Steel Mills: GLRPPR Sector Resources

Resource: Case Study: Shane Steel Processing, Inc.

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 18:35:19 GMT

Shane Steel Processing, Inc. a privately owned company, has been straightening, shearing and precision grinding steel bar stock for industrial applications since 1949. Over these years they have realized the importance of quality and continuous improvement and have grown to the point that they now process about 100,000 tons/year with about 75 employees operating 2 shifts. The bar stock ranges from 3/8 to 4 inches in diameter, up to 24 feet long. While working toward QS 9000 certification, Shane management invited a team from the Retired Engineer Technical Assistance Program (RETAP) to make a waste reduction assessment at their 80,000 square foot facility consisting of 3 buildings on 11 acres in Fraser, Michigan. The RETAP team made 13 recommendations for Shane's consideration. The recommendations ranged from ways to greatly reduce energy costs to ideas for improving recycling and reclaiming trash. Some of the recommendations were already being addressed by efforts to reach QS 9000 certification and some were entirely new to Shane.

View more information on this resource

Resource: International Energy Studies: Energy Star

Thu, 06 Dec 2012 22:00:01 GMT

The energy guides for manufacturing operations discuss energy efficiency practices and technologies for plant processes and utilities. Developed for the EPA by the Industrial Energy Use Analysis group in coordination with industries, the guides describe existing opportunities for reducing energy use in manufacturing plants for several industries. These Guides for Plant Managers offer proven energy management strategies that help in measuring current energy performance, setting goals, tracking savings, and rewarding improvements.

View more information on this resource

News: Sweet New Approach Discovered to Help Produce Metal Casting Parts, Reduce Toxicity

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 18:55:52 GMT

Based on a new discovery by researchers at Oregon State University, the world's multi-billion dollar foundry industry may soon develop a sweet tooth.

Read

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.

Read

Resource: Toxics Use Reduction Case Studies

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 14:55:28 GMT

Case studies from a wide variety of industries and processes.

View more information on this resource

News: Steel Body Weights for EVs on Par With Aluminum, Report Says

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 22:18:36 GMT

The FutureSteelVehicle program, conducted by engineering firm EDAG International and supported by the worldwide steel industry, has announced significant mass reductions in steel vehicle bodies as a means of lowering emissions. The program says it has demonstrated that steel body structure weights for battery and fuel cell vehicles are on par with aluminum designs, and offer a 70 percent reduction in life cycle emissions over similarly sized vehicles using internal combustion engines. The research found significant mass savings in four proposed vehicles for 2015 to 2020: a compact battery electric vehicle; plug-in hybrid or PHEV; mid-size-class PHEV; and mid-size fuel cell electric vehicle. The resulting design was accomplished at no cost premium, according to WorldAutoSteel. FSV's battery electric body structure can be manufactured for $1,115. FutureSteelVehicle is a three-year program to develop fully engineered, steel-intensive designs for electrified vehicles that reduce greenhouse gas emissions over their entire life cycle.

Read

News: Harsco and Lanzatech Sign Stategic Alliance to Advance the Production of Clean Energy From Steel Mill Gases

Fri, 26 Aug 2011 20:21:18 GMT

Worldwide industrial solutions company Harsco Corporation (NYSE: HSC) and clean energy technology company LanzaTech have jointly announced the signing of a strategic alliance to promote the capture and reuse of steel mill flue gases as an environmentally significant and beneficial source of reliable energy. Founded in 2005, LanzaTech is the first company to successfully demonstrate production of fuel-grade ethanol from steel mill gases.

Read

News: Toxic Chromium Found in Chicago's Drinking Water

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 16:11:52 GMT

Chicago's first round of testing for a toxic metal called hexavalent chromium found that levels in local drinking water are more than 11 times higher than a health standard California adopted last month. But it could take years before anything is done about chromium contamination in Chicago and scores of other cities, in part because industrial polluters and municipal water utilities are lobbying to block or delay the Obama administration's move toward national regulations. The discovery of hexavalent chromium in drinking water is renewing a debate about dozens of unregulated substances that are showing up in water supplies nationwide. Potential health threats from many of the industrial chemicals, pharmaceutical drugs and herbicides still are being studied, but researchers say there is strong evidence that years of exposure to chromium-contaminated water can cause stomach cancer.

Read

Resource: Design for Recovery Guidelines: Steel Packaging

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 14:57:28 GMT

This document was created with the original intent of educating package designers about measures they may take to create steel packaging that does not negatively affect recycling operations. However, extensive research into steel recycling processes did not reveal any documentation of packaging that is incompatible with steel recycling. Because of the nature of steelmaking processes and the infrastructure of the steel industry, it is unlikely a package design decision would negatively affect the recyclability of steel packaging. Currently there is no steel packaging on the market known to be non-recyclable. This document details the steel recycling processes and elucidates the reasons steel packaging is currently always recyclable.

View more information on this resource

News: IL: Applications now being accepted for 2011 Illinois Governor's Sustainability Awards

Mon, 28 Mar 2011 15:13:01 GMT

ISTC is now accepting applications for the 2011 Governor's Sustainability Awards. The application deadline is May 27, 2011.

Read