Past AIST Committee Activities
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.
January 28 , 2008 - The Environmental Technology Operating Committee (ETOC) met on Jan. 28 in Ontario, Calif., at California Steel Industries. They reviewed the status of their sessions for AISTech 2008 in Pittsburgh, Pa., and finalized their session titles and session chairs. They also reviewed their upcoming Specialty Conference, the Water Management Training Seminar, which will be held April 1–2 in Birmingham, Ala. This conference will focus on the key components for water in steel manufacturing. The committee chair, Paul Sheehan, updated the committee members on the integration of the AISI Manufacturing Committees into AIST Technology Committees. Methods of collaborating with the AISI Environmental Committee were reviewed, since this committee was not part of the integration plan. Michael DiCostanzo of CSI gave a presentation on environmental upgrades at CSI. After the business meeting, the ETOC joined the Southern California Member Chapter for a chapter meeting, at which Alan Bedwell of CDM gave a presentation on “Preparing the Steel Industry for Greenhouse Gas Regulations.”
September 24-25 , 2007 - The Environmental Technology Operating Committee (ETOC) held a meeting on Sept. 24–25 in Baltimore, Md. Led by chair Paul Sheehan and vice chair James Skubak, committee members reviewed abstracts in order to develop technical sessions for AISTech 2008. The ETOC plans to hold a six-paper session on Monday afternoon and a four-paper session on Tuesday morning at AISTech 2008. Chairs were selected for each session, and the ETOC planned another meeting for Tuesday, May 6, 2008. Guest speaker Thomas Tyler (national sector liaison: iron and steel, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency) spoke on various environmental topics, including “The U.S. EPA Sector Strategies Program,” “Energy Trends in Selected Manufacturing Sectors” and “Mercury Pollution Prevention.” Mr. Tyler provided Web links, handouts and CD-ROMs as part of his presentation. James Skubak chaired a conference call to review outlines for the Water Management Training Seminar planned for April 1–3, 2008, in Birmingham, Ala. The meeting concluded with a tour of ArcelorMittal – Sparrows Point – Humphreys Creek wastewater treatment plant. The tour was hosted by Joseph Robier III, water treatment supervisor, of ArcelorMittal. The next ETOC meeting is tentatively scheduled for Jan. 28, 2008, in California, with a tour of California Steel.
June 12, 2007 - The Water Management Subcommittee of the Environmental Technology Operating Committee held a conference call on June 12 to continue the final preparations for the Water Management Training Seminar, scheduled for April 2–3, 2008, in Birmingham, Ala. See page 124 for details on this upcoming seminar.
May 9, 2007 - The Environmental Technology Operating Committee (ETOC) met on May 9 during AISTech 2007 in Indianapolis, Ind. Art Hall of Wheatland Tube Co. is the chair of this committee. Greetings were extended and each person attending was asked to introduce himself/herself and identify his/her company. The 2007 Environmental Technology Award nomination for best paper presented at the AISTech 2007 was discussed. It was decided that all the committee members will have a chance to vote for the best paper and choose the award winner at the next ETOC meeting. Jim Skubak of Foremost Environmental Consulting discussed the status of the Water Management Training Seminar, which will be held in April 2008. The seminar is in the final stages of planning and promises to be a great training forum for those involved in water management. The new officers for 2007–2008 were elected. Paul Sheehan of Sponseller Group is the new chair, Jim Skubak of Foremost Environmental Consulting is the new vice chair, and the papers co-chairs will be Frank Fereday of W.L. Gore & Associates and Mike Allen of GE Energy. The ETOC reviewed its mission statement: “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 Operating 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.” The members agreed that this mission serves the committee well. Mr. Hall was given a plaque in appreciation of his leadership and service as the committee chair during the past year. The next ETOC meeting will be located near Philadelphia in September.
May 8, 2007 - The Water Management Training Subcommittee of the Environmental Technology Operating Committee met at the AISTech 2007 Conference on May 8, 2007, in Indianapolis, Ind. This subcommittee was established to organize a training program for steel mill operators and professionals on water management in the steel industry. Jim Skubak of Foremost Environmental Consulting chaired this meeting and welcomed everyone. The conference schedule and speaker commitments were discussed at length. Most of the speakers have confirmed their commitment to give presentations. The conference will be held in Birmingham, Ala., at the beginning of April 2008. The next Water Management Training Subcommittee meeting is scheduled for June 12, 2007, to continue finalizing conference details.
February 8, 2007 - The Environmental Technology Operating Committee (ETOC) met in San Antonio, Texas, on Feb. 8, 2007. Art Hall of Wheatland Tube Co. is the chair of this committee. Greetings were extended, and each person attending introduced himself and identified his company. Mr. Hall emphasized that the primary task of the meeting was to finalize the papers, presentations and session chairs for AISTech 2007. A lively discussion for improving attendance and attracting new active members took place next. It was agreed that presentations by speakers regarding new environmental issues and/or new environmental technology should be scheduled for the same day as the committee meeting to attract more attendance. The Water Specialty Conference, originally targeted for 2007, was discussed. A conference call for the Water Specialty Conference Subcommittee was scheduled for the end of February to see if sufficient commitments could be obtained and in what time frame. The committee then took a very informative tour of CPS Energy’s JKS No. 1 power plant near San Antonio. The next meeting will be at AISTech 2007 in Indianapolis, Ind., on Wednesday, May 9. The agenda will include the election of officers and the presentation of the Best Paper Award, selected from papers presented at AISTech 2006.
October 10, 2006 - The Environmental Technology Operating Committee (ETOC) met in Baltimore, Md., in conjunction with the Operations and Maintenance of Particulate Control Equipment and Systems Specialty Conference on Oct. 10, 2006. Committee chair Arthur Hall opened the meeting and welcomed the presenters and fellow committee members. He then read the anti-trust guidelines and AIST staff announcements. The committee reviewed and selected abstracts for two sessions for AISTech 2007. They also agreed to have a joint session with the Iron Producing Operating Committee. The ETOC decided to meet after its AISTech 2007 sessions on Wednesday, May 9, from noon to 2 p.m. The committee then nominated Steven Arthur Bradbury’s paper, “Passive Dust Control for Steel Mills — Control Dust Without the Use of Baghouses or Suppression,” for the ETOC Award for Best Paper from AISTech 2006. The paper was presented by John Fischer. The next meeting will take place Feb. 8 in conjunction with the Electric Furnace Specialty Conference in San Antonio, Texas. The meeting will include a tour of a large coal-fired power plant baghouse and wet flue gas desulfurization system just outside San Antonio.
May 2, 2006 - The Environmental Technology Operating Committee met during AISTech 2006 in Cleveland, Ohio, on May 2. The Operating Committee chair presented the 2006 Environmental Technology Best Paper Award to the authors of the paper entitled, “Waste Plastics — A Resource for EAF Steelmaking,” which had been presented at AISTech 2005. A report was given regarding the Environmental Technology technical sessions at AISTech 2006. Each committee member played an active role this year in evaluating the environmental presentations for next year’s Best Paper Award. Following the discussion on AISTech 2006, an election of officers was held. The organizers of the Environmental Technology specialty conference on baghouse maintenance gave an update on the current status of the conference. It will be held in Baltimore, Md., Oct. 11–13, 2006. The committee is also considering a water management training seminar for 2007. The next meeting for the committee will be held in conjunction with the specialty conference in Baltimore on Oct. 10, 2006.
January 30, 2006 - The Environmental Technology Operating Committee met on Jan. 30, 2006, in Bethlehem, Pa. The committee reviewed the technical sessions for AISTech 2006. Morning and afternoon environmental technology sessions will be held on Monday, May 1. The AIST Environmental Technology Best Paper and Presentation Award was finalized. Members discussed sponsoring a fall 2006 Specialty Conference on operation and maintenance of particulate control equipment and systems and a spring 2007 Specialty Conference on water. Gary Amendola of Amendola Engineering and Steve Rowlan of Nucor Corp. provided presentations on mercury and the upcoming federal regulations as they relate to the steel industry. Atlantic States Cast Iron Pipe Co. recently installed a cupola emission control system to adhere to the upcoming regulations and supplied a tour of their Phillipsburg, N.J., facility. The next ETOC meeting will be on May 2, 2006, during AISTech 2006 in Cleveland, Ohio.
