Toxics Use Reduction Case Studies
Phase III - Reliability Testing Results of Surface Mounted Lead Free Soldering Materials and Processes, 2005
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| Article published in SMT magazine related to TURI's Lead-Free work. The world-wide movement to phase out lead from electronic products presents many challenges for companies throughout the electronics supply chain. The University of Massachusetts at Lowell has brought together many Massachusetts/New England firms to collaborate on the manufacture and testing of lead-free printed wiring boards (PWBs). The results of the first set of experiments, published in 2001, showed that zero-defect soldering is achievable with lead-free materials. Following thermal cycling, the PWBs were visually inspected and the leads were pull-tested for reliability analysis. They compared favorably to a baseline of lead soldered PWBs A follow-on design of experiments was created in 2002 and a second set of test PWBs was made and tested in 2003. Three lead-free solder pastes based on Sn/Ag/Cu alloys were reflowed using either air or nitrogen with five PWB surface finishes, four component types with two types of component finish. Visual inspection and pull-testing were performed and published as completed in APEX, SMTI and IEEE conferences. This paper summarizes the testing results and introduces further research plans in volume manufacturing of lead free PWBs for the phase III testing sponsored by the EPA. Download PDF file (388.79 kB) |
Alternatives Assessment for Toxics Use Reduction. 2005.
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| TURI Methods & Policy Report No. 23. One of the key challenges in toxics use reduction planning is alternatives assessment. This is the process whereby a chemical, material or product that has been identified as toxic is compared with alternatives to find a substitute that is safer for workers, communities and ecosystems. This report reviews nine methods for alternatives assessment of chemicals that have been developed by government and private organizations in the United States and Europe and is designed to assist Massachusetts companies in the process of alternatives assessment for chemical hazards. Download PDF file (673.18 kB) |
Natural "Green" Dyes for the Textile Industry. 2003.
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| TURI Technical Report No. 57. The textile industry produces and uses approximately 1.3 million tonnes of dyes, pigments and dye precursors, valued at around $23 billion, almost all of which is manufactured synthetically. However, synthetic dyes have some limitations, primarily, (i) their production process requires hazardous chemicals, creating worker safety concerns, (ii) they may generate hazardous wastes, and (iii) these dyes are not environmentally friendly. This research explores methods where natural dyes are produced from plant tissue and fungal species. Download PDF file (378.90 kB) |
Assessing the Electrical Properties of Alternative Wire and Cable Coatings: Metallocene EPDM. 2004.
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| TURI Technical Report No. 56. New regulations have led to the need for non-lead compounds to be used in wire and cable applications. There are two approaches for lead free EPDM wire and cable compounds. One is to find alternative stabilizers, and the other is to change resins. In a previous study, hydrotalcite was examined as a replacement for lead additives in applications using Ziegler-Natta based EPDM, and was very effective as an alternative stabilizer. In this research, the metallocene based EPDM was investigated as a potential replacement elastomer, which would not require lead stabilization. Download PDF file (502.78 kB) |
Environmentally Benign Resins and Additives, for Use in the Wire and Cable Industry. 2003.
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| TURI Technical Report No. 54. The explosion of the information age has led to a scramble to increase the infrastructure of data carrying capacity. The building industry has seen a large increase in the demand for new housing. The electronic market continues to grow at an astounding pace. All of these industries require insulating wire for use in their products. As the amount of wire products increase special attention must be paid to the impact which these products make on the environment. Lately attention has been focused on polyvinyl chloride or PVC. New legislation in places such as California and Europe have begun to regulate the use of substances that are common additives to PVC. This project proposes to research the technical, economic and environmental feasibility of using alternative resins to PVC in the wire and cable industry. Download PDF file (436.70 kB) |
TURA Data Review Cable & Wire Industry Sector, 2002.
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| TURI Methods & Policy Report No. 22. Facilities in the Cable & Wire industry employed various toxics use reduction techniques. The predominant technique employed was "Improved Operation & Maintenance of Production Unit Equipment & Methods" which was reported in 45% of the reduction entries. In addition, 80% of the reduction entries occurred during the "Processing Operations" stage of the production operations lifecycle. Download PDF file (256.49 kB) |
Alternative Coating Systems, Intelicoat, 2002.
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| Employing green chemistry thinking, InteliCoat developed product lines that utilize non-solvent based coatings and reaction conditions, including water-based and UV-curable coatings, to significantly reduce the amount of toxic organic chemicals it uses and releases annually. InteliCoat presented information on its financial and environmental decision-making process for switching its primary product lines and the associated impact of the changes made for the company. Download PDF file (229.08 kB) |
Environmental, Health and Safety Issues in the Coated Wire and Cable Industry. 2002.
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| TURI Technical Report No. 51. Environmental, health and safety concerns with the basic raw materials used in manufacturing coated wire and cable are driving innovation and change in the industry. These concerns include the life cycle impacts of heavy metals such as lead, brominated flame-retardants, and resin systems based on polyvinyl chloride. Seeking to help Massachusetts' wire and cable industry deal with the complex regulatory and technical issues, the Toxics Use Reduction Institute at UMASS Lowell contracted the preparation of this background report. The report examines the sector's main environmental, health and safety issues, European and United States (U.S.) regulatory drivers, and the state of new materials development. The report also outlines a set of research and technology diffusion recommendations for the Institute and is meant to serve as an introduction and reference point for those in industry, government and academia concerned with wire and cable industry environmental, health and safety issues. Download PDF file (389.71 kB) |
Integration of Pollution Prevention and Occupational Health and Safety. 2000.
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| TURI Technical Report No. 50. This study focuses on aspects of the relationship between pollution prevention (P2) and occupational health. It evaluates the effects of pollution prevention intervention programs (i.e., toxics use reduction) on worker safety and health at three Massachusetts printed wire board manufacturing facilities. Most important, it focuses on primary prevention (in the form of P2) and how this model benefits both the environment and the worker. In addition, it provides useful feedback on what motivates companies to approach environmental and occupational compliance issues as a single concern. Download PDF file (245.63 kB) |
Delaware Valley Corporation. 2008.
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| In 2006, Delaware Valley Corporation installed an air-to-air heat exchanger at their Tewksbury facility to recover heat for both process and space heating from two of their natural gas-fired textile heat-setting ovens. It cost $27,000 to purchase and install the new system. The company expected about a one-year payback from savings in gas related expenses. However, OTA worked with the company and identified utility incentives available from their gas provider, which reduced the payback period to eight months. In addition to cutting energy costs, the heat exchanger installation has resulted in more comfortable working conditions for their employees, because the workplace is now maintained at a constant, uniform temperature. Delaware Valley has been so pleased with their heat recovery system that they have gone on to install a second heat exchanger on the third oven, and are investigating the installation of yet another at their Lawrence facility, to capture waste heat from all their ovens. Finally, savings from the heat recovery system will be reinvested to implement future energy related projects. Download PDF file (4.76 MB) |
Seaman Paper Company. 2008.
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| Seaman Paper Company is a leader in resource conservation that has significantly reduced energy use and fuel consumption over the last 10 years by making changes to its operations. The company implemented an energy conservation program that reduced electricity use by 2.6 million kilowatt hours (kWh) per year and oil use by nearly 1.7 million gallons per year. In addition, Seaman is installing a backpressure steam turbine/generator, which will enable the cogeneration of electricity and process steam and lead to further energy savings. All of these changes have saved Seaman Paper more than $1.5 million in yearly operating costs. Download PDF file (82.90 kB) |
South Coast Technical Products. 2007.
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| SouthCoast Technical Products made changes to their operating processes which brought the company into compliance with Massachusetts environmental regulations and led to significant reductions in water use. By switching from an elaborate ultra filtration unit to a simple bag filtration process, the company was able to reduce more than 200,000 gallons of water and save $37,000 per year. Download PDF file (119.92 kB) |
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