Eco-Efficiency in the Metal Finishing Industry

(From the August edition of Southern Metal Finishing)

Efficiency is always an important factor in any industrial sector; cutting down on material, chemical, energy, and waste management costs is a welcome consequence of making your business more eco-efficient. Due to the heavy use of chemicals, large amounts of water, and the hazardous waste produced through finishing processes, the metal finishing industry is an ideal candidate for improving its eco-efficiency. This can be achieved by changing processes, finding alternatives, and reducing or eliminating the generation of toxic wastes instead of focusing on managing it later on.

The number of hazardous and non-hazardous wastes alike can be greatly reduced through the implementation of even minor practices. Interestingly enough, the most significant gains have been made through process control and operating practices rather than through the use of new technology. Substituting cyanide with non-cyanide, for example, and hexavalent with trivalent chromium or less toxic non-chromium plating solutions can help reduce hazardous waste and make it easier to comply with environmental legislation.

Storage and handling of materials can also factor into the overall efficiency of your operation. An important cost saving measure that companies can take is to make sure that employees are trained in handling and moving materials to reduce the chance of damage. When possible, order materials that are sold in reusable containers; you may wish to work with your supplier to find ways to minimize waste.

The layout of your process and rinse tanks can also affect your efficiency, as well as play a significant role in the amount of waste you generate. Modifications to your tank layout can boost worker productivity, use chemical feed stocks and water at your site more efficiently, reduce generation of wastes, and encourage recovery and reuse of certain chemicals. Utilizing spray rinse systems and installing a sufficient number of drag-out tanks, for example, can help lower the incidence of chemical loss. Electrowinning units, integrated into an effective rinse system, can also reduce both water use and chemical discharge.

Other effective ways to increase efficiency include installing drain boards between tanks in the process line to help reduce the amount of solution wasted when parts are moved between tanks, and segregating wastes to reduce cross-contamination – this improves recyclability and reduces the volumes of hazardous wastes.

Even more generic are ways to boost efficiency outside of the finishing process itself. Simple actions, such as turning off equipment when not in use, turning off lights and lowering heat at night, more efficient fixtures and bulbs, and low flow toilets and sink aerators are only a few ways to rack up energy savings. If you’re interested in going a step further, you could implement a recycling program at your facility, use reusable shop towels and a laundry service instead of disposable rags and paper towels, and trade your conventional cleaning products for environmentally safe cleaners to use around the shop.

The ultimate aim of eco-efficiency is to prevent pollution, reduce the use of energy, water, and material resources and minimize waste profitably, all without reducing production capacity. This can be achieved through eliminating the need to use hazardous materials, or at least minimizing their use. There are also many opportunities to reuse waste products, which will help to reduce the demand for raw materials as well as the cost of treatment and disposal. Certain recyclable items can even be sold, therefore negating the disposal costs.  As a last resort, treating and disposing of the waste, though generally the most costly option, may sometimes be unavoidable.

Please visit the below resources for more detailed information about Eco-efficiency in the Metal Finishing Industry.

Resources:
—Pollution Prevention for the Electroplating and Metal Finishing Industry
—A Cleaner Production Manual for the Metal Finishing Industry
—Eco-Efficiency Centre - Fact Sheet
—[url="http://es.epa.gov/techinfo/facts/california/metal-fs.html"]U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
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