POLLUTION PREVENTION INTERNSHIP FINAL REPORT
DES-UNH Pollution Prevention Partnership
STUDENT: Miles Walker
111 Goffstown Road
Goffstown, NH 03045
Home: (603) 497-2866
e-mail: mlw@christa.unh.edu
FACILITY: New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services
Waste Management Division
NH Pollution Prevention Program (NHPPP)
6 Hazen Drive
Concord, NH 03301-6509
CONTACT: Vincent Perelli, Waste Management Specialist
Phone: (603) 271-2902
Fax: (603) 271-2456
e-mail: des-vp@granite.mv.net
SUMMARY
There are several tasks that I worked on at the Department of Environmental Services.
One of my responsibilities was to serve as project liaison to the other interns. This included
organizing student intern activities, performing customized information searches, and fielding
other questions relating to the intern program or the DES. Another task completed this summer
was the completion of two on-site pollution prevention opportunity assessments. These
consisted of a detailed visits followed by a series of pollution prevention opportunities made
through formal pollution prevention reports. In addition to this I created a pollution prevention
database which includes technical information regarding current pollution prevention techniques.
Finally, I assisted the New Hampshire Pollution Prevention Program with maintenance and
implementation of outreach tasks.
BACKGROUND
The New Hampshire Pollution Prevention Program maintains the goal to promote P2 as
the preferred option for meeting established environmental quality goals, decisions that do not
support to prevent pollution at the source of generation or release should be re-examined. With
this in mind the department continually collaborates with outside sources on projects to further
P2 efforts. The projects I worked on directly supported P2 as the preferred option when dealing
with environmental issues.
GOALS/OBJECTIVES
The goal of my summer internship was to progress the Pollution Prevention goals. Tasks
included:
Vendor Database
-enter vendors in a manor which is user friendly and informative
-allow multilateral access to information
-ensure complete alternative technical information
On-Site Visits
-direct connection to industry with Pollution Prevention Techniques
-ensure companies are exploring best available preventative techniques
Project Liaison
-field questions assist UNH/intern connection
-coordinate program meetings
-information searches suggest alternative techniques to other interns
In general my goal was to ensure that all interns were well connected with the D.E.S and UNH.
For the most part several tasks that I completed were not predetermined goals rather simply
projects that came as time progressed. One measurable goal was the completion of the pollution
prevention database. Where over six hundred vendors were put into a database. This database
will minimize time and effort required to do vendor searches. Another goal I maintained was to
ensure quality information searches in order for proper maintance of knowledgeable interns.
APPROACH
Eductition is an extremely important function of the NH DES, Pollution Prevention
Division. In general NHPPP was established sole to intergrated pollution prevention into indutry
and into environmental compliance issues. During the summer I have had the pleasure of
observing CLEAN, sitll nott sure of the acranym, start from an idea and blosssom into a working
program. CLEAN is a progrma which encompuses all avenues here at the NH DES. It collects
the ideas of inspecteors, polltution prevention specialists, and university scholars. By using
regulatory waivers, the DES was able to get voulontary particapation, in inspection that might not
have occured. This gives the Pollution Prevention Department oppertunity to make possible
recomendation to avoid regulatory problems through pollution prevention. Through eductaion
the pollution prevention department supports its mission statement to encourage pollution
prevention evalutation and solutions.
WORK ACCOMPLISHED/PROJECT RESULTS
Following the completion of of the on-site I assisted in creating a formaol report, we had
made seeral recommendations based on the vist. Worhten Industries was particularly interesting
due to exciting oppertunites available with their current process. In particular they are attempting
to eliminate a latex waste that is created from tank washing. This waste is a combination of
washwater and latex product. Therefore several oppetunities are availabe dut to the waste
conating a substance that once was finished product.
The NHPPP had several intersting solutions from various sources. From the results we gathered
we created a sereis of solutions using polltuion prevention as a model. The first sollution was to
eliminate the wate by eliminting the latex waste water mix that was created by rinsing the tank
walls. My favorite approach was to employ a non-stick coating that would function simaler to
teflon. From the internet we reseached coating and found Wearlon, a epoxy-silicone coating that
had non-stick function but was air cured and could be retrofitted to tanks in house. With less
favorable results we recommend Worthen polish tanks trying to eliminate “seeding” sites where
latex might adhere to the tank walls. There are other mechanical techniques that might be
employed in order to eliminate sidewall adhesion. These include airknifing the latex down the
tank walls. This is favorable because the formulation would be identicalto the final product but
would include air bubbles. Another solution might be to install high tourque low speed sidewall
scrapers which would prevent adhesion by through mixing and mechanical removal of the latex.
In additon the NHPPPmade several recomendation to dispose of the wastee in other ways than
the current technique bienign employed. Worthen is currently using citric acid to coagulated
latex then is disposed to a landfill. The NHPP recommend chemical floculatns, and filter in
place systems which would prevent the use of the messy acidic process.
Several tasks were accomplished during my period at the NH DES. First, a vendor database was
created.
Additional Activities:
The NHPPP information files were thoroughly reviewed and sorted.
Data from the NH household hazardous waste collection days from 1993 and 1994 was
organized into a format that can be easily entered into a database.
Information searches were done on coolant recycling, recycling of fluorescent bulbs, high
volume low pressure paint guns, pesticides, auto salvage yards, general P2 practices,
bakeries, ethanol, solvent distillation, etc.
Budgetary information was reviewed for the NHPPP Manager, and a format was devised
for its presentation.
The bi-annual DES-UNH P2 Partnership progress report was compiled, printed out, and
copied for Dwight Peavey.
The lists of glass and fluorescent bulb recyclers were revised.
A pollution prevention assessment was performed for Textron Automotives, Tooling
Division in Dover, concentrating on plating, grinding, and wastewater.
Student Liaison Activities:
Information searches were done on alternatives to solvent parts cleaners, acid and metal
recovery systems, chemical inventory software, controlling VOC emissions, and reusing spent
xylene.
POLLUTION PREVENTION BENEFITS
By keeping things well organized, the other interns have benefited by gaining important
access to the NHPPP's Pollution Prevention information clearinghouse and to key departments,
programs, and staff. I have benefited from this particular internship, because of my exposure to
the wide variety of internship projects, whenever I do informational searches. I have also learned
through the various P2 activites conducted with the staff in the NHPPP office, as well as the
database and oral presentation experience. (learned how to make overheads and use various
computer programs)
The pollution prevention case studies project showcases NH companies involved in reducing
their generation and release of hazardous wastes and environmental pollutants. These
companies, as forerunners in the push to reduce wastes before they are created, deserve
recognition for their strides toward environmental protection. This project serves to benefit these
companies, as well as informing the public and other companies of P2 activities occurring within
their state.
REFERENCES
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APPENDIX
case study outreach letter
outreach mailing lists
GE case studies drafts