Original Date: 04/07/1997
Revision Date: 04/14/2003

(equipment: ConRec Sludge Dryer)
Rock Island Arsenal (RIA) has an extensive plating facility where chrome plating, cadmium plating, copper plating, phosphate coating, and anodizing are performed. The hazardous waste generated by these processes totals 140,000 pounds per year. This waste is in the form of a muddy sludge which is time consuming to package and costly to dispose.

In 1991, RIA formed a Process Action Team to look at alternate methods to dispose of this waste. The solution was a process dryer which has reduced hazardous waste disposal by 85%. The sludge goes through an existing six filter press and is then automatically loaded into the process dryer. The dryer essentially boils the liquid out of the sludge leaving a fine, dry powder which is deposited into a 55-gallon drum by an auger. The entire process takes about two hours with no operator intervention. The system is a steam powered model which runs off the Island's cheapest energy source. Although the system costs $92,000, the cost reduction from hazardous waste disposal dropped from $70,000 to $17,500 in 1994 alone. The payback period was less than two years. The benefits derived from the system include a reduction in the amount of hazardous waste disposal and handling, and associated disposal costs.

For more information see the Point of Contact for this survey.