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Full-Text Articles in Engineering

Robust Gasification Trial Results For A Variety Of Difficult-To-Recycle Packaging-Related Materials, Bruce A. Welt Dec 2023

Robust Gasification Trial Results For A Variety Of Difficult-To-Recycle Packaging-Related Materials, Bruce A. Welt

Journal of Applied Packaging Research

Currently, recycling requires nearly absolute sorting of materials to accommodate the limited capabilities of existing recycling infrastructure. Whether a material is “recyclable” depends more on the method of recycling than the material itself. Our dependence upon sorting has limited success of recycling and has stifled our ability to achieve circular economy sustainability with plastic packaging materials. Our dependence upon sorting is rooted in our material-specific recycling processes. However, newer robust recycling processes are commercially available that reduce or eliminate the need to sort waste, and can convert mixed waste into primary feedstock chemicals, such as methanol for subsequent manufacture of …


Pollution Prevention Via Recovery Of Cerium (Iv) Oxide In Optics Company, Eugene Park, William Gallagher, Sydor Optics, Flint Creek Resources May 2020

Pollution Prevention Via Recovery Of Cerium (Iv) Oxide In Optics Company, Eugene Park, William Gallagher, Sydor Optics, Flint Creek Resources

Articles

Pollution prevention methods were applied at an optics manufacturer in an effort to improve recovery of a valuable polishing component, cerium oxide (ceria), 77% of which was lost to dragout and sewer discharge. Centrifugation and microfiltratiion were evaluated to develop a process that would increase recovery of used ceria, which would then be sent back to the ceria supplier for reclamation and reuse. Full-scale implementation included a high-speed centrifuge that operates continuously with a microfiltration system through recirculation in a single process tank. Sydor Optics has improved ceria recovery from 23% to 48%, saving thousands of dollars annually.


Suitability Of Active And Intelligent Packaging For Local And Organic Food – A Case Study In Southern Finland, Sara Paunonen, Marja Pitkänen, Mika Vähä-Nissi, Ville Leminen, Mika Kainusalmi Sep 2018

Suitability Of Active And Intelligent Packaging For Local And Organic Food – A Case Study In Southern Finland, Sara Paunonen, Marja Pitkänen, Mika Vähä-Nissi, Ville Leminen, Mika Kainusalmi

Journal of Applied Packaging Research

This study explores the suitability of innovative packaging for local and organic food. Attitudes and opinions in local and organic food chains in Southern Finland were collected via eighteen semi-structural interviews. The respondents were small-scale producers and processors of fish, meat, berries, and mushrooms, wholesalers, retailers, and institutional kitchens. The aim of this study was to understand factors promoting and preventing the penetration of innovative packaging solutions into the organic and local food market. A clear majority (89%) of respondents considered active and intelligent solutions to be equally suitable for local and organic food as for conventional food. However, less …


Pollution Prevention In The Great Lakes Basin: Working With Pulp & Paper Manufacturers, Eugene Park Nov 2017

Pollution Prevention In The Great Lakes Basin: Working With Pulp & Paper Manufacturers, Eugene Park

Journal of Environmental Sustainability

In response to growing concerns over persistent toxic substances in the Great Lakes, new initiatives are in place to address and mitigate pollutant loadings to these large natural waterbodies. With support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and New York Department of Environmental Conservation, the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute (NYSP2I) worked with pulp & paper companies in the Great Lakes Basin in an effort to find solutions to reduce environmental impacts from this industry sector. Based on currently available EPA toolkits, NYSP2I developed and utilized an assessment tool called Lean, Energy, and Environment (LE2). Five different paper manufacturers …