Pollution prevention through productivity improvement

Conference · Thu Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1999

OSTI ID:20003259

Edwards, H W; Kostrzewa, M F; Ketzenberger, C K

Results are presented from 50 1996-98 Colorado State University Industrial Assessment Center (CSU IAC) industrial assessments at small and medium-size manufacturing plants. The assessments were conducted by engineering faculty and students associated with the CSU IAC. Each assessment includes a full-day plant visit and follow-up engineering and economic analyses of data pertaining to plant operations. Assessment reports provide recommendations for implementation of practices that can conserve energy, reduce waste, and improve productivity. Results from the 50 assessments demonstrate that recommended productivity improvement practices can also prevent formation of wastes and polluting emissions. A total of 61 productivity improvement recommendations were made, 14 of which provide pollution prevention with concomitant, quantifiable cost savings. Such cost savings are associated with improving management of raw materials, reducing generation of off-specification product, recycling cooling water, improving inspection and testing procedures, reducing batch sizes, and upgrading production equipment. For the 14 productivity improvement recommendations with pollution prevention benefits, the annual cost savings due to pollution prevention are $502,140, whereas the total annual cost savings for the 14 recommendations are $1,484,310. In other words, 34% of the cost savings for these productivity improvement recommendations is attributable to pollution prevention. The results thus demonstrate that improving productivity in manufacturing operations can prevent formation of wastes and polluting emissions.

• Research Organization: Colorado State Univ., Fort Collins, CO (US)
• OSTI ID: 20003259
• Report Number(s): CONF-990608--
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATION
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
AIR POLLUTION ABATEMENT
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
ENERGY CONSERVATION
INDUSTRIAL WASTES
PRODUCTIVITY
RECOMMENDATIONS
WASTE MANAGEMENT