways to reduce or eliminate a particular waste stream at the source. The majority of the interns work on process-related P2 projects, but they can also be involved in projects dealing with energy efficiency as well as water conservation.

Recommendations provided by the intern are implemented if it is found to be technologically and economically feasible to the company.

The students themselves come from varied backgrounds that range from engineering disciplines and chemistry, to occupational health and safety, and environmental management. Approximately 80 students applied for the P2 Internship this year with only 18 making the final cut. Each student selected for the program attended an initial training program in Springfield to be taught pollution prevention methodologies and skills.

There were nine new corporations in the program this year, and the students, during the 12-week summer session working as temporary full-time employees, helped the facilities to identify, research and pilot P2 technologies and practices that generally result in monetary savings. Richard Reese has been the co-coordinator of the P2 Internship program since 1993. During the summer work assignment, the students are required to submit biweekly reports on their progress to his office. At the end of the twelve weeks, each student is also required to submit a final written report and abstract pertaining to the progress made on the assigned P2 project. Reese says, "student interns are a new set of eyes and ears for a company working on environmental issues. They can concentrate and focus on a specified pollution prevention project. Because of this, they are able to make valid recommendations on reducing or eliminating waste streams at the source."

Below is a summary of the 2003 host facilities, a brief description of the projects that the students worked on, and the potential savings (PS) per year based on student recommendations.

Examples of additional past intern projects, accomplishments and technical summaries are available for review on the Pollution Prevention Internship Program pages.

• Abbott Laboratories, North Chicago, Ill.
  Identify process modification opportunities for waste minimization.
  PS: $80,000
• Baltimore Aircoil Company, Paxton, Ill.
  Reduce generation of industrial wood waste from
  packaging. PS: $69,000
• Cadbury Adams, Rockford, Ill.
  Reduce discharge of non-contact cooling water (NCW) and improve efficiency of compressed air system. PS: $149,000
• Caterpillar Technical Services, Mossville, Ill.
  Develop new welding testing procedures and investigate the reuse/recycling of lab coats and gloves. PS: millions of dollars
• Champaign Department of Public Works, Champaign, Ill.
  Conduct energy and material audits at department locations. PS: $140,000
• Cintas Corporation, Rockford, Ill.
  Investigate water efficiency of plant and conduct energy efficiency audit.
  PS: $3000
• Coal Age Inc., West Frankfort, Ill.
  Investigate reduction and reuse of wastewater and conduct energy audit. PS: $16,000
• Dynamic Manfacturing, Inc., Hillside, Ill.
  Investigate aqueous cleaning as an alternative to organic solvent parts cleaning and conduct energy audit and trial of a coolant filtration system. PS: $500,000
• Energy Plus Associates, Troy, Ill.
  Review of energy savings on implemented projects. PS: $40,000
• Keystone Steel and Wire Company, Peoria, Ill.
  Investigate on-site recycling of the refractory brick and off-site recycling of white slag.
  PS: $490,000
• Monterey Coal Company, Carlinville, Ill.
  Utilized an alternative by-product material to replace ground limestone "rock dust."
  PS: $68,000
• Nestle USA, Morton, Ill.
  Investigate various projects dealing with improving operability of the WWTP and conduct energy audit. PS: $29,000
• Ondeo Nalco Company, Bedford Park, Ill.
  Increased energy conservation efforts in steam distribution system. PS: $10,000
• Perma Treat of Illinois, Marion, Ill.
  Reduce wastes from wood trimmings and sawdust and perform an energy audit.PS: $13,000
• Prairie Lands Seafood, Pinckneyville, Ill.
  Investigate reduction of odors, fish offal disposal, water usage, and energy efficiency.
  PS: $38,000
• RR Donnelley Print Solutions, Pontiac, Ill.
  Update maps of sanitary/industrial sewers and conduct energy audit. PS: $55,000
• Rock River Water Reclamation District, Rockford, Ill.
  Offer free pollution prevention assessments and/or energy efficient audits to industrial users in District. PS: $150,000
• Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Ill.
  Investigate most efficient method for minimization and disposal of materials generated as biowaste, animal carcasses, sharps, petri plates, human tissue, and general bags waste. PS: $80,000
• Solutia W.G. Krummrich Plant, Sauget, Ill.
  Update compliance documentation to facilitate suggestions for reducing volume and/or toxicity of five waste streams. PS: $110,000.