Spent molding sand has received a lot of attention in the past couple of decades. It can be reclaimed internally, or beneficially reused by another industry. Sand reclama- tion usually requires a combination of mechanical and/ or thermal processes to recondition it for reuse in the coremaking process or greensand system. To date, both reclamation processes have required significant demands in energy to make spent green and core sands reusable within the foundry. Nonetheless, the beneficial reuse of foundry sands and recovery of their additives has gained a lot of popularity in recent years, due to its other envi- ronmental benefits. Spent foundry sands have been suc- cessfully used as a source of silica for cement production, flowable fill for construction, roadbeds, and geotechnical fill for a variety of projects. A more recent development for spent sands has been in the use of soil amendments for croplands in the agricultural industry. In addition to the completion of these worthy projects, every ton of foundry sand or slag used in this manner results in a reduction of native materials that must be mined or landfilled else- where. A web site promoting these wide uses of spent foundry byproducts can be accessed at: www.foundryre- cycling.org.


Today’s efforts cannot be considered the pinnacle of the green effort for our industry. Modern society demands more from us. It is time to recognize that many industry paradigms restrict us from acting. However, new paradigms are being created.


We can become a much a greener industry. Much of the technology to become greener exists now, and we have the resources to become increasingly sustainable in the future.


There are many barriers to be broken, but with focused research, we can find a way to break down those barriers.


The choice to avoid becoming greener now will result in consequences for our industry in the future. Our custom- ers will require an accounting of our greenness (either formally or informally) as a precept to placing orders for our castings. This is understandable, as they will be expe- riencing similar pressures from their own customer base. Our customers and communities desire and expect us to be good corporate citizens.


Where Do We Begin?


How do we as foundries begin to become a greener organi- zation? As with all well-founded and lasting corporate proj- ects, it requires top management support. Top-level manage- ment needs to establish it as a priority right along with all of the key metrics such as safety, quality, and profitability. Management must create the vision, and work to put the tools in place to achieve that vision.


A management culture needs to be established to foster the goal of being green and sustainable. To do that, many things need to become a part of a company’s everyday work hab- its. These go beyond just designating a “Green Department” or authorizing token green projects. People must be encour- aged to develop and implement green process changes with- out the fear of potential failure from the pursuance of a path less taken. The time necessary to learn new technologies, and to train on and optimize new equipment must be granted to ensure the highest level of efficiency.


The removal of concern for making informed but nontradi- tional decisions can be a powerful incentive to employees to innovate the foundry to a greener level. This culture, along with an associated accounting process that gives credit to green thinking departments is necessary in foster- ing green improvements.


Figure 1a. Pneumatic/mechanical sand reclaimer. 8


Figure 1b. Thermal sand reclaimer. International Journal of Metalcasting/Summer 10


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