Mosaic Fertilizer to spend $30M on air pollution controls
Mosaic Fertilizer will spend $30 million on air pollution controls to eliminate harmful emissions from sulfuric acid production plants in Uncle Sam, La., and Mulberry, Fla., according to the Justice Department and U.S. EPA.
The company will also pay a civil penalty of $2.4 million to resolve alleged Clean Air Act violations.
Mosaic will install modern pollution control equipment, upgrade existing controls, and make multiple modifications to its operating procedures to meet new, lower sulfur dioxide emission limits at its Uncle Sam facility. In addition, Mosaic agreed that it will permanently cease sulfuric acid production at its Mulberry sulfuric acid plant.
A settlement agreement filed Oct. 5 in federal court in New Orleans outlines the terms. Read the rest of this entry »
Zebulon expands water recycling effort
The town of Zebulon is now practicing what it preached during the 2007 drought.
The town received permits from the city of Raleigh late last month to begin using a water reuse system at the Zebulon Municipal Complex.
The reuse system will allow the town to use recycled water for irrigation and other non-drinking uses.
The town already uses a similar system at Five County Stadium.
Grants from the Clean Water Management Trust Fund and the Golden Leaf Foundaton paid for the extension of 17,000 feet of water lines from the stadium area through the town’s industrial park and on to the municipal complex.
The new system will allow the town and the city of Raleigh — which controls Zebulon’s water system — to conserve drinking water supplies. Read the rest of this entry »
Energy-saving bulbs light up recycling puzzle
More states are moving to establish safe recycling programs and address the mercury content of the popular curly, compact fluorescent light bulbs.
The bulbs, known as CFLs, generally use less power than incandescent light bulbs. CFLs use trace amounts of the toxic metal mercury to produce light, says Mark Kohorst, senior manager for environmental health and safety at the National Electrical Manufacturers Association. If a bulb breaks, he says, there is a “minimal” risk from exposure to mercury, which can damage the lungs and central nervous system if inhaled.
In May, Maine became the first state to pass a law requiring manufacturers to limit mercury levels in the bulbs and pay for recycling them safely.
Elsewhere:
• The Illinois Legislature passed a law in May that requires recycling information on CFL labels.
• In Nevada, a special committee is working on regulations that would require utilities to inform consumers on how to recycle CFLs. Read the rest of this entry »
New recycling technology tested for galvanized steel
De-zincing process being tested in U.S., Australia
Australia-based scrap metal recycler CMA Corp. and German machinery manufacturer Scholz AG have developed unique recycling equipment for the “environmentally friendly removal” of zinc from galvanized steels. Use of the patented Meretec Technology is being tested at CMA plant in East Chicago, Ind., and Melbourne, Australia.
The partners say the Meretec technology, developed in the U.S. and England and purchased last year by CMA, represents a significant world breakthrough” in the recycling of zinc-coated galvanized steel that is used widely in applications where rust resistance is needed.
A CMA statement says some steelmaking plants and most foundries can’t tolerate zinc in their steel scrap feeds. Yet, an estimated 9 million metric tons of galvanized steel is produced annually. The plan is to use the Meretec process at the pilot plants to recycle enough steel to 3,000 metric tons of hazardous waste (zinc and other coating contaminants) annually. At full capacity, each Meretec plant is expected to recycle 120,000 metric tons of galvanized steel and generate 2,000 metric tons of high grade zinc powder and 118,000 metric tons of clean black steel Read the rest of this entry »
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