Foundry regulations

Few studies have been conducted to determine organic residues in spent foundry sand and leachates from disposal sites. It is reported that several organic compounds are present in the spent foundry sand but have concentrations below the regulated toxicity characteristic limits. Organic compounds of concern include benzoic acid, naphthalene, methylnaphthalenes, phenol, methylenebisphenol, diethylphenol, and 3-methylbutanoic acids.12 These compounds are thought to be derived from the decomposition of organic binders such as phenolic urethane, furan, and alkyd isocyanate. 

Communication channels shall be set up between industry and academics. There has been inconsistency with regards to the characterization of foundry solid waste between industry and academics. The former cares about the workability and efficiency of materials in generating products. The latter concentrate on the technical behavior of materials if reused. The way that metal casters define the characteristics of their sands is completely different from what the contractor wants to know. For example, metal casters talk about ground fineness number, whereas contractors want to know fine and clay contents. At the point of reusing their solid waste, metal casters should divert their attention from regulators and customers to researchers, working within a well channeled system. 

Solid waste regulations are frequently cited as barriers for metal industrial byproduct recycling. Research indicates that most ferrous spent foundry sand meets nonhazardous standards under the... 

In some case, experts may debate the reuse of nonhazardous materials, which, they insist, should still be dumped to general landfill sites where nonhazardous materials belong, like municipal solid waste. It is also insisted that there is no documented regulation requiring the reuse of nonhazardous materials. Therefore, to defend the beneficial reuse program of foundry solid waste, regulations should specifically permit their marketing. 

Regan, R.W. and Voigt, R.C., Working with the regulators for the beneficial use of foundry residuals, in Proceedings of the 28th Mid-Atlantic Industrial Waste Conference, Buffalo, NY, 1996. 

Because of Clean Air Act (CAA) requirements, most foundries have been required to install air pollution control equipment over their melting operations to come into compliance with these regulations. Foundries typically use either a dry baghouse or some form of wet scrubber system (e.g., wet cap, venturi, etc.) to collect the particulates from the melting operation. 

Contents indude regulations, air pollution control, water pollution control, solid waste disposal, iron and steel manufacturing, foundries, nonferrous metal production, metal finishing, cement manufacture, glass manufacture, pulp and paper, food processing, brewing industry, tanning, and chemical manufacture. 

Many foundry operators state the reduction in costs as the sole reason for starting various sand reclamation programmes. Regulations encourage a reduction in the amount of dumped material, through an increase in disposal costs. 

The industries affected by these regulations are those dealing with petrol vapour recovery, incineration of waste, mercury emissions from crematoria, animal rendering, non-ferrous foundry processes, surface treating of metals and plastic materials by powder coating, galvanizing of metals and the manufacture of certain specified composite wood-based boards. 

Foundry workers are subject to burn from hot metals. Himel [5] reported a foundry worker who sustained circumferential molten metal burns of the distal foot and toes necessitating amputation of four toes. This severe injury could easily have been prevented by the use of protective footwear and spats. Faulkner [6] reported that molten metal burns could be prevented with annual, unscheduled inspections by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and with the enforcement of additional regulations regarding protective apparel. 

Faulkner BC, Drake DB, Gear AJ, et al. (1997) Molten metal burns further evidence of industrial foundries failure to comply with Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations. Emerg Med 15 675-677... 

To address the concerns of the regulations in California, most of the large brass foundries have begun to utilize proprietary brasses with essentially no lead. Additives such as antimony are substituted into the brass for lead to improve machinability. Two of these proprietary brasses are Federalloy and SeBilloy. 

Beneficial reuse of Foundry Sand A review of State Practices and Regulations, Sectors Strategies Division, Office of Policy, Economics and Innovation (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC, 2001). 

Uniplex 155 is approved under Code of Federal Regulations 21. Uniplex 155 Is suggested as a solvent/plasticizer in cellophane, resin coated sand for foundry casting and organic peroxides. 

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