Case Studies archive
Acushnet Rubber Company - ISO 14001 Certification through TUR. OTA 1997
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| Acushnet Rubber Company of New Bedford, Massachusetts is the first company in Massachusetts to obtain certification in ISO 14001, an international standard for environmental management. The company is also the first in the world to become certified in ISO 14001, ISO 9001 (a standard for quality programs), and the American automotive industry’s QS-9000 quality standards. The company was able to move quickly to achieve ISO 14001 certification by taking advantage of the work previously done in completing a toxics use reduction (TUR) plan. Download PDF file (29.94 kB) |
South Coast Technical Products - Filtration and Wastewater Compliance. OTA 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 (123.20 kB) |
Columbia Manufacturing, Inc. - Plating Operation Achieves Zero Wastewater Discharge. OTA 2005.
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| Columbia Manufacturing Inc. in Westfield, Massachusetts eliminated the use of 150,000 gallons of water per day in their plating operations. Columbia saved $80,000 in sewer fees, among other cost savings, by upgrading the plating equipment and integrating a zero discharge wastewater treatment system. The new, efficient plating line enables the company to recover and reuse 98% of the plating chemistry resulting in a drastic reduction of hazardous waste generation. Download PDF file (21.95 kB) |
Crane & Company, Inc. - Substitution with Carbon Dioxide Eliminates Major Use of Sulfuric Acid. OTA 2003.
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| Crane & Company, Inc. reduced the use of sulfuric acid by approximately 697,000 lbs and sodium hypochlorite by 576,000 lbs between 1999 and 2000, a combined reduction of about 46%. The company achieved these reductions by modifying the process chemistry for the re-pulping of off-specification papers. The sulfuric acid was replaced with an innovative liquid carbon dioxide system and the sodium hypochlorite was reduced by specifying cleaner raw materials, and by controlling the temperature and pH of the process. Download PDF file (36.26 kB) |
V.H. Blackinton & Co. - Halogen Solvent Elimination, Chemical Reduction and Zero Discharge. OTA 2003.
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| In the early 1990's V.H. Blackinton began a continuous improvement program to reduce chemical use and eliminate certain hazardous chemicals. By engaging company employees and working with vendors, along with the help of the Office of Technical Assistance (OTA), V.H. Blackinton eliminated the use of ozone depleting Freon, trichloroethylene (TCE), ammonia, and volatile organic compounds (VOC). The company made substantial investments to modernize their plating and finishing operations, leading to significant reductions in water use and in the use of acids and bases in waste treatment and plating operations. As a result, V.H. Blackinton is no longer required to report under the Toxic Use Reduction Act (TURA) and have closed the loop on their wastewater discharge. Download PDF file (25.88 kB) |
Inner-Tite Corporation - Closed Circuit Degreaser and Other Changes Improve Environmental Health and Safety. OTA 2001.
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| Inner-Tite Corporation replaced its existing parts degreasing equipment with two entirely enclosed Forenta degreasing units. The new degreasing equipment has reduced air emissions of trichloroethylene (TCE) by 97% and will save the company over $12,000 annually in avoided chemical purchases. Download PDF file (148.58 kB) |
BOC Edwards - Enclosed Automated Wash System. OTA 2001.
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| To improve quality of service and environmental, health and safety performance, BOC Edwards installed an enclosed, automated wash system and closed-loop wastewater treatment unit at its pump-remanufacturing center in Wilmington, MA. The new system recycles nearly 100% of the process water used to clean pump components and decreases waste sludge by approximately 80% compared to previous operations. Download PDF file (118.17 kB) |
Hampden Papers, Inc. - Reduction of VOC Emissions Leads top Savings. OTA 1998.
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| In an ongoing effort to limit emissions and reduce use of hazardous chemicals, Hampden Papers spent four years researching, developing, testing and implementing a new coatings formulation used in over 70% of the company's manufacturing capabilities. The new formulation helps Hampden Papers reduce annual VOC emissions by 4-6 tons. More significantly, the change eliminates the use of ethylene glycol monobutyl ether and thereby frees the company from filing requirements under both the Massachusetts Toxics Use Reduction Act (TURA) and Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) Section 313. Download PDF file (24.22 kB) |
Olympic Manufacturing - Recycling Coolant. OTA 1999.
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| By installing a recycling system for the coolant used on their roll threading machines, Olympic Manufacturing was able to reduce coolant disposal by 75% and solid waste disposal by approximately 88%. Prior to installation and operation of this recycling system, Olympic was discarding machining coolant after two days of use, generating roughly 600 gallons of waste coolant and two 55-gallon barrels of solid waste each week. The reduction in waste saved the company about $38,000 annually. Download PDF file (21.11 kB) |
Poly-Plating Inc. - Chemical and Water Waste Reduction. OTA 1997.
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| Poly-Plating designed and installed integral repurification equipment which filters, recycles and concentrates wastes for reclamation. This equipment reduced acid purchases to 1%of 1989 levels. Reclaiming and recycling has cut disposal costs by 98%. Additionally, water use has been reduced to 880 gallons per day, down from 78,000 gallons per day. Download PDF file (327.11 kB) |
Lightolier - Elimination of Trichloroethylene and Reduction of VOC Emissions. OTA 1997.
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| Lightolier has eliminated the use of approximately 1.25 million pounds of Trichloroethylene at their Fall River, Massachusetts plant. The company found less toxic alternatives and modified their production process, which eliminated more than 4 million pounds of air emissions, with savings of more than $2 million. Download PDF file (2.10 MB) |
Kidde-Fenwal - New Coating Technologies Provide Big Payoffs. OTA 1996.
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| By updating its coating operations with 1990s technologies including computer-programmed spray applications and ultraviolet (UV) curing, Kidde-Fenwal Incorporated reduced its air emissions by 75%, eliminated 20 drums per year of flammable waste, and reduced its production cycle by an entire day. The new system, which also reduced the amount of coating used per printed circuit board by 96%, is expected to save the company $300,000 annually, providing a payback on its investment in less than one year. Download PDF file (107.42 kB) |