The Environmental Technology Committee (ETC) met on May 4 at AISTech 2010 in Pittsburgh. Frank Fereday of W.L. Gore called the meeting to order and welcomed the committee. He asked that all attendees introduce themselves. Jim Skubak of Foremost Environmental agreed to take the meeting minutes. The AIST Anti-Trust Guidelines were reviewed, and everyone agreed to abide by them. The minutes from the Feb. 1 ETC meeting in Cleveland were reviewed and accepted as written. The ETC elected their officers for the 2010–2011 term as: Patrick Jablonski of Nucor Steel Seattle, chair; Bill Allan of AECOM, vice chair; and Vern Martin of Flowcare Engineering, papers chair. The ETC mission statement was reviewed. A group consisting of Joe Duckett of SNC-Lavalin America, Dennis Hixenbaugh of VH Enterprises, and Jim Skubak agreed to revise the mission statement. The consensus of the ETC was for each member to personally encourage their network of contacts into AIST and ETC membership. The committee formed a subcommittee to begin planning another Water Management in the Steel Industry Training Conference for fall 2011. They also formed a subcommittee to begin the development of a conference addressing CO2, energy use, climate change, etc. The ETC then presented the 2010 Environmental Technology Committee Best Paper Award to Johann Reidetschläger, Hans Stiasny, Stefan Hötzinger, Christoph Aichinger and André Fulgencio for their paper entitled, “Siemens VAI Sintering Selective Waste Gas Recirculation System: Meet the Future’s Environmental Requirements Today.” The next ETC meeting is tentatively scheduled for Oct. 18–19, 2010, at Nucor Steel Seattle Inc.
The Environmental Technology Committee (ETC) met Feb. 1–2 in Independence, Ohio. The committee chair, Frank Fereday of W.L. Gore and Associates, opened the meeting. Gary Amendola of Amendola Engineering Inc. volunteered to take the meeting minutes. Mr. Fereday reviewed the AIST Anti-Trust Guidelines, and everyone present agreed to follow them. The minutes of the previous ETC meeting, held on Oct. 13, 2009, in Merrillville, Ind., were approved as written. Mr. Fereday led a review of the 2009 Steel Industry Fatalities Report, which expanded into a discussion of safety within steel mills, including contractor safety issues such as using cell phones while driving through mills and being aware of hazards around heavy mobile equipment. Jim Skubak of Foremost Environmental reviewed the ETC sessions for AISTech 2010 and reminded the session chairs to contact the authors in their sessions and consider alternates as needed. The ETC topics for the AISTech 2011 Call for Abstracts was revised as follows: “AIR QUALITY including GHG rules, PM 2.5, Hg, NOx, SO2, Title V updates, MACT standards. WATER QUALITY including TMDL, ELGs, water treatment and reuse, storm water pollution prevention. SOLID WASTE including RCRA, life cycle assessment, waste minimization and recycling. Other relevant topics are invited.” Bill Allan of AECOM was nominated to be the next ETC chair. The election will take place at the next meeting during AISTech 2010. The next ETC Specialty Conference has been tentatively scheduled for the fall of 2011. Mr. Skubak gave a PowerPoint presentation as an introduction to the tour of the ArcelorMittal Cleveland 84-inch hot strip mill and hot-dip galvanizing line. Mr. Fereday then moderated a round table discussion beginning with the World Steel Organization’s data on 2009 steel production by region. Mr. Amendola reviewed the proposed discharge requirement rules for Pennsylvania. Brad Rek reviewed proposed OSHA combustible dust rules that could impact coal handling operations at steel mills and coke plants. Dennis Poulsen of California Steel Industries reviewed SB-14, a California Air Resources Board (CARB) regulation that would require facilities to achieve 1990 level greenhouse gas emission levels by 2020. There was some discussion of area source rules for EAFs; related mercury issues from mercury switches in automotive scrap; and the general lack of emission limits for dioxins (CDDs/CDFs) for North American electric arc furnaces and sinter plants. Jim Skubak spoke about TSCA reporting requirements for importing and inadvertent manufacturing of new chemicals as a byproduct of manufacturing processes. The next ETC meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, May 4 during AISTech 2010.
The Environmental Technology Committee (ETC) met Oct. 13, 2009, in Merrillville, Ind. The committee chair, Frank Fereday of W.L. Gore Inc., opened the meeting. The AIST Anti-Trust Guidelines were reviewed and agreed to by everyone present. Rich Dugan of R.E. Warner & Assoc. volunteered to take the meeting minutes. The previous meeting minutes were reviewed and approved. The 2009 Steel Mill Fatality Report was reviewed, which triggered a discussion about personal safety in or around mills. The AISTech 2010 abstract selection took place next, led by Jim Skubak of Foremost Environmental Consulting, with the committee deciding on sessions and session monitors. Paul Sheehan of Capital Engineering, Rich Benoit of Nalco Co., Mr. Fereday, Bill Allan of AECOM, and Mr. Skubak agreed to review the best-of-session papers and nominate the Environmental Best Paper Award. The ETC suggested the following as nominees for the AIST Division I — Safety & Environment board of directors representative: Mr. Sheehan, Mr. Fereday, Mr. Skubak, and Art Hall of Wheatland Tube. The next ETC meeting was tentatively scheduled for Feb. 1, 2010, in Cleveland, Ohio, with a tour of the ArcelorMittal Eastside BOF pollution control system.
The Environmental Technology Committee (ETC) met on May 4 at AISTech 2009 in St. Louis, Mo. Welcoming remarks were made by Jim Skubak, and introductions were made by all attendees. Bill Allan of AECOM agreed to take the meeting minutes. The plan for review of the best environmental technology paper was discussed. This has been an ongoing discussion to ensure that there is sufficient feedback from committee members attending the various sessions. The plan, as used in the past, was to review the comment sheets from attendees and session chairs, and then conduct a follow-up discussion in time for a formal recommendation at the next committee meeting. The Particulate Control Specialty Training Conference that took place in March 2009 in Memphis was reviewed. The consensus was that it was well received by its 44 attendees. Frank Fereday of W.L. Gore & Associates Inc. was elected as ETC chair, Mr. Allan was elected as vice chair, and Mr. Skubak was elected as papers chair. The ETC mission statement was reviewed and revised to reflect the direction the ETC wishes to take in the coming years. The mission statement now reads, “To evaluate environmental technology; disseminate information on relevant, technical environmental subjects; provide educational opportunities for the steelmaking community involved in environmental control of steel manufacturing processes; assist in compliance with applicable regulations by providing an open forum for the exchange of technological information, ideas and problems which have environmental impacts on the steel industry; and work toward waste minimization and zero discharge/emissions in the evaluation of technologies as the forces that will be driving industry toward these goals. The Environmental Technology Committee also recommends subjects for technical report development, including the investigation of new technologies to meet increasingly stringent requirements. The work addresses technical capabilities, limitations and cost effectiveness. They are working to establish and maintain an environmental database, including the survey and documentation of technology currently in place, suitable for continued use, and to evaluate potential refinements to the technologies.” A letter was drafted to ask AIST environmental members, “How can we be of service?” This letter will be sent to the immediate networks of those on the ETC. Plans for the next water conference were discussed. The initial intent will be to have a two-day seminar for environmental mangers entitled, “Environmental Compliance, Air & Water and Waste.” The 2008 ETC Best Paper Award was presented to Joe Maiolo and Vittorio Scipolo of Tenova Goodfellow for their paper entitled, “Application of EFSOP® Holistic Optimization Technology to BOF Steelmaking.” A plaque was presented to Jim Skubak by Frank Fereday on behalf of the ETC for his outstanding work and dedication as ETC chair over the past year. The next meeting is tentatively scheduled for the fall in Merrillville, Ind., to include the Midwest Member Chapter dinner meeting.
The Environmental Technology Committee (ETC) met on Jan. 19 in Homestead, Pa. Jim Skubak of Foremost Environmental opened the meeting by welcoming everyone and thanking them for attending. The attendees were asked to introduce themselves, and the AIST Antitrust Guidelines were reviewed. There was a lengthy discussion on promoting the ETC to others, in particular, producers. Each committee member was asked to promote to colleagues and coworkers the advantages of belonging to the committee. The AISTech 2009 ETC sessions were then discussed. The ETC will sponsor four sessions at AISTech 2009, with 22 technical presentations. Two of the sessions will be joint sessions — one with the Cokemaking Technology Committee, and the other with the Oxygen Steelmaking Technology Committee. The paper order and session chairs were reviewed and adjusted as needed. The session chairs were encouraged to contact the authors within their sessions and discuss with them their responsibilities and upcoming deadlines for participation. The current status of the Operation and Maintenance of Particulate Control Equipment and Systems Specialty Conference was discussed. The conference will be held in Memphis, Tenn., on March 22–25, 2009. An in-depth discussion of possible AIST/AISI joint activities took place, with the outcome being that the subject would be postponed for a couple of years. The ETC’s topic for the AISTech 2010 Call for Papers was reviewed and updated. The committee wishes to thank the United States Steel Corporation for allowing them to tour the Edgar Thomson Plant on Jan. 20. The next ETC meeting will be Monday, May 4 during AISTech 2009 in St. Louis, Mo.
The Environmental Technology Committee (ETC) met in Warren, Ohio, on Oct. 6–7. The committee chair, Jim Skubak of Foremost Environmental Consulting, called the meeting to order and welcomed the committee members. He asked that all in attendance introduce themselves. Dennis Hixenbaugh of VH Enterprises Inc. agreed to take the meeting minutes. The AISTech 2008 Best Paper Award selection process was discussed. The committee members had completed evaluation forms during the 2008 sessions. Mr. Skubak will summarize the results and set up a conference call to finalize the award. The winner will be presented the award during AISTech 2009. The 2009 Particulate Control Conference status was discussed. The conference is close to being finalized, and it is scheduled for March 23–25, 2009, in Memphis, Tenn. Rick Browning of Praxair summarized the EPA’s Energy Star program and stressed that the program is voluntary but seems to provide enough benefits to make it worthwhile. The committee chose abstracts for AISTech 2009 and organized them into three sessions. The next ETC meeting is scheduled for Jan. 19–20, 2009, in Pittsburgh, Pa., with a tour of U. S. Steel’s Edgar Thomson Works.
The Environmental Technology Operating Committee (ETOC) met at AISTech 2008 on May 7. The committee chair, Paul Sheehan of Capital Engineering LLC, called the meeting to order and welcomed the members and guests. He asked that all in attendance introduce themselves. William Allan of Earth Tech (Canada) Inc. agreed to take the meeting minutes. James Skubak reviewed the two-day Water Technology Conference, which took place in Birmingham, Ala., April 1–4, 2008, and had more than 100 attendees. Comments from the participants were very positive, with many of the comments confirming that the content and level of detail were accurately targeted for the majority of the attendees. Many suggestions for new topics were received, as well. Overall, the conference was considered a success. The ETOC thanked the members of the Water Subcommittee, and especially Mr. Skubak as its chair, for their efforts in making the program worthwhile for all the attendees. The 2009 Best Paper Award selection process was discussed. The committee members completed evaluation forms during the AISTech sessions, and Mr. Sheehan will summarize the results so the winner can be chosen at the next meeting and recognized during AISTech 2009. The 2009 Baghouse Conference, targeted for January 2009, will begin under Mr. Sheehan’s guidance. The AISI/AIST committee integration plans were then discussed. Since the AISI Energy Committee did not integrate with AIST, the structure of the committee did not change, but the name changed to the Environmental Technology Committee (ETC). The election of officers took place, with Mr. Skubak being elected as chair, Frank Fereday of W.L. Gore & Associates Inc. as vice chair, and Bill Allan as papers chair. The ETC mission statement was reviewed and accepted without change to read: “To evaluate environmental technology; disseminate information on technological environmental subjects; provide educational opportunities for the steelmaking community involved in environmental control of steel manufacturing processes; assist in compliance with applicable regulations by providing an open forum for the exchange of technological information, ideas and problems which have environmental impacts on the steel industry; and work toward waste minimization and zero discharge/emissions in the evaluation of technologies as the forces that will be driving industry toward these goals. The Environmental Technology Committee also recommends subjects for technical report development, including the investigation of new technologies to meet increasingly stringent requirements. The work addresses technical capabilities, limitations and cost-effectiveness. They are working to establish and maintain an environmental database, including the survey and documentation of technology currently in place, suitable for continued use, and to evaluate potential refinements to the technologies.” It was announced that Ray Sims of Nucor Steel completed his two-year term as the Division I representative on the AIST board of directors, and the new representative is Butch Collins of the Safety and Health Technology Committee (the other Technology Committee in Division I). Following Mr. Collins’ tenure, the next Division I board representative will be selected from the ETC (usually the past chair). The 2008 Environmental Technology Best Paper and Presentation Award was presented to Kent Peaslee, Von Richards, Hank Rawlins and Simon Lekakh of the Missouri University of Science & Technology for their paper entitled, “The Use of Steelmaking Slag for Mineralogical Sequestration of Carbon Dioxide — Aqueous Processing.” Mr. Skubak presented a plaque to Mr. Sheehan for his service as the ETOC chair for 2007–2008. The committee members thanked Mr. Sheehan for his service over the past year. The next ETC meeting is scheduled for Oct. 6–7, 2008, with the location to be determined. Visit www.aist.org for the most up-to-date information. |
