Waste Minimization Assessment for a Manufacturer of Metal-Plated Display Racks.

摘要

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has funded a pilot project to assist small- and medium-size manufacturers who want to minimize their generation of waste but who lack the expertise to do so. Waste Minimization Assessment Centers (WMACs) were established at selected universities and procedures were adapted from the EPA Waste Minimization Opportunity Assessment Manual (EPA/625/7-88/003, July 1988). The WMAC team at the University of Tennessee performed an assessment at a plant manufacturing metal-plated display racks. Steel wire, tubing, and sheets undergo machining operations, and the resulting parts are then nickel and brass-plated, nickel-plated, zinc-plated, nickel and chrome-plated, or painted. The various finished parts are assembled into display racks. The team's report, detailing findings and recommendations, indicated that the majority of waste was generated by the plating lines and that the greatest waste reduction would result from utilizing a Zero Discharge Recovery system in the nickel-plating baths.