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ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH BRIEF: WASTE MINIMIZATION ASSESSMENT FOR A MANUFACTURER OF HEATING, VENTILATING, AND AIR CONDITIONING EQUIPMENT
Citation:
Kirsch, F. W. AND G. P. Looby. ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH BRIEF: WASTE MINIMIZATION ASSESSMENT FOR A MANUFACTURER OF HEATING, VENTILATING, AND AIR CONDITIONING EQUIPMENT. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/M-91/019 (NTIS 91-234476), 1991.
Impact/Purpose:
information
Description:
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has funded a pilot project to assist small- and medium-size manufacturers who want to minimize their generation of hazardous waste but lack the expertise to do so. Waste Minimization Assessment Centers (WMACs) were established at selected universities and procedures were adapted from the EPA Waste Minimization Opportunity Assessment Manual(EPA/625/7-88/003, July 1988). The WMAC team at the University of Tennessee in- spected a plant manufacturing heating, ventilating, and air conditioning equipment. Of the distinct process lines in the plant, three generated hazardous waste: the manufacture of fan coil units and air terminal units and the painting process. The manufacture of fan coil units generated the most and the greatest variety of these wastes. The team's report, detailing findings and recommendations, suggested that to reduce ad- hesive overspray, defectively glued insulation board, and adhesive carrier vapor, the plant should consider using nonferric screws instead of adhesives to attach insulation to sheet metal parts, or replace solvent-based adhesives (wholly or in part) with water-based adhesives. The amount of waste would be the same, but it would be nonhazardous and could be disposed of in municipal waste.