P2 & E2 Internship Program - Projects

Pollution Prevention Internship Program
2000 Intern Projects

Compiled by Richard J. Reese, Program Coordinator
with program coordination and assistance by Jim Janssen and Brian Rodely

Abbott Laboratories
North Chicago, Illinois

Intern: Jaclyn Wilson

University of Illinois at Chicago

Abbott Laboratories is a major pharmaceutical company that manufactures and markets antibiotics, nutritional supplements, hospital product IV solutions, diagnostics, and specialty products. The intern worked on source reduction projects at Abbott's North Chicago facility in its specialty products pilot plant.

Results:

Due to strict Food and Drug Administration regulations, once a drum or bag of material has been opened, excess chemicals cannot be reused and must be disposed. Currently, excess chemicals are being sent off-site for disposal at a cost of $45,000 per year. The cost to replace these chemicals with virgin feedstock is $300,000. The intern made the following recommendations to reduce excess chemicals:

• Allocate only the necessary amount of chemicals to produce a product rather than using the convenient 55-gallon drums.
  
  
• Reestablish guidelines and conduct training on raw material tracking from the allocation to the disposal of chemicals. Expand the use of the chemical inventory database in the research and development labs to promote chemical sharing.

Metal dumpsters were being used to store Tyvek lab coats for off-site recycling. Almost 30% of the lab coats were being discolored by the metal dumpsters and rejected by the recycling company. Plastic dumpsters were ordered to replace the metal dumpsters. This should increase the quantity of lab coats recycled by over 20%.

In one pilot plant building, the intern determined that freshwater line flushes that were being conducted every week could be extended to every two weeks. Since the fresh water does not have the possibility of product contact, the limits on the microbial counts could be raised. This would result in a 2,500 gallon a week reduction in water discharged to the sewer.

Ahlstrom Paper Group
Ahlstrom Engine Filtration, LLC
Taylorville, Illinois

Intern: Jaret Brochmann

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Ahlstrom Paper Group is one of the world's largest producers of automotive grade filter paper. The Taylorville plant produces 75 tons per day of latex coated air filter paper for its global customers. The intern focused on finding a secondary source for waste paper to reduce landfill and wastewater effluent.

Results:

In the manufacture of the filter paper, the plant generates over 5,200 tons per year of waste paper in the form of dry paper (broke) or wet fiber (sludge) and is sent off-site for disposal in a local landfill. Water used during the papermaking process generates 500,000 gallons per day of effluent wastewater. The intern accomplished the following tasks:

• Encouraged a secondary recycler to handle an extra 100 tons per month of paper waste, which resulted in a disposal savings of $45,000 per year.
  
  
• Constructed a process map of the wastewater effluent system to find the sources of all influents. This data was used to determine areas where water and pulp fiber could be reused or diverted from the effluent. Several projects are being implemented which have the potential to save approximately 80 gallons per minute of water flowing to the effluent. They could reduce costs by over $40,000 per year.
  
  
• Implemented an office paper-recycling program. Projected benefits include $2,000 per year cost savings and 1,500 cubic feet per year reduction in wastes.

The intern also investigated a method to segregate latex from the waste pulp fiber in the effluent system. This would make the pulp sludge waste more valuable to a secondary fiber recycler and reduce the total suspended solids flowing to the publicly owned treatment work

BF Goodrich
Henry, Illinois

Intern: Rebecca Forbeck

Bradley University, Peoria

The BF Goodrich plant in Henry is a specialty chemical manufacturer of antioxidants for the rubber, plastics, and lubricants industries. They also produce accelerators for the rubber industry. The intern student focused on improving the filtering process in the manufacture of accelerators which included increasing product yield and reducing organic loading or Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) to the wastewater treatment facility.

Results:

The existing filtering cloth media had been experiencing blinding and durability problems. The student tested and analyzed several types of filtering cloth media. The bench scale tests confirmed that there was an overall better cloth for one of the two processes. Once implemented, this has the potential to increase product yield by 13% while reducing the COD loading to the wastewater treatment plant by 10%. This would result in savings in excess of $180,000 annually.

Further studies are planned to determine if the filtering cloth can be replaced with a permanent wire-mesh covering.

Back Of The Yards Neighborhood Council
Chicago, Illinois

Intern: Kathy Kulovitz

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council is a business development center encompassing roughly ten square miles on the southwest side of Chicago. The Council donates money and resources to businesses to help them establish and maintain a neighborhood-friendly operation. The intern worked at two facilities in the Back of the Yard's area that included a steel sheet metal manufacturer and a steel pipe and conduit manufacturer.

Results:

The sheet metal facility has been sending wood waste from its shipping pallet manufacturing process to a landfill. The intern suggested purchasing a wood-chipping machine to recycle scrap wood. This would save the company $7,000 to $10,000 annually.

At the pipe and conduit facility, the intern worked on the following projects:

• The intern noticed discrepancies with the titration test used to monitor and maintain the concentration of the hexavalent-chromium electroplating bath. The intern suggested a new standardized test to more accurately maintain the bath and reduce the frequency of the bath being dumped. It was also suggested that a chrome reduction unit be purchased and installed to reduce the hexavalent chrome to trivalent chrome prior to discharge to the wastewater treatment plant. These suggestions have the potential to save over $5,000 per year in bath recharge and hazardous waste disposal.
  
  
• Alkaline cleaning baths are used to clean the metal prior to forming the conduit. The intern tested an ultrafiltration system for the cleaner bath to reduce the frequency of dumping and recharging of the baths. Ultrafiltration applied to the alkaline cleaner baths has the potential to save over $47,000 per year. It may also reduce the need to upgrade its wastewater treatment system, potentially saving an additional $250,000.

Brach's Confections Inc.
Chicago, Illinois

Intern: Dino Koutsoubas

Northwestern University, Evanston

Brach's Confections Inc. produces more than 500 million pounds of candy every year at its Chicago facility. This is the largest candy factory in the world with over 2.3 million square feet of floor space. The intern investigated minimizing a wastestream that is generated from the reclamation of sugars from off-spec candies.

Results:

The process for reclaiming sugars is accomplished in a process that uses activated carbon to filter the extracted sugars and water from the off-spec candies. Once the carbon has been used or spent, it is landfilled at considerable cost. The intern found that:

• Over 40% of the candy needing to be reworked came from one particular candy line. This off-spec candy could be reintroduced into a different product line made at one of Brach's other plants.
• The activated carbon that is not spent could be regenerated by the use of a packed bed column. Excess steam could be used in the proposed system generating usable carbon and a sellable product such as feed for hogs.
• Ultrafiltration could be an alternative viable technology utilized instead of the activated carbon process. A feasibility study and cost analysis would have to be completed for this major capital investment.

Burgess-Norton Manufacturing Inc.
Geneva, Illinois

Intern: Margaret Matuck

Bradley University, Peoria

Burgess-Norton Manufacturing Company is a division of Amsted Industries, Inc. It retains the title of being the largest independent producer of automotive and truck piston pins in the world. The intern completed two projects at their Plant #1 facility, which produces piston pins and shafts for Ford, Saturn, Honda, General Motors, and Chrysler.

Results:

The intern made the following recommendations for the facility's zinc phosphate coating operation:

• Coating line operators should be re-trained to better understand existing standard operating procedures and safety measures.
  
  
• Efforts should be made to clean the coating line, fix leaking pipes, and correct minor malfunctions. This will improve efficiency and conserve water without additional costs.
  
  
• By implementing additional water-saving measures and upgrading them as necessary (e.g. replacing whisker switches with conductivity meters and installing membrane filtration) the facility could save an estimated $250,000 - $500,000 on avoided capital expenditure for upgrading its pretreatment facility. An estimated $18,000 - $36,000 per year could also be saved in reduced water use and sewer fees.

The intern also constructed five process maps depicting major production process flows through the plant. This information will be used to help obtain ISO 14000 certification and train new employees.

Caterpillar Technical Services Division
Mossville, Illinois

Intern: William Michael

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Caterpillar's Technical Services Division is headquartered at the Technical Center in Mossville, Illinois. The Technical Center is the corporate home of Caterpillar's research, development and test groups. The intern was assigned to identify new pollution prevention (P2) opportunities and strategies that could be applied throughout Caterpillar's facilities.

Results:

The intern accomplished the following tasks:

• Found a local blacktop/concrete manufacturer, as well as, a grinding wheel recycling company that could recycle spent grinding wheels from six facilities. The grinding wheels would be collected, crushed and reused as an aggregate asphalt mix. This would save $9,000 annually while reducing the amount of landfill waste by 200 tons.
  
  
• Researched alternatives for recycling of metal grinding swarf. Presently over 5,000 tons per year of swarf is being sent to Illinois landfills. Several briquetting processes are being investigated that will allow this material to be reused in a foundry melt process. This could potentially save the corporation approximately $100,000 per facility in landfill and transportation costs alone.
  
  
• Assisted in the development of a "lesson learned" document from the company's Sumter, SC, facility, which has achieved "zero discharges". This will aid in the adoption of a new corporate-wide strategy entitled "environmentally benign manufacturing".
  
  
• Helped facilitate two corporate wide P2 seminars to help communicate external and internal P2 ideas.

Caterpillar Inc.
Track-Type Tractors Division
East Peoria, Illinois

Intern: Lindsey Eldridge

Bradley University, Peoria

Caterpillar's Track-Type Tractors Division (TTTD) is the largest facility in the world for manufacturing earthmoving tractors. The TTTD facility, along with the Transmission Business Unit, is situated on 700 acres in East Peoria with over 3.9 million square feet of manufacturing space. The intern focused on water use and wastewater contaminants in preparation for compliance with the new federal metal processing and machinery wastewater regulations.

Results:

The following are the intern recommendations:

• Pressurized transmissions are immersed in a large tank of water to inspect for leaks. To keep the tank clean for viewing, water is overflowing continuously to remove oil and particulates from the tank. This tank uses over 7.4 million gallons per year for this process. The intern suggested the use of a reclamation system to filter out the oil and particulates as well as reuse the water. This modification has the potential to save the facility $14,700 annually.
• Trailers used for collecting and storing metal chips and turnings are located outside of the processing buildings. The intern verified that the main source of liquid found collecting in the trailers was due to precipitation. It was recommended that awnings be constructed to cover the trailers to decrease the amount of collected rainwater. The facility's wastewater treatment plant could treat the remaining wastewater and eliminate the need to send the wastewater off-site for treatment and disposal. These changes have the potential to save the facility $38,000 per year.

ComEd
Chicago, Illinois

Intern: Laura Terdy

University of Illinois at Chicago

ComEd provides electricity to over 3.4 million customers in northern Illinois. The electricity is generated primarily by nuclear and coal-fired power plants. ComEd is diversifying its mix of electricity generation resources to include renewable energy and electricity generated from cleaner-burning fuels. As cleaner energy sources displace coal based electricity generation, ComEd would like to quantify the added environmental benefits and develop communication tools to inform consumers who will be able to choose among several suppliers in the future deregulated electricity market.

Results:

The intern accomplished the following:

• Revised estimates of the net environmental benefits of landfill gas-to-energy including information about coal mining, transportation, and thermal environmental impacts.
• Developed a consumer-friendly brochure showing the environmental comparisons of landfill gas-to-energy.

ComEd facilities are responsible for their own management and recycling of fluorescent bulbs, ballasts, and lead acid batteries. The intern recommended that a corporate-wide strategy be adopted that would include the replacement of inefficient ballasts and bulbs with more efficient, long life components. Batteries should also be recycled wherever practicable.

DICKEY-john Corporation
Auburn, Illinois

Intern: Todd Johanson

Southern Illinois University, Carbondale

DICKEY-john Corporation manufactures electronic instrumentation & controls for use in agriculture, off-highway, and public works operations. The main plant consists of a 200,000 square foot facility that employs 300 people. The intern conducted an energy efficiency assessment at the facility and made recommendations on ways the facility could reduce its electric usage and achieve its electric load factor. Since the facility has become a deregulated electric customer, the company pays penalties if it does not meet the targeted electric load factor.

Results:

The intern made the following recommendations:

• Replace the current A/C units with ones that have higher efficiencies and are properly sized. This can save an estimated $92,000 a year in electricity and maintenance costs.
• Install a hybrid heating system in high ceiling areas to include gas fired infrared heaters to be run during the day and electric forced air resistance heaters to operate during the night. In the office areas, the electric heat should be converted to gas-fired heat. This could save $30,000 annually.
• Invest in an Energy Management System to reduce peak loads, electric spikes, and monitor electric usage. This system could reduce electric costs by 13%.
• Repair all leaks in the compressed air line system and add a compressed air storage tank. This can save the company $7,200 annually.
• The lighting system should be retrofitted with high efficiency electronic ballasts and lamps. In high ceiling areas, it was suggested that fixtures be installed to double the amount of light and decrease the number of fixtures by 25%. Every exit light should be retrofitted with LED lights, thus reducing each fixture from 40 to 2 watts. These retrofits would save an estimated $39,000 in electric, maintenance, and disposal costs.

The total retrofit has the potential to save the company in excess of $170,000 annually through reduced energy demand, improved load factor, and the use of alternate fuels. By decreasing energy usage by 35%, air pollution from power generation would be cut by 4.7 million pounds annually while decreasing water usage by 1.7 million gallons.

ITT Bell & Gossett
Morton Grove, Illinois

Intern: Kelly Duddy

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

ITT Bell & Gossett is a world leader in the manufacture and sales of pumps, custom made pump systems, and HVAC components. Located in Morton Grove, the plant encompasses over 500,000 square feet and employs over 850 people.

Results:

The intern made pollution prevention recommendations for several waste streams at the facility including:

• Over 182,000 gallons per year of "oily" wastewater is being collected and sent off-site for treatment. The intern determined where 60% of the wastes were coming from and then began prioritizing which streams needed to be investigated further. Coolant and soapy water were identified as priorities.
• The intern identified a contractor that could maintain a coolant recycling system on-site. This would result in a savings of $58,000 in the first year.

• The intern proposed a new set of solvent-based parts cleaners. These parts cleaners have built in filters so recycling can take place on site. This will save the company $9,000 per year.

Laroche Industries Inc.
Seneca, Illinois

Intern: Angela Link

Southern Illinois University, Carbondale

Located in Seneca, LaRoche Industries is a privately owned, major diversified producer and distributor of organic and inorganic chemicals worldwide. The Seneca plant manufactures nitric acid and ammonium nitrate prills which are key ingredients in the production of commercial explosives. The plant employs around 50 people.

Results:

The intern was involved with the following projects:

• Analytical monitoring guidelines and procedures were written to recycle a high strength ammonia wastewater from a storage lagoon back into the process. Over $178,000 in raw material costs, treatment costs, and energy savings could be realized.
• The student coordinated the application and monitoring of an algaecide to the facility treatment pond to reduce the algae population and lower the total suspended solid levels.
• Recycling programs were set in place for paper/cardboard, fluorescent/HID bulbs, aerosol cans, and batteries.

Morton Metalcraft Co.
Morton, Illinois

Intern: Jeff Hebenstreit

University of Illinois at Chicago

Morton Metalcraft operates two metal fabricating plants in Morton and employs about 600 people. The company fabricates heavy equipment cabs, tanks, body parts, and transport frames for companies such as John Deere, Caterpillar, and Hallmark. The intern's goal was to determine source reduction options for its processes.

Results:

Laser cutting creates a surface oxide that is incapable of being painted. The intern found an additive that could be added to the spray washer's alkaline cleaning bath to remove this surface scale. Components that are not painted should have the oxide removed in a separate acid bath.

The 5-stage washer used prior to powder coating consists of the following steps - alkaline cleaning, rinse #1, rinse #2, iron phosphate, and final rinse #3. The intern made the following recommendations:

• Implement counter-current rinsing from rinse #3 to rinse #2 and install conductivity meters. These measures have the potential to reduce wastewater by 14 million gallons annually while saving over $40,000.
• Purchase and install an ultrafiltration system on the alkaline cleaning bath to remove oils and suspended solids in the bath. This has the potential to cut the use of alkaline cleaner by 65% per year, extend the life of the cleaner bath from 3 months to one year, and save $14,000.
• Install a reverse osmosis system on the final rinse tank. This could reduce water consumption by over 7 million gallons annually and save over $25,000. This measure could also lead to a reduction of rejected parts from the painting operations since a higher purity of water will be utilized in the cleaner baths.

Motorola GTSS
(Global Telecom Solutions Sector)
Arlington Heights, Illinois

Intern: Arthur Hartman

Southern Illinois University, Carbondale

Motorola GTSS has its world headquarters in Arlington Heights, where the facility occupies 1.3 million square feet and employs approximately 6000 people. GTSS is responsible for the design, development, manufacturing, sales and marketing of Motorola's cellular systems. Motorola has instituted a corporate initiative of 80% recyclability of all products at the end of their useful life. The primary goal of the internship was to establish benchmark recyclability data for a prototype cellular base station.

Results:

Utilizing a Green Design Advisor (GDA) software-modeling tool developed exclusively for Motorola, the intern identified opportunities to reduce waste while increasing the recyclability of the prototype. Each component that went into the assembly of the finished product was identified and evaluated for material composition and mass. The time required for disassembling the product was also measured. Other parameters taken into consideration included a reduction in weight of the product and energy consumption during its use and end of life recycling. By increasing the recyclability of the product, the opportunity for the product being recycled rather than landfilled at end of life will improve. Motorola will use the benchmark established for this product to determine areas of improvement in future versions.

Motorola AIEG
(Automotive and Industrial Electronics Group)
Northbrook, Illinois

Intern: Colin Dent

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

The Motorola AIEG facility in Northbrook is the main research and engineering center for Motorola's automobile product division, which includes autobody and powertrain controls, modules, and sensors. AIEG employs 1,200 people in its 300,000 square feet office building. The intern conducted a wastestream audit and identified several pollution prevention opportunities.

Results:

The intern proposed recirculating non-contact cooling water for use in deionized water production. This would conserve over 8.5 million gallons of water annually while saving $65,000.

The intern proposed revisions to AIEG's existing recycling program. The following items were identified for recycling along with associated savings in disposal costs:

• Plastic lab bottle recycling would save $800 per year and reduce solid waste by 150 cubic yards.
• Cardboard from the cafeteria would be collected and recycled, saving $1,400 per year.
• Inkjet and Deskjet printer cartridges could be added to the toner cartridges that are recycled. This would reduce over 1,000 cartridges per year from the waste stream.
• Shipping peanuts could be reused from incoming shipments and would save about $400 per year.
• Wood pallets could be recycled, saving about $1,500 per year.

Motorola
(Commercial, Government and Industrial Solutions Sector)
Schaumburg, Illinois

Intern: Krista Durlas

Illinois Institute of Technology Stuart Graduate School of Business, Chicago

Motorola is one of the world leaders in manufacturing communication products and electronic components. Its 325-acre Schaumburg campus employs approximately 6000 people and produces wireless communication base stations. The primary objective of the internship was to reduce landfill waste and reduce supplier packaging.

Results:

Partnerships were developed with a corrugated plastic container manufacturer and a sorting and shipping company to create a closed-loop returnable packaging system. The intern drafted a proposed company letter for high-volume suppliers mandating the use of returnable and preferred packaging materials. The letter will be sent out early fall upon final approval.

The intern was able to identify items that could be recycled and no longer landfilled. These items included empty plastic reels, wooden spools, and milk crates. Combined disposal cost savings were estimated to be $16,000 annually.

The intern developed a 90-day hand-sorting waste audit procedure that is currently underway. This pilot will hopefully eliminate cross-contamination of landfill and recycling waste streams. Waste sources and generation rates will be analyzed to provide a prioritized list of source reduction opportunities.

Rock Valley College
Small Business Development Center
Rockford, Illinois

Intern: Melissa Pearson

Southern Illinois University, Carbondale

The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at Rock Valley College is one of several regional centers funded by the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs. It can provide small business owners with financing, business planning, and other types of technical assistance. The summer internship was conducted to provide pollution prevention (P2) outreach to small businesses through on-site assessments.

Results:

The intern conducted seventeen (17) on site visits to companies in the following sectors; auto repair, auto body repair, metal plating, contract machine, tool and die, aerospace, and dairy. Pollution prevention assessments were done at these facilities and subsequent recommendations were issued for reductions in wastes and environmental releases. The suggestions also summarized different ideas that the companies could implement to save money and become more efficient, while reducing regulatory burden. Recommendations included improved material management programs, better spill control, and increased employee training.

S&C Electric Company
Chicago, Illinois

Intern: Nancy Eifler

University of Illinois at Chicago

S&C Electric Company is located in Chicago and employs 1800 people. This company specializes in the manufacture of high-voltage switches and protection devices for the electric power industry. The intern worked with its Safety and Environmental Affairs Office and spent time in the Polymer Products Division.

Results:

The intern accomplished the following:

• Updated and organized Material Safety Data Sheet handbooks for both the production and lab facilities. A database was created for all chemicals used at the facility.
• Investigated an alternative mold release agent to replace the existing solvent-based release agent. A replacement could save the company $1,900 annually and reduce volatile organic compounds by 7,000 pounds annually.
• Identified an improved filtration system for an electrical testing machine to prolong the life of the dielectric fluid and reduce the number of times the fluid has to be changed. Further research is necessary to see if the system will effectively remove the sub-micron conductive particles.

SWD Inc.
Addison, Illinois

Intern: Erin Westburg

University of Illinois at Chicago

SWD Inc. is a metal finishing and fastener sorting company that employs 120 people and operates a 60,000 square foot facility in Addison. The intern assisted in several pollution prevention projects at this facility.

Results:

The intern worked on the following projects:

• Detailed process maps were constructed for two plating lines to clearly identify inputs and outputs. Water, chemistry, energy, and labor expenditure were all accounted for to determine where resources are used inefficiently.
• An electrodeless non-contacting conductivity sensor was installed on one of the rinse tanks to replace a fixed-flow of makeup water to ensure consistent rinse quality and conserve water. A non-contacting sensor was chosen over a contacting sensor because of its resistance to corrosion and fouling. The conductivity meter analyzes conductivity in the rinse and controls a freshwater makeup solenoid valve to maintain a preset conductivity range. Further evaluation will be required to determine the water conservation and production benefits.
• Impregnated oil in the parts is released in the acid baths. Part quality is affected when the oils reach a certain level in the bath. A pilot diffusion dialysis unit was installed on the nitric acid tank in an attempt to remove the oil and reuse the filtered nitric acid. Performance was not as expected and ultrafiltration will be investigated as an alternative.

Searle/Pharmacia Corporation
Skokie, Illinois

Intern: Anna Willett

Northwestern University, Evanston

The Searle/Pharmacia Corporation's Skokie facility is a major R&D center for its pharmaceutical production industry. The facility includes a chemical pilot plant where the scale-up of laboratory synthesis processes is performed in batch reactors ranging from 10 gallons to 1000 gallons. Pharmaceutical production requires the use of organic solvents, many of which are volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and/or hazardous air pollutants. All pieces of equipment in the pilot plant are vented to condensers where solvent vapors are condensed and collected as liquid solvent waste. The condensers are vented to the atmosphere, which results in VOC vapor emissions. The focus of this internship was to identify pollution prevention options for reducing pilot plant solvent emissions.

Results:

Pilot plant processes were modeled using a software program entitled Emission Master that calculates the mass of solvent vapor emitted during the process. Using the results from the model, equations relating VOC emissions with condenser temperature and reactor volume were developed. Each unit operation in the process was analyzed for pollution prevention potential.

The intern determined that:

• The relationship between VOC emissions and condenser temperature was exponential in form and showed that it is possible to significantly reduce solvent vapor emissions if the condensers are operated in the 10° C to -10° C temperature range. It is much more energy-efficient and practical to maintain the condensers in this temperature range than to operate them close to the minimum temperature of -29° C.
• The relationship between VOC emissions and reactor volume showed that VOC emissions were not proportional to reactor volume. Instead, VOC emissions for each individual process operation were roughly proportional to the amount of reactor headspace present during that operation.
• Modeling estimations showed that vacuum purging results in twenty seven (27) times the solvent vapor emissions as pressure purging. This result is due to the much lower pressure of the condenser during a vacuum purge than during a pressure purge. The condenser is very inefficient at the low pressure of the vacuum purge and much of the solvent vapor escapes through the vacuum system to the atmosphere. Replacing the vacuum purge with a pressure purge would allow the condenser to operate at atmospheric pressure, which will condense more solvent vapor. Pilot plant engineers are being consulted about the feasibility of implementing this recommendation.

Spaulding Composites Company
De Kalb, Illinois

Intern: Nicholas Patrick

Northwestern University, Evanston

Spaulding Composites Company specializes in the manufacturing and fabrication of laminated plastics, composite tubes/rods and pressure vessels made for the reverse osmosis industry. The De Kalb facility also manufactures resins that are used to impregnate substrates such as paper, canvas, and fiberglass. The intern student investigated pollution prevention opportunities for two hazardous waste streams generated at that facility.

Results:

The main focus of the intern was in the saturator area where the various substrates are impregnated with any one of four types of resins. Between each resin run, a solvent is utilized to clean the saturator rollers and saturator resin coating pan. The solvent/resin cleanup mixture is collected in a 55-gallon drum and sent-off site as a hazardous waste. The intern developed and implemented a two-stage rinsing procedure for standardization of the cleanups. Each segregated cleanup solution can often be reused for cleanup after the next production run of that particular resin. This new standardized procedure has the potential to save the facility over $8,000 per year in reduced hazardous waste disposal fees.

The intern was also able to recommend two viable options for the decant water which is generated as a by-product during the manufacturing of resins. The options included wet air oxidation (thermolysis) and counter-current extraction.

Tazewell County Health Department
Tremont, Illinois

Intern: Jessica Andrews

Southern Illinois University, Carbondale

The community water supplies for Tazewell and Peoria Counties are drawn from the Sankoty Aquifer. Contaminants in the groundwater have the potential to infiltrate the aquifer. An intern was housed at the Tazewell County Health Department to continue the work started by the previous intern. This would include providing assistance to small businesses to make them aware of pollution prevention opportunities and to reduce potential environmental releases to the groundwater.

Results:

The intern accomplished the following:

• Performed nineteen waste minimization reassessments at companies that participated last year in the East Peoria, Mackinaw, and Peoria Heights communities to determine if any recommendations had been implemented. One company made $3,500 by selling its scrap metal. A small printing company was saving $500-600 with the purchase of an automatic dampening device.
• Conducted waste audits at seventeen new businesses in the Pleasant Valley recharge area west of Peoria. After each site visit, the intern delivered the assessment results, P2 recommendations, and a recycling poster to each of the businesses.
• Created and distributed a pamphlet that listed ways for the residents of the Pleasant Valley Public Water District to protect their drinking water. A brochure was created for the regulated recharge area for existing businesses as well as new ones to better understand the regulated recharge area boundaries.
• Created a recycling poster and distributed this to businesses in Peoria and Tazewell Counties.
• Assisted three communities in applying for "Groundwater Guardian" status.

For more information on any of these 1998 intern projects,
contact Rick Reese at (217) 557-8671.