Stephanie Salmon, AFS Washington Office; Jeff Hannapel & Christian Richter, The Policy Group, Washington, D.C.
WASHINGTON ALERT Risk Assessment on Spent Sand Released
EPA RISK ASSESSMENT CONCLUDES USE OF SPENT FOUNDRY SANDS SAFE IN SOIL-RELATED APPLICATIONS
Te U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA), in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Te Ohio State University, has re- leased a risk assessment concluding that silica-based spent foundry sands from iron, steel and aluminum metalcasting facilities, when used in certain soil-relat- ed applications, are protective of human health and the environment and yield environmental benefits (Table 1). “Tere is potential for substantial
growth in the recycling of silica-based spent foundry sands,” said Mathy Stanislaus, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response. “Our risk as- sessment concludes that the evaluated reuses are environmentally appropriate. Advancing the environmentally sound, beneficial use of industrial materials, such as spent foundry sands, provides substantial opportunities for address- ing climate change and air quality, enhancing state, tribal and local part- nerships, reducing costs and working toward a sustainable future.” Te Risk Assessment of Spent
Foundry Sands in Soil-Related Ap- plications evaluated the beneficial use of non-olivine foundry sand produced by iron, steel and aluminum metalcast- ing operations in manufactured soils, soil-less media or road base. Based on studies conducted by the USDA Ag- riculture Research Service (ARS) and the application of highly conservative screening techniques and risk screening models, this document concludes there is no evidence that these specified uses of foundry sand could pose significant risks to human health or the environ- ment. Te concentrations of metals in the foundry sand are very similar to those found in native soils in the U.S. and Canada. Metalcasting facilities purchase virgin sand to create metal casting molds and cores. Te sand is reused numerous times within the metalcast- ing operation itself. However, over time the sands become unusable and are referred to as spent foundry sands. Te spent foundry sands are then reused in a number of ways, including as an ingredient in potting soil and as a foun-
Table 1. Environmental Benefits of Spent Foundry Sands Beneficial Use Avoided Impacts
Energy
Consumption (megajoules) Water
Consumption (1,000 gallons) CO2 Emissions (metric tons)
17,800,000
3,000 1,500
27,900,000
4,800 2,500
45,700,000
7,800 4,000
Annual electricity consumption of 800 homes
Amount of water to fill 12 Olympic swimming pools Removing 840 cars from the road for one year
Road Base Use Manufactured Soil Use Total Avoided Impacts
dation layer in roadway construction. Te beneficial use of foundry sand also conserves virgin natural resources and reduces energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. An EPA analysis indicated current beneficial uses of foundry sand result in energy savings of 212 billion BTUs per year and prevention of more than 20,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions. With the release of this final risk assessment, AFS is commit- ted to efforts that continue to conserve valuable natural resources and promote environmental stewardship by ben- eficially using more foundry sand in soil-related applications. Te risk assessment results are specific to silica-based spent foundry sands from iron, steel and aluminum foundry operations. Spent foundry sands from leaded and non-leaded brass and bronze foundries, and spent foundry sands containing olivine sand, are not included in this assessment. More information on the risk as- sessment can be found at http://epa. gov/epawaste/conserve/imr/foundry/
index.htm.
Equivalencies
February 2015 MODERN CASTING | 17
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76