Technical Assistance

ISTC technical assistance engineers possess a unique mix of experience and training that enables them to investigate and solve a variety of business problems. Our experts can help businesses and organizations reduce all types of solid waste as well as toxic releases into the air or water. Industrial sectors that have been extensively served by ISTC include metal forming, metal finishing, plastics manufacturing, metal casting, printed wiring boards, printing, food processing, chemical manufacturing, military, hospitals and a variety of service oriented businesses.

The ISTC Approach

ISTC engineers work as change agents to help customers identify and implement practices that improve efficiency. Services typically begin with a free assessment to develop strategies and set priorities for addressing issues. Some of these recommended practices require only basic changes in existing processes. Other opportunities may include the development, transfer, or diffusion of innovative technologies. No matter the size of the project, ISTC can provide a sustainable solution!

Here are some ways that ISTC can help your organization become sustainable:

• Pollution Prevention
  ISTC staff work closely with customers to help them identify opportunities to improve efficiency by reducing raw material utilization and waste, and to implement process modifications and new technologies that improve competitiveness. On-site demonstrations and pilot trials of innovative technologies are frequently used to resolve compatibility and complexity issues.

• Energy Efficiency
  ISTC engineers possess training and instrumentation necessary to identify opportunities for improving energy efficiency in many industrial sectors. ISTC can provide cost-effective recommendations and assistance with the implementation of more efficient components. In facilities that have massive energy requirements, ISTC partners with energy utilities and consultants to identify efficiency opportunities.

• Water purification and use reduction
  ISTC research engineers are skilled at developing and applying the latest technologies to purify water and water-based chemistry in a wide variety of industrial and domestic applications. In addition, ISTC engineers have a great deal of experience with the implementation of incremental practices (conductivity controls, counter current rinsing, flow restrictors, etc.) for reducing water utilization.

• Pilot Technology Laboratories
  ISTC evaluates materials and material substitutes used in a specific process and analyze how they affect waste generation. ISTC also evaluates equipment or techniques for removal of hazards from processes or waste streams. Projects can be conducted in ISTC's pilot laboratories or in some cases, for a modest project cost, on-site utilization of the equipment described below:

  • Alternative Cleaners Lab-Used to help companies evaluate more environmentally-friendly cleaning solutions and processes
  • Pilot Scale Technology Lab-Used to demonstrate methods that physically separate soils such as oil and grease from processes or waste streams.
    
    Available equipment includes:
    • Basket centrifuge-Used to remove solids from liquid and sludge waste streams (i.e., paint booth wastewater)
    • Disc centrifuge-Effective at separating liquids with different densities for waste stream reduction (i.e., machine coolant)
    • Ultrafiltration and Microfiltration Units-Extremely useful for separating emulsified oils and greases from wastewaters and process solutions (i.e., metal cleaning)
    • Reverse Osmosis Unit-Effective at removing dissolved solutes and salts such as heavy metals from industrial process streams, especially electroplating rinsewaters
    • Vacuum Evaporation Unit-Designed for concentrating solutions and solvent mixes that are beyond the capabilities of ultrafiltration or reverse osmosis systems (i.e., electroplating)