said. “It doesn’t generate quite as much excitement as we would hope some- times. However, if you can reduce the transportation costs for an end-user and provide a quality material that meets a specifi cation they already have, you may be on to something. Transportation costs continue to play a huge role in the ability to recycle materials. A contractor may be interested in utilizing a recycled material but transportation costs can take that material right out of the discussion.” Benefi cial use of discarded sand,
according to EPA estimates, is saving more than 202 billion BTUs per year and reducing CO2 emissions by 20,000 tons. While foundry sand has been used in a variety of applications after leaving the casting operation, govern- ment regulation can be an obstacle to maximizing its non-landfi ll use. EPA has determined a vast majority
of foundry sands are considered non- hazardous solid wastes. Individual states, however, retain regulatory authority over the materials, even when they are compa- rable in physical and chemical nature to non-regulated materials. “It’s been a challenge to convince
regulatory agencies that many of these materials do not belong in landfi lls and should be recycled,” Lenahan said. T ough regulations can prove
cumbersome, the general public has become more amendable to reusing an industrial byproduct. Metalcasters have also marketed the material better to potential partners. “We’ve got a good, uniform product,”
Lenahan said. “Foundry sand produc- ers provide uniform materials with tight tolerances. As a result, sands that are discarded benefi t from some of those same tight controls.”
Energy: The Next Frontier? Energy costs run between 5-7%
of the average metalcasting facil- ity’s operating budget. As much as 60% of that consumption occurs in melting operations. Unlike the highly optimized metal recycling processes, however, improved energy effi ciency remains in the early stages of develop- ment for many metalcasters. One trend that is beginning to take hold in the industry is waste heat recov- ery. For example, a facility’s engineers
CASTINGS POWER SUSTAINABILITY Considering the continued growth of the renewable energy market,
metalcasters are supplying plenty of castings to end-users in a number of green energy sectors. Here’s a quick list of some places you’ll fi nd metal castings: Wind: Gearboxes, rotor hubs, power transmission equipment, motors
and generators, industrial fans and blowers in cooling and dehumidify- ing units, turbine generators for electrical energy conversion. Geothermal: Components in overhead traveling cranes used on the
roofs of power plants, centrifugal power pump parts and propellers, nozzles and fans in HVAC applications, vacuum pump parts, iron and steel pipes and tubes, oil and gas fi eld machinery components. Solar: Generators, turbines, pumps, condensers in solar power gen-
erating plants. Hybrid vehicles: transmission and power electronics systems, typical
nonferrous structural castings (control arms, panels, etc.), engine blocks and heads, transmission housings.
Metal castings are integral to the production of wind power.
May/Jun 2014 | METAL CASTING DESIGN & PURCHASING | 39
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