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wrap sheet - Current Issue
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Vol. 18, No.4
August 2008
The WRAP Sheet is published by the University of Tennessee Center for Industrial Services Tennessee Manufacturing Extension Program - a NIST MEP affiliate.
In this issue...
1. Pollution Prevention and Community OutreachNew Report on Pollution Reduction Costs of U.S. Manufacturers
2. Compliance, Enforcement and Regulatory Updates
3. Compliance Training
MARK YOUR CALENDAR - Environmental, Health and Safety WORKSHOPS.
1. Pollution Prevention and Community Outreach
- MIT Develops Nano 'Paper Towel' for Oil Spills
A mat of nanowires with the touch and feel of paper could be an important new tool in the cleanup of oil and other organic pollutants, MIT researchers and colleagues report in the May 30 online issue of Nature Nanotechnology.
The scientists say they have created a membrane that can absorb up to 20 times its weight in oil and can be recycled many times for future use. The oil itself also can be recovered. Some 200,000 tons of oil have already been spilled at sea since the start of the decade.
"What we found is that we can make 'paper' from an interwoven mesh of nanowires that is able to selectively absorb hydrophobic liquids--oil-like liquids--from water," said Francesco Stellacci, an associate professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and leader of the work.
In addition to its environmental applications, the nanowire paper could also impact filtering and the purification of water, said Jing Kong, an assistant professor of electrical engineering in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and one of Stellacci's colleagues on the work. She noted that it could also be inexpensive to produce because the nanowires of which it is composed can be fabricated in larger quantities than other nanomaterials.
Stellacci explained that there are other materials that can absorb oils from water, "but their selectivity is not as high as ours." In other words, conventional materials still absorb some water, making them less efficient at capturing the contaminant.
The new material appears to be completely impervious to water. "Our material can be left in water a month or two, and when you take it out, it's still dry," Stellacci said. "But at the same time, if that water contains some hydrophobic contaminants, they will get absorbed."
Made of potassium manganese oxide, the nanowires are stable at high temperatures. As a result, oil within a loaded membrane can be removed by heating above the boiling point of oil. The oil evaporates, and can be condensed back into a liquid. The membrane--and oil--can be used again.
Two key properties make the system work. First, the nanowires form a spaghetti-like mat with many tiny pores that make for good capillarity, or the ability to absorb liquids. Second, a water-repelling coating keeps water from penetrating into the membrane. Oil, however, isn't affected and seeps into the membrane.
The membrane is created by the same general technique as its low-tech cousin, paper. "We make a suspension of nanowires, like a suspension of cellulose [the key component of paper], dry it on a non-sticking plate, and we get pretty much the same results," Stellacci said.
In a commentary accompanying the Nature Nanotechnology paper, Joerg Lahann of the University of Michigan concluded: "Stellacci and coworkers have provided an example of a nanomaterial that has been rationally designed to address a major environmental challenge."
In addition to Stellacci and Kong (who is also affiliated with MIT's Research Laboratory of Electronics, or RLE), other authors are Jikang Yuan, a postdoctoral associate in MIT's Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) and RLE; Xiaogang Liu, now at the National University of Singapore; Ozge Akbulut of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering; Junqing Hu of the National Institute for Materials Science in Japan; and Steven L. Suib of the University of Connecticut, Storrs. This work was primarily funded by the Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation at MIT.
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- Cornell is Studying Fabrics Capable of Rendering Toxic Chemicals Harmless
Cornell fiber scientist Juan Hinestroza is working with the U.S. government to create fabrics made of functional nanofibers that would decompose toxic industrial chemicals into harmless by-products. Potential applications include safety gear for U.S. soldiers and filtration systems for buildings and vehicles.
Hinestroza, assistant professor of fiber science in the College of Human Ecology, is a member of two teams that secured more than $2.2 million from the U.S. Department of Defense; about $875,000 will go directly to Hinestoza's work. Both grants are multi-university collaborative efforts funded through the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency.
"These nanostructures could be used in creating advanced air filtration and personal protection systems against airborne chemical threats and can find many applications in buildings, airplanes, as well as personal respirators," Hinestroza said.
The first project, in collaboration with North Carolina State University, is aimed at understanding how very small electrical charges present in fibers and nanofibers can help in capturing nanoparticles, bacteria, and viruses.
"Understanding how these charges are injected into the fibers and how they are dissipated under different environmental conditions can open an avenue to significant improvements in air filtration technology," Hinestroza said.
The position and distribution of the electrical charges on the nanofibers will be fed into computerized fluid dynamics algorithms developed by Andrey Kutznetsov of N.C. State to predict the trajectory of the nanoparticles challenging the filter. Hinestroza and N.C. State's Warren Jasper pioneered work in this area a couple of years ago.
The second project, in collaboration with the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA), will study the incorporation of a new type of molecules--called metal organic polyhedra and metal organic frameworks--onto polymeric nanofibers to trap dangerous gases as toxic industrial chemicals and chemical warfare agents, then decompose them into substances that are less harmful to humans and capture them for further decontamination. The synthesis of these molecules was pioneered by Omar Yaghi of UCLA.
This project will also look into the potential toxicity of these nanofiber-nanoparticle systems to humans in collaboration with Andre Nel from UCLA Medical School.
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- New ISO Standard Establishes Sustainability Principles for Building Construction
New ISO 15392:2008 standard establishes internationally recognized principles for sustainability in building construction. This standard provides a common ground for communication between stakeholders, such as builders and architects, product manufacturers and designers, building owners, policy makers and regulators, housing authorities, and consumers.
ISO 15392 is based on the concept of sustainable development as it applies to buildings and other construction works, from "cradle to the grave." Over their life cycle, construction absorbs considerable resources and contributes to the transformation of the environment. As a result, they can have considerable economic consequences and impacts on both the environment and human health.
The foundations elaborated in ISO 15392:2008, Sustainability in Building Construction--General Principles, form the basis for a suite of standards intended to address specific issues and aspects of sustainability. These standards are applicable to buildings and other construction works individually and collectively, as well as to building materials, products, services, and processes.
The building and construction sector is a key sector in national economies, and the built environment is a major element in determining quality of life, as well as contributing to cultural identity and heritage.
Addressing sustainability in buildings and other construction works includes the interpretation and consideration of sustainable development in terms of its three primary aspects--economic, environmental, and social aspects--while meeting the requirements for technical and functional performance.
The principles elaborated in ISO 15392 are based on the belief that while the challenge of sustainable development is global, the strategies for addressing sustainability in building construction are essentially local and differ in context and content from region to region.
The standard acknowledges that these strategies will reflect the context, preconditions, and priorities and needs, not only in the built environment but also in the social environment. The social environment includes social equity, culture, traditions, heritage, health and comfort, social infrastructure, and safe and healthy environments. It may, particularly in developing countries, include poverty reduction and job creation.
ISO 15392:2008, Sustainability in building construction--General principles was prepared by ISO technical committee ISO/TC 59, Building construction, subcommittee SC 17, Sustainability in building construction. It costs 96 Swiss francs.
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- Take the Drive Smarter Challenge
The Alliance to Save Energy, in partnership with the Wal-Mart Foundation and 16 other diverse organizations, has created a unique, interactive Drive Smarter Challenge website with extensive money-saving gas tips in English and Spanish, resources, and discount vehicle-maintenance coupons.
The goal of the campaign is to provide consumers with simple ways to counter rising gasoline costs through driving and maintenance tips. A unique feature of the campaign's interactive website is a calculator that takes information on your vehicle make and model and immediately calculates your potential money, gas, and CO2 emission savings by taking the recommended Drive Smarter steps.
The calculator also will show how your actions play an important role in curbing our country's energy use and CO2 emissions by displaying a running tally of the cumulative savings of everyone who has "taken the Challenge." And, to reward you for your efforts, you can download one of three coupons from AutoZone and ExxonMobil.
- Sapphire Energy Unveils Renewable Gasoline
Sapphire Energy recently announced that they have produced renewable 91-octane gasoline that conforms to ASTM certification. The gasoline is made from a breakthrough process that produces crude oil directly from sunlight, CO2, and photosynthetic microorganisms, beginning with algae.
"Sapphire's goal is to be the world's leading producer of renewable petrochemical products," said CEO and Cofounder Jason Pyle, speaking from the influential Simmons Alternative Energy Conference. "Our goal is to produce a renewable fuel without the downsides of current biofuel approaches.
The end result--high-value hydrocarbons chemically identical to those in gasoline--will be entirely compatible with the current energy infrastructure from cars to refineries and pipelines. It's not biodiesel or ethanol, and no crops or farm land are required.
Company scientists say that they have built a platform that uses sunlight, CO2, photosynthetic microorganisms, and non-arable land to produce carbon-neutral alternatives to petrochemical-based processes and products. First up: renewable gasoline. Critically important, in light of recent studies that prove the inefficiencies and costs of crop-based biofuels, there is no "food versus fuel" tradeoff. The process is not dependent on food crops or valuable farmland, and it is highly water efficient.
"It's hard not to get excited about algae's potential," said Paul Dickerson, COO of the Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. "Its basic requirements are few: CO2, sun, and water. Algae can flourish in non-arable land or in dirty water, and when it does flourish, its potential oil yield per acre is unmatched by any other terrestrial feedstock."
Sapphire's processes are at the forefront of an entirely new industrial category called "Green Crude Production." Products and processes in this category differ significantly from other forms of biofuel, because they are made solely from photosynthetic microorganisms, sunlight, and CO2; do not result in biodiesel or ethanol; enhance and replace petroleum-based products; are carbon neutral and renewable; and don't require any food crop or agricultural land.
The final products meet ASTM standards and are completely compatible with the existing petroleum infrastructure, from refinement through distribution and the retail supply chain.
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- Vitamin C Could Help Shield Lake Superior from Deadly Fish Disease
A Michigan Technological University professor has developed a new water treatment that could help keep a deadly fish disease out of Lake Superior.
David Hand, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Michigan Tech, has devised a simple way to treat ballast water in vessels ranging from pleasure craft to ore boats. His method is designed to kill the virus that causes viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS), an often-fatal disease that has been attacking fish populations in the lower Great Lakes.
Hand's treatment is simple. The ballast water is disinfected with sodium hypochlorite--ordinary household bleach. Then it is treated with ascorbic acid, or vitamin C, which neutralizes the bleach before the water is released into the lake.
With good initial results, Hand has tested his method on the Ranger III, a National Park Service vessel that shuttles visitors and staff between the mainland and Isle Royale National Park.
In the next few weeks, the Great Ships Initiative will conduct independent lab tests on his system at the University of Wisconsin-Superior to help determine if it is safe, effective, and inexpensive. Other partners in the effort are the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
"VHS has had a devastating effect on the musky population in Lake St. Clair and affects 23 species of game fish," said Phyllis Green, superintendent of Isle Royale National Park and the midwest coordinator of the park service's VHS Prevention Team. "It's important that we keep it out of the Lake Superior basin or at least slow its spread. Our aim is to find a low-tech, low-cost, interim solution that can stop the spread of VHS."
Since 2003, VHS has caused massive die-offs of fish species ranging from walleyes to salmon in all of the Great Lakes, except Superior. Infected fish die from bleeding of their internal organs and often have open sores and bruised-looking, reddish tints on their skin.
As bad as it is, VHS is only part of the problem Hand wants to address. Exotic species have been hitchhiking throughout the Great Lakes via ballast tanks since 1959, when the St. Lawrence Seaway opened. And, as global trade increases, the problem will only get worse.
"Ships unload their ballast water from all over the world and with it all kinds of exotic, invasive species, from viruses and bacteria to the zebra mussel," said Hand. It's unfair to point the finger only at ocean-going ships, says Hand, a devoted angler and boat owner himself. All boaters should sterilize their bilge, ballast, and livewell water.
"Not only do we need to prevent the salties from bringing in new viruses, we also need the lake carriers from the lower Great Lakes to treat their ballast, because the VHS virus is already in Lakes Huron, Michigan, and Erie, and we don't want it in Superior," he said. "We really need something for all ships, as well as pleasure boats."
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2. Compliance, Enforcement and Regulatory Updates
- EPA Finalizes Amendment to the F019 Hazardous Waste Listing
Contact: Roxanne Smith, (202) 564-4355 / smith.roxanne@epa.gov
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is amending the F019 hazardous waste listing to facilitate the use of aluminum in automobiles, light trucks and utility vehicles. This action will encourage motor vehicle manufacturers to use more aluminum parts, producing vehicles that are lighter. Lighter vehicles are capable of increased gas mileage and decreased exhaust air emissions, including greenhouse gas emissions.
F019 is one of EPA's F-code Resource Conservation and Recovery Act hazardous waste listings, which include waste that is generated from common industrial and manufacturing processes. The amendment excludes from hazardous waste regulation F019 waste generated in the auto manufacturing industry provided the waste: 1) is not placed outside on the land prior to shipment to a landfill for disposal; and 2) is disposed of at an appropriately lined landfill. EPA has determined that these changes to the F019 listing are protective of human health and the environment. The final rule should be published in the Federal Register in about two weeks.
Information on the final amendment for F019 wastewater treatment sludge: http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/id/f019/f019.htm
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- EPA Enforcement Actions Total More Than $10 Billion in 2007
According to EPA's just released FY 2007 Enforcement Accomplishment Report [PDF], the agency's enforcement actions caused companies to pay more than $10 billion in environmental penalties and enforcement orders. The report estimates the following direct benefits of EPA enforcement orders: pollutants reduced by 890 million pounds, 79 million cubic yards of contaminated soil cleaned up, and 1.4 billion cubic yards of contaminated water cleaned up. The agency conducted approximately 22,000 inspections or site evaluations, with criminal penalties resulting in about 64 years of incarceration of environmental law violators. The report indicated that more than 1,000 facilities took advantage of the agency's voluntary disclosure program, also known as its audit privilege policy, which can result in reduced penalties for facilities that self-disclose potential violations.
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- Four of the Nation's Largest Home Builders Settle Storm Water Violations
The home builders are Centex Homes, based in Dallas, Texas; KB Home, based in Los Angeles, Calif.; Pulte Homes, based in Bloomfield Hills, Mich.; and Richmond American Homes, based in Denver, Colo. The four separate settlements resolve alleged violations of storm water run-off regulations at construction sites in 34 states and the District of Columbia. Each company will pay the following penalties:
- Centex: $1,485,000
- KB Home: $1,185,000
- Pulte: $877,000
- Richmond: $795,000
Pulte Homes has also agreed to complete a supplemental environmental project at a minimum cost of $608,000. The project will reduce the amount of sediment going into a northern California watershed and improve the habitat for aquatic life.
"Today's settlements mark an important step forward in protecting our waters from harmful storm water runoff from construction activities," said Ronald J. Tenpas, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division. "In the future, these homebuilders will implement company-wide compliance programs that will provide better and more consistent protections at their construction sites across the country."
"EPA requires that construction sites obtain permits and take simple, basic steps to prevent pollutants from contaminating storm water and harming our nation's waterways," said Granta Y. Nakayama, Assistant Administrator for EPA's Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance. "Today's settlements set a new bar for the home building industry."
Along with the federal government, seven state co-plaintiffs have joined the settlements. Those states are Colorado, Maryland, Virginia, Missouri, Nevada, Tennessee, and Utah. Each of the seven states will receive a portion of the penalties based on the number of sites located within that state.
Combined, the four builders accounted for more than 124,000 home closings in 2006 and are ranked nationally among the top ten home builders in terms of home closings and revenues.
The government complaints allege a common pattern of violations that was discovered by reviewing documentation submitted by the companies and through federal and state site inspections. The alleged violations include not obtaining permits until after construction had begun or failing to obtain the required permits at all. At the sites that did have permits, violations included failure to prevent or minimize the discharge of pollutants, such as silt and debris, in storm water runoff.
The settlements require the companies to develop improved pollution prevention plans for each site, increase site inspections, and promptly correct any problems that are detected. The companies must properly train construction managers and contractors, and they are required to have trained staff at each construction site. They also must implement a management and internal reporting system to improve oversight of on-the-ground operations and submit annual reports to EPA.
Improving compliance at construction sites is one of EPA's national enforcement priorities. Construction projects have a high potential for environmental harm because they disturb large areas of land and significantly increase the potential for erosion. Without on-site pollution controls, sediment-laden runoff from construction sites can flow directly to the nearest waterway and degrade water quality. In addition, storm water can pick up other pollutants, including concrete washout, paint, used oil, pesticides, solvents, and other debris. Polluted runoff can harm or kill fish and wildlife and can affect drinking water quality.
The settlements are the latest in a series of enforcement actions to address storm water violations from construction sites around the country. A similar consent decree, reached in February with Home Depot, required the company to pay a fine of $1.3 million and establish a comprehensive storm water compliance plan to prevent future violations.
The Clean Water Act requires that construction sites have controls in place to prevent pollution from being discharged with storm water into nearby waterways. These controls include simple pollution-prevention techniques such as silt fences, phased site grading, and sediment basins to prevent common construction contaminants from entering the nation's waterways.
The consent decrees, lodged in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, are subject to a 30-day public comment period and approval by the federal court. The companies are required to pay the penalty within 30 days of the court's approval of the settlement. Copies of the consent decrees are available on the Justice Department website at http://www.usdoj.gov/enrd/Consent_Decrees.html.
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- $5.3 Million Penalty for Petroleum Discharges
Magellan Midstream Partners agreed to pay a $5.3 million civil penalty for alleged violations of the Clean Water Act, announced the Justice Department and EPA last week. The alleged violations include illegally discharging gasoline and fuel oil from pipelines in Illinois, Kansas, Iowa, Minnesota, and Arkansas into nearby waterways over the past 10 years.
According to the complaint, the company allegedly discharged more than 17,000 barrels of gas and fuel oil on 11 different dates in violation of the Clean Water Act between March 1999 and May 2006. Two of the largest spills flowed into a tributary and into the Missouri River itself in 1999 and 2005. In 2005, approximately 2,830 barrels of unleaded gasoline spilled from a ruptured pipe near Kansas City, Kan., most of which flowed into the Missouri River, and in 1999, more than 4,500 barrels of diesel fuel spilled into the Missouri River near Atchison, Kan.
The spills had a number of causes, including third-party damage from farm equipment and bulldozers, corrosion, leaks, and pipeline operator error.
Magellan also agreed to resolve allegations related to Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) regulations for violations found at two facilities in Iowa and Nebraska. The Clean Water Act authorizes EPA to establish SPCC regulations for preventing, preparing for, and responding to oil spills or hazardous substances that may reach surface waters.
Along with the civil penalty, Magellan will set up a program to minimize third-party damage to the pipeline system, a cause of some of the spills, and will spend $750,000 on removing or minimizing any external threats along selected segments of its pipeline. The company will also implement system-wide changes to improve employee training, leak response procedures, and protocols for detecting and responding to leaks and ruptures.
"Today's penalty should serve as a reminder that the Department of Justice and the EPA will pursue those who fail to comply with the laws that protect our environment," said Ronald J. Tenpas, Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department's Environment and Natural Resources Division. "This agreement will also ensure that the company will take steps to prevent members of the general public from accidentally damaging this pipeline, the most common cause of the pipeline spills addressed in this action."
Magellan is the owner and operator of a 6,700-mile long petroleum pipeline network and 39 terminal facilities in the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, and Oklahoma. The pipeline transports petroleum products--including gasoline, diesel, and aviation fuel--from refineries through interconnections with other interstate pipelines to retail gasoline stations, truck stops, railroads, airports, and other end users.
The consent decree, lodged in the U.S. District Court for Kansas, is subject to a 30-day public comment period and approval by the federal court. Magellan is required to pay the penalty within 30 days of the court's approval of the settlement.
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- EPA to Undertake Scientific and Regulatory Evaluation of Formaldehyde Use in Pressed Wood Products
Contact: Dale Kemery, (202) 564-4355 / kemery.dale@epa.gov
EPA is launching a broad effort to gain a greater scientific understanding of the potential health risks of formaldehyde's use in pressed wood products. Through this process, EPA will develop risk assessments on the potential adverse health effects, evaluate the costs and benefits of possible control technologies and approaches, and determine whether EPA action is needed to address any identified risks.
The agency plans to issue an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPR) in fall 2008. The agency is pursuing this course of action following review of a petition submitted under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The petition requested that EPA adopt nationally a California regulation to control formaldehyde emissions from composite wood products and extend the rule to include composite wood products in manufactured homes.
EPA carefully reviewed the TSCA Section 21 citizens' petition, submitted by the Sierra Club, a number of other environmental organizations, as well as a large number of private citizens, and sought comment and additional information on the petition. EPA will work closely with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) on issues related to manufactured housing.
More information: http://www.epa.gov/oppt/chemtest/pubs/sect21.htm
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- EPA Issues MACT Rule for Area Source Miscellaneous Metal Coatings
This ruling [PDF] is a compilation of various sources. You will need to be careful to match your SIC code to the appropriate rule.
Or go to: http://www.epa.gov/ttn/atw/area/compilation.html.
3. Compliance Training
- Environmental, Health and Safety WORKSHOPS
UT CIS offers Environmental, Health & Safety WORKSHOPS throughout the year to help meet your compliance needs. For course information, please visit our Website, call us at 615.532.8657 or toll-free at 888.763.7439, or make sure you receive our weekly email for upcoming courses.
The TMEP is a program of The University of Tennessee Center for Industrial Services, an agency of the Institute for Public Service and an affiliate of NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership.
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Feedback by e-mail: Don.Stone@tennessee.edu
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WRAP Sheet is published by the Tennessee Manufacturing Extension Program
The University of Tennessee Center for Industrial Services
Tennessee Manufacturing Extension Program
193 Polk Avenue, Suite C
Nashville, TN 37210
Phone: 615.532.8657
Fax: 615.532.4937
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