Abstract |
The Metalcasters of Minnesota with a grant awarded by the Minnesota Office of Waste Management investigated the financial and practical feasibility of thermal processing of waste foundry sand to allow its beneficial re-use by other individuals or organizations. Results show that, even with liberal cost estimates, thermal processing of spent foundry sand appears financially feasible when per ton landfill disposal costs rise above $15.00. Even if the projected cost to process sand rose by $5.00 per ton the technology would be feasible around the $20.00 per ton range for landfilling. Tests performed by an independent testing laboratory (PACE) show that sand, which was contaminated with organic chemicals prior to thermal processing may be rendered non-contaminated by the thermal processing. |