research bulletin


Viewing waste in a new light

Try this trivia question: In 1990, what did the State of New York, the Office of the Mayor of Chicago, the U.S. Bureau of Mines, and the countries of Canada, France and Norway all have in common?

The answer: All were involved in the first major research demonstration project within ASME's Center for Research and Technology Development (CRTD).

This was the ash vitrification project ("Vitrification of Residue (Ash) from Municipal Waste Combustion Systems," CRTD Vol. 24) and was unique in many ways. The project had 38 sponsors from industry, government and academia, in addition to countless volunteers, all concerned with the issue of long-term leaching of residues placed in landfills and whether vitrification (melting) of these residues might be a viable option.

Central to the research was the innovative design and production of a testing system — a commercial-scale, sealed, three-phase electric arc melting furnace in Albany, Ore., that belonged to the U.S. Department of Energy — that was the result of close collaboration and teamwork among diverse multinational entities.

The volunteers who were responsible for this project belong to one of the Center's oldest and most active research committees: the Research Committee on Industrial and Municipal Waste (RCIMW).

This committee, formed in 1968 with its genesis in ASME's Solid Waste Processing Technical Division, coalesced around issues arising from the Clean Air Act and its resulting regulations. This legislation involved widely diverse industries, which was reflected in the varied backgrounds of the committee's early leaders: American Can, Amoco, Babcock and Wilcox, Combustion Engineering, Dow Chemical, DuPont, Eastman Kodak, General Foods, General Motors, Rohm and Haas, Union Carbide and Westinghouse, as well as a host of government agencies, universities, research institutes, laboratories and private consulting firms. The stage was set for exciting collaboration.

"RCIMW was fortunate in beginning life with a group of very distinguished, very aggressive, farsighted members," said Herb Hollander, a member emeritus of the committee.

A key early participant in this new committee's activities was the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), which was involved in extensive environmental legislation.

The objective was for all stakeholders to know and understand the related science and engineering prior to regulation. Thus, whenever new legislation was pending, there was close interaction between EPA and RCIMW to ensure that everything made good sense.

This healthy synergy continues today. As Floyd Hasselriis, another member emeritus, pointed out, one of RCIMW's major goals is "getting good science out there that satisfies economic and environmental objectives. Everyone stands to gain."

For the past three decades, this committee has produced a solid body of research documentation and reports that represents a valuable contribution to the field of waste management.

The most recent report, published in February, is "Reference Method Accuracy and Precision (ReMAP): Phase 1." This is an assessment of the precision of manual test methods adopted by the EPA to determine the stack concentration of selected air pollutants. The committee is currently planning a second phase followup to this project, focusing on formaldehyde emissions.

Also on the planning board of RCIMW and its 11 subcommittees are projects involving trace organics/risk assessment, carbon dioxide sequestration, mercury, dioxins, animal waste and PCB. The list goes on.

"The benefits to ASME members from involvement in our committee go far beyond the research itself," said Ken Wittle, chair of RCIMW.

"Committee members really feel that they are making a positive difference in their profession by having a voice in government policy and regulation, by identifying needs and barriers in the field of waste management, and by transferring technology among our peers," Wittle said. "Committee involvement is also an excellent way for members to stay technically up-to-date and to build important networks in the profession."

If this Research Committee sounds interesting, and you want more information, contact either Ken Wittle at (610) 687-9070, e-mail kwittle@aol.com, or ASME's Research Center at (202) 785-3756, e-mail davisc@asme.org.

— Carolyn Davis
Director, Center for Research and Technology Development

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