P2 & E2 Internship Program - Projects

Pollution Prevention Internship Program
2001 Intern Projects

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

2001 P2 Internship Program Participants, including Program Coordinators

Front row (left to right): Ketan Joshi, Michael Garnes, Robin Higham, Andy Stone, Lesley Walter Second row: Michael Wlos, Brian Rogers, Cindy Panagiotopoulos, Lissa Aquino, Rachel Herr, David Yang, Richard Reese (Coordinator) Third row (left to right): Jonathon Loftus, Jarrod Joiner, Adam Lock, Brian Jarzyna, Brian Rodely (Coordinator), Eva Wytaniec The picture was taken at the conclusion of the weeklong P2 training that was held in Springfield, IL. Not pictured: Lindsey Eldridge

Abbott Laboratories
North Chicago, Illinois

Intern: Eva Wytaniec

University of Illinois at Chicago

Abbott Laboratories is a major health care company that manufactures and markets antibiotics, nutritional supplements, hospital product IV solutions, diagnostics, and specialty products. The intern worked on several wastewater reduction projects within the facility's specialty products pilot plant. During the internship, the intern was able to effectively interface with a newly formed multi-discipline wastewater reduction task force at the facility.

Results:

The intern's work helped to cost-justify retrofitting two control system cabinets with Vortex air-cooled systems. Cooling of the electrical components would now be accomplished with air instead of fresh water. Wastewater treatment flows would be reduced by 1.6 million gallons per year and would save $13,000 annually. This has a payback of 4 months.

The intern was able to verify flow rates on liquid ring pumps utilized in the pilot plant. Most pumps could be equipped with orifice plates to control flow and if practical, recirculation loops would be added to conserve the amount of fresh water being added to each operation.

The intern began an investigation into finding alternatives to discharging distilled water every day from three 400-gallon tanks into the industrial sewer. The task force will continue working to assess the viability of this and future projects.

Back Of The Yards Neighborhood Council
Chicago, Illinois

Intern: Jarrod Joiner

Southern Illinois University, Carbondale

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 cultured marble manufacturer and a tempered glass manufacturer.

Results:

The cultured marble facility was concerned with energy efficiencies and the amount of waste produced. The intern made the following suggestions:

• Retrofit all existing T-12 fluorescent lighting fixtures and magnetic ballasts with the more energy efficient T-8 fixtures and electric ballasts.
• Incorporate an energy management system to monitor electric usage, to reduce peak loads, and eliminate electrical spikes.
• Implement and enforce a plant-wide recycling program.
• Enlarge the currently undersized dust removal system on the grinding operation.
• Encourage suppliers to use returnable containers and packaging.

The tempered glass facility was concerned with reducing waste and making their processes more efficient and safer. Recommendations included:

• Implementing and enforcing a plant-wide recycling program that would include plastic, cardboard, and aluminum in order to reduce solid waste generation.
• Relocating the window pack operation closer to the end of their production line to eliminate the usage of brown paper that is utilized between each panel of glass and thrown out after one use.

Caterpillar Technical Services Division
Mossville, Illinois

Intern: Brian Rogers

Iowa State University

Caterpillar, Inc. is the world's largest manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, and industrial gas turbines. The Technical Center is part of Caterpillar's Technical Service Division that was developed to assist the company stay on the "cutting edge" of technology through product operations and research.

The intern was to perform an energy audit within the Technical Center in order to reduce energy consumption and lower utility bills.

Results:

There were several areas that the intern focused on that included air compressors, lighting, computers, and heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. Recommendations included:

• The air compressor system is in the process of being upgraded. A leak detection and repair program needs to be implemented and conducted twice a year. All leaks on the present systems were identified. If repaired, this can result in a savings of $10,000 per year.
• In the area of lighting, the company should
  • Have snack machine vendors switch advertising lights off.
  • Switch exit signs from incandescent lights to LED.
  • Replace existing T12 fluorescent bulbs with T5 fluorescent bulbs whenever they become available.
• All computers and printers should be powered down when left unattended for extended periods of time. This can save approximately $6,500 per year for one major building.
• The HVAC systems need improvement and will be analyzed by an outside consultant to determine potential savings.

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

Intern: Lindsey Eldridge

Bradley University, Peoria

Caterpillar Inc. is the world's largest manufacturer of a wide variety of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, and industrial gas turbines. Located in East Peoria, Illinois, Caterpillar's Track-Type Tractors Division (TTTD) and Transmission Business Unit span over 700 acres. The goal of the intern was to determine if it would be feasible to recycle all of the facility's millwater and eventually attain zero discharge. In addition, the information collected would be useful by the facility to meet proposed USEPA Metal Processing and Manufacturing (MP&M) regulations.

Results:

Much of the incoming water to the facility is treated with softeners and a portion of that water is treated with reverse osmosis prior to process use. Millwater is consumed in a variety of processes throughout the facility including cooling, quenching, metal finishing operations and boilers. The intern conducted a facility-wide mass balance of the water system and was able to:

• Create a database to account for the facility's water use that included intake water, process water, cooling tower blowdown, as well as wastewater effluent to its treatment plant.
• Determine sources and quantities of wastewater stream contaminants.
• Account for groundwater infiltration over a 5-day no-rainfall condition.
• Gather background samples from the Illinois River to determine incoming contaminants.

It was determined that in order to achieve zero discharge, chlorides generated from water softening equipment as well as water hardness would have to be reduced or eliminated.

Cintas Corporation
Schaumburg and Bedford Park, Illinois

Intern: Lissa Aquino

University of Illinois at Chicago

Cintas Corporation manufactures, services and implements uniform programs to small and large businesses across the United States. Over four million Americans go to work every day in a Cintas uniform. The Schaumburg location services 300,000 pounds of garments per week and generates and disposes of 10,000 gallons of wet sludge a month. At this location, the intern worked on a hanger recycling program and investigated possible savings that a filter press would have on disposal costs. At the Bedford Park location, the intern focused on writing a proposal to the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District (MWRD) to get approval for the installation of a flow meter.

Results:

The intern concluded that:

• All hanger recycling should be done in-house instead of being outsourced. The Schaumburg location can expect a savings of $12,000 per year.
• The Schaumburg facility can cut annual hanger spending by $55,000 if weekly orders are eliminated when heavy accumulation occurs from recycling efforts.
• Installing a filter press would reduce the cost of disposal, but labor and sludge conditioning costs make the project not economically feasible.
• If the flow meter is approved by the MWRD, the Bedford Park location can expect to save $5,000-$14,000 per year on sewer charges.

Compaction America
Kewanee, Illinois

Intern: Brian Jarzyna

Bradley University, Peoria

Compaction America, recently acquired by SPX Corporation, is one of the larger producers of compaction equipment (Hypac and Bomag). The Kewanee facility sponsored the intern to investigate pollution prevention alternatives for solid waste, a six-stage washer and metal working fluids.

Results:

The intern made several pollution prevention suggestions that included:

• The paint line should be shut down once a week to allow the painting of larger parts during this downtime. Increasing the paint line efficiency would result in saving $33,000 a year in chemicals, energy, water and labor costs.
• The baths in the six-stage washer on the paint line continuously overflow. By implementing a dry unit system, approximately $13,000 could be saved by reducing water and chemical usage.
• Two manual spray wash booths currently discharge to the POTW, with high concentrations of suspended solids and phosphate. The use of ultrafiltration could be used to treat this water and could also be set up to recycle chemicals and clean water through the six-stage baths. This will reduce the likelihood of obtaining fines for their discharge and will create cost savings by reusing chemicals on the six-stage baths.
• Repairing air leaks throughout the plant. This can save approximately 25% of the current costs on the compressed air system.
• Recycling office paper and corrugated cardboard could reduce landfill waste and save money on disposal costs.

Continental Tire North America
Mt. Vernon, Illinois

Intern: Jonathan Loftus

Illinois College, Jacksonville

Continental Tire North America (CTNA) is located in Mt. Vernon, IL, where they manufacture passenger and truck tires. The Mt. Vernon facility has 70 acres under roof and has almost 2,000 employees. The intern focused on identifying and quantifying wastestreams that had not yet been addressed in its existing waste reduction program.

Results:

The intern conducted a waste audit and identified opportunities to reduce wastestreams that included:

• Implementing a returnable program for one major raw material supplier. This has the potential to save CTNA $50,000 in purchasing costs and over $5,000 in disposal costs while conserving 230,000 pounds of wood and paper. Similar programs for the other 40 suppliers would then follow.
• Setting up a "trial run" with a local recycler of wood pallets to temporarily recycle them. This program is expected to save over $30,000 in annual disposal costs.
• Identifying items through the audit such as body suits, gloves, paper towels and wipes for potential reduction.

Hi-Temp Inc.
Northlake, Illinois

Intern: Cindy Panagiotopoulos

Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago

Hi-Temp Inc. is a leading commercial heat treater in the Midwest. They are capable of heat-treating, brazing, plating, and offer related metal-processing services. The company sponsored an intern to focus on the reuse of treated water in non-critical rinses and baths.

Results:

For each plating line, the intern determined the water use of each rinse tank including contaminants present in the tank and overflow to the sewer. In addition, the intern made several recommendations that included:

• Establishing counter current flow on all applicable rinses to eliminate unnecessary sources of fresh water.
• Increasing drainage times on each line to reduce drag-out.
• Installing flow restrictors on all fresh water makeup to control flow rates.
• Consider installing conductivity meters on all rinse tanks.
• Further investigation into installation of an ultrafiltration system for the soap rinses should be done. This would reduce the frequency of dumping the soaps. The Illinois Waste Management Research Center was approached for their assistance in this area of membrane technology.

Industrial Council of Nearwest Chicago
Chicago, Illinois

Intern: David Yang

IIT, Stuart School of Business, Chicago

The Industrial Council of Nearwest Chicago (ICNC) is a not-for profit organization, which serves over 1,000 small to mid-sized businesses in the Kinzie Industrial Corridor, located near the United Center on Chicago's nearwest side. ICNC provides business expansion, real estate development, urban planning and employee placement services to the Near West Community and coordinates advocacy efforts to strengthen both the industrial and residential community. ICNC received a grant to promote energy efficiency and conservation in local businesses. ICNC's intern furthered this effort by conducting these free energy efficiency studies and assessments and made recommendations to those businesses on ways to reduce their energy consumption.

Results:

The intern student conducted six energy assessments. The most common energy saving suggestions included upgrading to T-8 lights, switching to electric ballasts, and converting to LED exit signs. The annual savings for each assessed facility for lighting upgrades included:

• Barclay Marine Products, a distributor of marine products, can save $7,500. They should clean existing skylights to make better use of natural light.
• MRD Associates, a marble product manufacturer, can save $1,700.
• Burnhardt Associates, a retail building manager of a facility housing numerous businesses, can save $4,300.
• Lamination Specialties, a laminating business and warehouse, can save $1,300.
• Keystone Aniline, a dye manufacturer and wholesaler, can save $9,000.

Marble Design, a marble product manufacturer, focused its audit on heating and gas usage. By increasing its ventilation, using area specific heating and creating climate zones, they can save over $3,000 on natural gas annually.

Krupp Gerlach Company
Danville, Illinois

Intern: Andy Stone

Southern Illinois University, Carbondale

Krupp Gerlach is a multinational company that manufactures crankshafts for the Big 3 automakers as well as John Deere and Caterpillar. The intern focused on reducing the amount of synthetic coolant and sulfuric acid sent off-site for disposal.

Results:

The intern determined that evaporation technology could reduce the disposal of synthetic coolant by 90%. Purchasing and maintaining a 60,000-gallon evaporation system, can save the company over $153,000 annually in coolant purchase, reduce water consumption, and reduce disposal costs. The payback period would be 4 months.

The 4,000-gallon sulfuric acid pickling tank is discarded twice every month. The intern found that diffusion dialysis could reduce the amount of acid/water mixture sent off-site by 90%. It would cost $42,000 to install this system but has the potential to save over $47,000 per year.

Noveon, Inc.
Henry, Illinois

Intern: Adam Lock

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Noveon (formerly B.F. Goodrich) located in Henry, is a specialty chemical manufacturer of antioxidants for the rubber, plastics, and lubricants industry. They also manufacture accelerators for the rubber industry. The intern student focused on three projects at the facility.

Results:

The first project focused on reducing the amount of acetonitrile released to the atmosphere as a result of venting batch tanks during the charging of raw materials. It was determined that:

• All old and worn seals on and between processing units should be replaced. A leak detection and repair program should be established.
• A vacuum should be established on the wet cake dryers and vented to the scrubbers.
• Screw conveyors and a bulk bag unloading scheme needs to be implemented on the premix tank.

These recommendations can reduce the emissions by 16,000 pounds per year and save $12,000.

The second project dealt with reducing the loss of a VOC to its wastewater treatment plant (WWTP). This VOC is used to remove impurities from the finished product. During the decanting step, the VOC can be intermittently released into the wastewater. It is recommended that:

• A conductivity sensor be installed on the decanter.
• The condenser coils be steam cleaned on a periodic basis to remove tar buildup to increase recovery.

Once implemented, these recommendations can reduce the COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand) loading to the WWTP by 43,000 gallons per year and save $6,700 in the amount of VOC purchased per year.

The third project involved rotary pressure filter cloths that were being replaced on a frequent basis. Converting to a metal filter media would save $20,000 in replacement filters costs. Maintenance downtime would be reduced by 580 hours per year in this process. This would enable additional process run time and generate $180,000 in sellable product.

ONDEO Nalco
Bedford, Illinois

Intern: Ketan Joshi

University of Illinois at Chicago

ONDEO Nalco, formerly known as Nalco Chemical Company, is a manufacturer of water treatment chemicals. The intern conducted an overall waste audit in the colloidal silica plant and made suggestions on ways to reduce the amount being discharged to the sewer on three separate wastestreams. Further company research is being conducted on other intern recommendations to decrease the amount of money being spent to treat and dispose of waste.

Results:

The intern made the following recommendations:

• A caustic wastestream could be reused in the process as a makeup to the sodium silicate stream, which is a raw material. This recycle line is being installed and will save $20,000 annually.
• An external filter attached to an overflow wastestream can recover water to be reused in the process. This will save $60,000 annually. Vendors were contacted for quotes.
• By installing an electrodialysis unit to recycle a waste sodium bisulfate stream, a reduction of 1.10 million gallons per month could be realized. The economics of this process have to be studied in detail to estimate the savings.

Rhodia, Inc.
Chicago Heights, Illinois

Intern: Michael J. Wlos

University of Illinois at Chicago

Rhodia is an international manufacturer of various industrial and consumer products. The Chicago Heights plant produces a number of different phosphates and precipitated silica products that are used in the pharmaceutical and food industries. The main project consisted of finding an alternative to disposal for a lime slurry by-product generated in the production of calcium phosphate.

Results:

The intern's recommendations included:

• The lime sand slurry by-product from the production of calcium phosphate cannot be reintroduced into the process without impairing process efficiency. The by-product is now listed with the Industrial Material Exchange Service. Contacts were also made for potential off-site recycling of the slurry that included acid/acid waste neutralization, land application (for farming), soil stabilization, and lime mortar/cement.
• The wastewater from the silica process is treated by the local treatment plant at a cost of $300,000 a year. Chemical reaction and reverse osmosis were investigated to remove the sodium sulfate and recycle the water. Due to the large volume of wastewater that must be treated, this is not economically feasible. The company is looking for technological advances in this area.
• A leak detection and repair program for viable products needs to be established.
• A plant wide energy efficiency audit should be conducted.

Tazewell County Health Department
Tremont, Illinois

Intern: Robin Higham

Bradley University, Peoria

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.

Underwriters Laboratories
Northbrook, Illinois

Intern: Rachel Herr

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Underwriters Laboratories (UL) is an independent, not-for-profit organization devoted to testing products for public safety. UL evaluates thousands of different types of products that include among other things, electrical and electronic equipment, mechanical products, building materials, construction systems, fire protection equipment, chemicals, and alarm systems. The intern worked on several projects that included enhanced recycling, waste reduction, and participation in the Clean Air Counts program.

Results:

UL was already recycling aluminum cans, paper, scrap metals, and cardboard. The intern was able to enhance this by establishing recycling for ink jet cartridges, plastic, glass, and wood.

The intern also recommended that the cafeteria invest in reusable dishware by switching from polystyrene to melamine. Preliminary studies indicate that adding dishwashing capabilities to its cafeteria has the potential to save over $450,000 per year after the initial investment.

The intern completed the initial survey for a city of Chicago Clean Air Counts program. Strategies adopted included:

• Clean fuel fleet with compressed natural gas
• Workplace transportation options
• Energy efficient lighting
• Energy star office equipment
• Natural landscaping and conservation
• Low VOC building materials, cleaning products, and paints

Vactor Manufacturing
Streator, Illinois

Intern: Lesley Walters

Southern Illinois University, Carbondale

Vactor Manufacturing in Streator operates a 176,000 square foot facility on 17.5 acres of land. They manufacture mobile vacuum systems that are built and assembled on purchased truck frames. The units are designed to remove obstructions from clogged or plugged sewer lines, culverts and catch basins. The intern conducted a waste audit at the facility.

Results:

The intern made the following recommendations on ways to reduce several of Vactor's wastestreams that included:

• The air compressor condensate, an oily wastewater stream, was being collected and sent off-site for disposal. The intern contacted and confirmed with the local treatment plant that this non-hazardous, biodegradable lubricant waste could be sent directly to the sewer. A monitor and an oil/water filtration system will be purchased and installed to prevent a severe coolant leak. Over $10,000.00 per year in off-site disposal costs will be avoided.
• The Clean & Paint process could include recycle of phosphate wash for eventual savings, after purchase of appropriate equipment, of more than $2,000 per year.
• The existing liquid paint system should be replaced with a powder coating system. The powder coating process emits only a small fraction of the VOCs released as compared to a liquid painting operation. If proper equipment were installed to replace only black paint with powder, savings of more than $200,000 per year could occur after return of initial investment. Since black, direct-to-metal paint accounts for only 30% of Vactor's total paint operations, further conversion to powder coating would result in increased savings.

Wahl Clipper Corporation
Sterling, Illinois

Intern: Michael Garnes

Bradley University, Peoria

Wahl Clipper Corporation is a family owned business located in Sterling. They are a major manufacturer of hair clippers, trimmers, shavers, and other personal care products for both the professional and consumer markets. The company wanted the intern to focus on an energy audit but was also open to other suggestions in reducing waste.

Results:

The intern made the following recommendations to reduce energy costs at the facility:

• An ultrasonic acoustic air leak detector was used on the compressed air system. Over seventy air leaks were identified and repaired. This resulted in a savings of $47,000 annually. Further studies need to be conducted on the compressed air system which would include operating the line pressure at the least amount practical and modifying the air intake to save energy and money.
• All T12 fluorescent lamps should be replaced with T8 ballasts and fixtures. This has the potential to save $20,000 a year and have a payback of three years.
• Replace exit signs with LED 1-watt signs and save $3,000 annually.
• Occupancy sensors and task lighting will further reduce electrical consumption by reducing light when an employee is not present.
• HVAC systems need to be updated, replaced, and consolidated. Employees should not be allowed to manually adjust thermostat controls. Doors should be kept shut as well to reduce electrical consumption.

The intern began a preliminary analysis of plastic waste and noted that:

• The manufacturing of plastic products leads to the creation of waste plastic known as sprue. The sprue can be reground and incorporated into the virgin material. Some applications in the plant allow the capability of using the ABS regrind and may save over $200,000 annually.

For more information on any of these 2001 intern projects,
contact Rick Reese at (217) 557-8671.