Oct 2 2007
Silicon-materials leader Dow Corning Corp. today announced a $50 million investment in new equipment for its Midland, Mich., plant that is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 20 percent, total emissions by 75 percent, and lower the site's consumption of natural gas by 400 billion Btu per year - the equivalent of heating more than 3,500 homes over the winter.
"Dow Corning realizes the best way to continue living our value of sustainability is through eagerness to change and a willingness to invest in the best technology available," said Peter Cartwright, Dow Corning executive director for environment, health and safety. "I'm very excited about this development. It's a fantastic opportunity for Dow Corning to implement this innovative and environmentally sound manufacturing technology and also see if it has application in our other facilities."
The new equipment includes a recycle system designed to remove and recycle by-products from manufacturing processes, and a thermal oxidizer that will reduce air emissions from the site while generating steam for process heating.
The recycling system uses a plasma gasification process that separates the waste material generated in the chlorosilanes manufacturing process into organic and chlorine parts. The organic portion is converted into a synthetic gas for use in the steam boilers. The chlorine portion will be converted into one of the raw materials used to make chlorosilanes. Remaining materials will be turned into a relatively small amount of inert obsidian-like glass that is also recyclable.
When fully operational this process will generate approximately one-third of the site's steam load, significantly reducing the consumption of natural gas.
Dow Corning is working with two companies on the project. The waste processing system will be owned by Integrated Environmental Technologies, LLC (www.inentec.com), the premier provider of plasma-based waste processing and clean energy systems, based in Richland, Washington. A second company, Veolia Environmental Services (www.VeoliaES.com), one of the largest waste companies in the country based in Lombard, Ill, was contracted by IET to operate the recycling equipment. Several of the new jobs created from this investment will be Veolia Environmental Services employees.
"This is the first time that the plasma-based waste processing system will be used commercially in the U.S. to recycle chemical waste, and we are thrilled that Dow Corning has agreed to take this tremendous step," said IET CEO Jeffrey Surma. "We are pleased to be part of such a revolutionary process that provides low-cost and environmentally sound alternatives for waste disposal."
"This is a very cutting-edge process. It is the first time that the gasification process has been used commercially to recycle chlorinated organic liquids in the U.S.," said Philippe Martin, President and CEO of Veolia ES, Technical Solutions. "We are pleased to be part of such a revolutionary process that aids in the conservation of our environment and promotes recycling."
The Midland plant upgrades are the latest in a series of sustainability activities announced by Dow Corning, which in 2005 announced a five-year plan to improve employee and process safety, energy efficiency, waste and emission reduction, and environmental compatibility.
"These initiatives involve extensive commitment and cooperation across many of our business operations. The improvements range from simple day-to-day activities like turning off lights to bigger initiatives such as eliminating steps in the manufacturing process, transforming waste into new materials, and collaborating with customers on sustainable solutions," Cartwright said.