The ferrous scrap-fed Clow Valve Co. ductile iron foundry in Oskaloosa, Iowa, has been selected to receive a U.S. Environmental Agency (EPA) Region 7 2020 Pollution Prevention (P2) Award.
On its website, Clow Valve says its ductile iron is “made from 100 percent recycled scrap iron and steel, and the final product is recyclable after its long, useful life.” The company, which is part of Birmingham, Alabama-based McWane Inc., adds, “All ductile iron pipe manufacturers have a ‘buy-back’ policy on ductile and cast iron pipes that have been removed from service.”
In Oskaloosa, Clow Valve has iron and brass foundry operations, according to its website.
EPA says its Pollution Prevention (P2) awards have been designed to honor “any practice that reduces, eliminates or prevents pollution at its source. EPA Region 7, which is based in Lenexa, Kansas, and covers Iowa, Kansas Missouri, Nebraska and nine tribal nations within those states, says its P2 Awards “celebrate organizations across the Heartland who have successfully implemented pollution prevention projects.”
EPA Region 7 says Clow Valve has been a manufacturer of waterworks valves and fire hydrants for more than 130 years. The company is being recognized for replacing two electric arc furnaces (EAFs) in its iron foundry with two electric induction furnaces, “eliminating the need for one of two baghouses.”
The melt shop change resulted in what EPA calls significant energy conservation (287,100 kilowatt hours per year); a reduction in slag waste (800 tons per year); a reduction in hazardous waste (200 tons per year); and more than $100,000 in operating cost savings.
“Region 7 celebrates these forward-thinking organizations that have reduced their environmental impact, improved the quality of life in their communities, and often realized cost savings as an added benefit,” says Jim Gulliford, EPA Region 7 administrator.
In addition to Clow Valve, organizations receiving EPA Region 7 2020 P2 Awards are:
- the Iowa City Veterans Administration Health Care System in Iowa City, Iowa;
- JBS Pork in Ottumwa, Iowa; and
- Washington University in St. Louis.
The four awards are scheduled to be presented during a ceremony at the Midwest Environmental Compliance Conference in December.
Source: Brian Taylor, recyclingtoday.com
