New York State Pollution Prevention Institute

Case Studies

RIT has a long history of partnership with industry to improve production processes, enhance recycling and reuse and reduce the use of hazardous materials. The following case studies exemplify these efforts and showcase expertise that can be brought to bear through the New York State Pollution Prevention Institute.

Clean Technologies Implementation and Testing

Assisting Firms in Utilizing “Greener” Cleaning Chemistries

Many firms are looking for methods that will reduce their hazardous material use while also decreasing regulatory, clean up and energy costs. RIT has worked with numerous companies to identify, test and implement cost effective cleaning processes that have been proven to both enhance environmental quality and increase economic competitiveness.

For example an RIT research team, through a grant from the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, developed and implemented improved surface cleaning processes in several regional manufacturing companies. This included the development of the Expert System a state-of-the-art database package that assists in analyzing cleaning costs and suggesting possible chemistry options that meet company needs. Combined, these firms reduced their total energy usage by 45,000 KWH/year and over 350,000 cubic feet of natural gas, while decreasing hazardous waste generation by 98%. These improvements resulted in annual savings of $258,000 per year, as well as enhanced overall product quality. For these efforts, RIT received the 2002 New York State Governor’s Award for Pollution Prevention.

Green Product Assessment

Assisting in the Implementation of Green Production Processes

As consumers call for more environmentally sensitive products as well as regulations governing manufacturing, companies are increasingly looking for cost effective ways to create more environmentally friendly products and production processes. RIT conducted a green product assessment of Vitruv™ Durable Applied Surfaces for DFB Sales Inc. (DFB), of Long Island City, New York to analyze and document the green characteristics of the Vitruv™ product and develop recommendations for improvements so that DFB can enhance its efforts to supply truly green products to the marketplace.

DFB Sales has been producing wall coverings and coatings for over fifty years. They currently employ 95 people and occupy 40,000 square feet of space in New York City, which houses its design, manufacturing and front office operations.

The assessment of Vitruv had three major components:

Inventorying and assessing the environmental, health and safety (EH&S) attributes of the compositional materials of Vitruv;
Documenting and assessing relevant green product attributes and manufacturing practices at DFB and at DFB’s materials suppliers; and
Providing insights, information, recommendations and technical assistance to DFB along the way to support their efforts to “green” their company and their products.

The research team made a number of recommendations to reduce the use of hazardous and environmentally sensitive chemicals as well as methods to increase the use of recycled materials in the production of Vitruv, both of which will also reduce costs associated with production. DFB has begun implementation of these findings and based on the enhanced environmental performance is seeking LEED Green Building certification for its manufacturing facility.

Recycling Process Improvement

Developing and Implementing Cost-Effective Recycling and Reuse Processes

The utilization of effective recycling processes can not only enhance environmental quality but also greatly reduce the cost of production. Through a New York State grant, RIT researchers partnered with American Aerogel Corporation (AAC) of Rochester, New York to identify a cost-effective method of recycling and reusing spent effluent which is recovered at the end of the company’s foam manufacturing process.

American Aerogel Corporation (AAC) began developing cost-effective means to produce aerogels and aerogel-like materials in 1995. AAC produces and licenses the production of Aeroblack®, a dramatic new advanced nanoporous open-celled foam material for a wide variety of applications. AAC believes further market penetration of the product will have significant impact on energy use, through reduced need for heating and refrigeration. However, to cost effectively ramp up production the company needed a method for effectively recycling waste produced in the manufacturing process.

RIT’s research team analyzed the chemical composition of effluent waste created in Aeroblack production, tested various recycling processes, and evaluated the quality of recycled foam that was produced from recycled waste effluent. Based on this research, a recycling method was identified, leading to a projected 50% reduction in overall manufacturing costs and a 90% decrease in hazardous waste production. Based on the success of this effort, the Sustainability Institute and AAC are now collaborating on a second project to expand commercialization of Aeroblack for a wide variety of insulation and storage applications.

Remanufacturing Analysis and Improvement

Enhancing the Quality and Efficiency of Remanufacturing

Given the ubiquitous presence of printers and copiers in our society and the steady growth of electronic waste, the importance of developing verifiable and repeatable processes to enhance the remanufacture and reuse of components associated with this equipment can not be overstated. An RIT research team investigated the reusability of various components in printer cartridges as well as the possible use of signature analysis to more accurately analyze component condition. Signature analysis refers to the process that is used to determine the remaining useful life of a component from a specific set of characteristics (i.e. “signature”) that the component demonstrates. As a simple example, an electric motor might generate a specific noise pattern as it ages. By comparing the noise pattern of a specific motor to a table of noise patterns generated from motors of varying ages, the remaining useful life of that motor can be estimated. Returning to the remanufacturing analysis project, the RIT study showed that various components could be used for multiple life cycles if the quality of individual parts could be properly assessed.

In response, RIT engineers designed and developed two patented testing devices, the Wiper Blade Edge Analyzer and the OPC Drum Life Cycle Analyzer, which greatly enhance the speed, efficiency and quality of component assessment within the remanufacturing process. In partnership with Optical Technologies Corporation of Long Island City, New York, both devices have been commercialized and are being utilized by remanufacturers throughout the world.

The Wiper Blade Edge Analyzer alone has recovered over 2 million blades since 2004, diverting 600 tons of metal and urethane from landfills. Due to this success, the team received the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable’s 2006 MVP2 award. This project was funded in part by a grant from the New York State Environmental Management Investment Group (EMIG).