(L-R): Arno von der Eltz, President, Wacker Polymers; Jeff Fulgham, Chief Sustainability Officer and ecomagination Leader, GE Power & Water; Mary Beth Hudson, Site Manager, Wacker Polymers; Brannon Thompson, Area Manager, GE Power & Water; and John Tacca, Vice President NAFTA, Wacker PolymersTo help Wacker reach its efficiency goals, GE provided its emulsion breaker technology and applications expertise including training for plant operators, improved instrumentation and better chemical storage systems.
Efforts to reduce the amount of wastewater disposed by Wacker were made possible through improvements to the wastewater treatment equipment, as well as to the chemical selection and chemical feed and control within the Calvert City facility.
An increased awareness of the overall plant processes with respect to sustainability goals by the Wacker employees also was key in helping the facility reduce its chemical usage and, therefore, chemical costs.
Wacker's waste reduction project has led to the elimination of 11 million pounds of landfill waste each year and, in turn, disposal costs. The project also helped Wacker achieve savings of more than 17 million gallons of water annually at the plant, significantly reducing the impact on the environment. The facility experienced improved operations and a 40 percent reduction in overall wastewater treatment expenses, which include a reduction in transportation costs by more than 96,000 traveled miles per year for sludge transportation.
GE has awarded Wacker Chemical Corporation an ecomagination Leadership Award to recognize the company for its noteworthy reductions in water consumption and landfill waste using GE technology. GE's ecomagination Leadership Award recognizes the achievements of industrial users that significantly surpass and improve environmental and industrial operational goals while balancing industrial demands.
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