Ahlstrom Filtration
Taylorville, IL
Intern: David Carron
Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
Ahlstrom is a manufacturer of automotive filtration products that is used in air, fuel and oil engine filters. The facility is located in Taylorville and employs over 80 people.
The intern worked on several energy efficiency and waste reduction projects at the facility, as well as followed up on several projects that were initiated by the pollution prevention interns from previous summers.
Results:
The intern accomplished the following tasks:
- Identified several lighting efficiency projects that could save $35,000 annually, with a 2 year payback after incentives from Ameren. The improvements included modifying the current lighting layout to use fewer lamps while achieving the same output levels.
- Organized a rolled cut paper project that could save $11,000 annually, with a seven-week payback period. This project would allowe the material handlers to process the filter paper more efficiently and meet customer specifications.
- Followed up on the Regenerative Thermal Oxidizer (RTO) project from a previous P2 intern project. This included updating the project proposal as well as looking into energy performance contracting to fund the project. The RTO unit could save Ahlstrom $1,120,000 annually in natural gas costs, with a payback of 1.5 years.
- Worked on the project that would use a filtration system to better separate latex waste from water. . This project would allow the facility to reduce water and material use, with a payback period of 14 months.
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