Metal Finishing & Coating: GLRPPR Sector Resources

News: New Chromium Electroplating Housekeeping Requirements

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 20:13:47 GMT

Alert for Platers: Your Deadline is March 19, 2013 as EPA finalized the residual risk and technology review for the national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants (NESHAP) for hard and decorative chromium electroplating and chromium anodizing tanks under 40 CFR Part 63

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Resource: Efficiency Performance Contracting for Smaller Manufacturers: Progress in the Metalworking Industry

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 13:49:56 GMT

Efficiency performance contracts (EPCs) for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are a marketbased approach that rewards suppliers for improving efficiency and reducing waste in SME operations through pollution prevention and energy efficiency innovations. However, prior research has shown that purchases typically covered by EPCs - such as metalworking fluids, chemicals, paint, electricity, or natural gas -- are usually too small in SMEs to support traditional EPC programs. This report addresses the possibility of combining two or more of these purchases under one EPC, or linking them to a larger purchase, such as tooling. This project assisted and monitored the progress of six Illinois SMEs in the metalworking industry as they explored the adoption of EPCs and the expansion of these EPCs to include multiple purchase areas. Results indicate that an EPC based on tooling is clearly practical and beneficial for many SMEs. SME managers expressed interest in expanding tooling management EPCs to include metalworking fluids, and developing EPCs based on energy or paint purchases. However, no EPC other than tooling management has yet been adopted by an SME participating in the project. Though the recent economic downturn is likely to focus greater management attention on cost cutting strategies such as EPCs, adoption is likely to be slow without significant assistance to reduce uncertainty and risk.

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Resource: Guidebook of Part Cleaning Alternatives

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 15:13:39 GMT

The "Guidebook of Part Cleaning Alternatives," published in 1997 by the Massachusetts Office of Technical Assistance for Toxics Use Reduction and the Toxics Use Reduction Institute, identifies and explains less-toxic options for industrial cleaning of manufactured parts. The guidebook focuses on aqueous cleaning, semi-aqueous cleaning, alternative solvents, abrasives, and new technologies. Get step-by-step instructions on how to switch cleaners, pros and cons of each alternative, tips for the post-cleaning process, and tools for financial and regulatory analysis.

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Conference: SUR/FIN Manufacturing & Technology Conference

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 19:55:13 GMT

Join industry leaders, buyers, and media at the largest event in the Surface Finishing Industry. Mark your calendar for three days of informative programs, surface finishing's top companies, and professionals from around the world. SUR/FIN will once again cover industry's most timely and critical issues for R&D, project systems, engineering, quality, and regulatory affairs from professionals within the surface finishing industry. Attendees can expect to come with their most pressing questions and leave with the information they need to improve their products, processes, and business.

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Resource: Pollution Prevention Success Stories

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 19:42:30 GMT

Learn how companies have successfully reduced the amount of dangerous waste they produce, streamlined production processes, and saved money by implementing pollution prevention practices.

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Resource: Trivalent Chromium Plating Conversion Case Study: Independent Plating, Worcester, Massachusetts

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 21:20:36 GMT

Traditionally, metal finishing relies on the use of a number of toxic chemicals to achieve the performance requirements of its customers. Independent Plating recently converted a nickel plating line to accommodate a new technology that substitutes trivalent chromium for hexavalent chromium, a Higher Hazard Substance. This case study documents the company's decision-making process and the business case for making the change.

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Resource: BLOOM Client Case Studies

Fri, 02 Nov 2012 14:10:54 GMT

Categorized by industry sector. Every two-page case study includes a summary of the pollution prevention assessment process and findings, and a table of pollution prevention solutions, environmental benefits and related cost savings.

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Resource: Advanced Energy and Water Recovery Technology from Low Grade Waste Heat

Wed, 31 Oct 2012 16:17:26 GMT

The project has developed a nanoporous membrane based water vapor separation technology that can be used for recovering energy and water from low-temperature industrial waste gas streams with high moisture contents. This kind of exhaust stream is widely present in many industrial processes including the forest products and paper industry, food industry, chemical industry, cement industry, metal industry, and petroleum industry. The technology can recover not only the sensible heat but also high-purity water along with its considerable latent heat. Waste heats from such streams are considered very difficult to recover by conventional technology because of poor heat transfer performance of heat-exchanger type equipment at low temperature and moisture-related corrosion issues. During the one-year Concept Definition stage of the project, the goal was to prove the concept and technology in the laboratory and identify any issues that need to be addressed in future development of this technology. In this project, computational modeling and simulation have been conducted to investigate the performance of a nanoporous material based technology, transport membrane condenser (TMC), for waste heat and water recovery from low grade industrial flue gases. A series of theoretical and computational analyses have provided insight and support in advanced TMC design and experiments. Experimental study revealed condensation and convection through the porous membrane bundle was greatly improved over an impermeable tube bundle, because of the membrane capillary condensation mechanism and the continuous evacuation of the condensate film or droplets through the membrane pores. Convection Nusselt number in flue gas side for the porous membrane tube bundle is 50% to 80% higher than those for the impermeable stainless steel tube bundle. The condensation rates for the porous membrane tube bundle also increase 60% to 80%. Parametric study for the porous membrane tube bundle heat transfer performance was also done, which shows this heat transfer enhancement approach works well in a wide parameters range for typical flue gas conditions. Better understanding of condensing heat transfer mechanism for porous membrane heat transfer surfaces, shows higher condensation and heat transfer rates than non-permeable tubes, due to existence of the porous membrane walls. Laboratory testing has documented increased TMC performance with increased exhaust gas moisture content levels, which has exponentially increased potential markets for the product. The TMC technology can uniquely enhance waste heat recovery in tandem with water vapor recovery for many other industrial processes such as drying, wet and dry scrubber exhaust gases, dewatering, and water chilling. A new metallic substrate membrane tube development and molded TMC part fabrication method, provides an economical way to expand this technology for scaled up applications with less than 3 year payback expectation. A detailed market study shows a broad application area for this advanced waste heat and water recovery technology. A commercialization partner has been lined up to expand this technology to this big market. This research work led to new findings on the TMC working mechanism to improve its performance, better scale up design approaches, and economical part fabrication methods. Field evaluation work needs to be done to verify the TMC real world performance, and get acceptance from the industry, and pave the way for our commercial partner to put it into a much larger waste heat and waste water recovery market. This project is addressing the priority areas specified for DOE Industrial Technologies Program's (ITP's): Energy Intensive Processes (EIP) Portfolio - Waste Heat Minimization and Recovery platform.

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News: White House Announces Executive Order on Industrial Energy Efficiency, including Combined Heat and Power

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 21:31:56 GMT

Today, President Obama signed an Executive Order to accelerate investments in industrial energy efficiency, including combined heat and power (CHP). Accelerating investment in industrial energy efficiency in a way that benefits manufacturers, utilities, and consumers can improve American manufacturing competitiveness and create jobs while improving our nation's energy system and reducing harmful emissions. The Executive Order: sets a national goal of 40 gigawatts (GW) of new CHP installation over the next decade; directs agencies to foster a national dialogue through ongoing regional workshops to encourage the adoption of best practice policies and investment models that overcome the numerous barriers to investment, provide public information on the benefits of unlocking investment in industrial energy efficiency, and use existing Federal authorities that can support these investments; and directs the Departments of Energy, Commerce, and Agriculture, and the Environmental Protection Agency, to coordinate actions at the Federal level while providing policy and technical assistance to states to promote investments in industrial energy efficiency.

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Resource: Reducing Operational Costs, Environmental Impact Via Rigorous Plating/Finishing Analysis

Thu, 02 Aug 2012 15:43:02 GMT

This article presents the methodology used by the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute at Rochester Institute of Technology to determine the baseline costs of a typical plating/finishing operation and offers potential improvement methods and technologies.

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