EVALUATION OF ALTERNATIVES FOR DISPOSAL
OF WIRE SCREEN MANUFACTURING WASTE
Michael L. Goldman, Project Engineer
Burchart-Horn Engineers
Lewisburg, Pennsylvania 17837
Michael D. LaGrega, Assistant Professor
Karl F. Theiss, Graduate Student
Department of Civil Engineering
Bucknell University
Lewisburg, Pennsylvania 17837
INTRODUCTION
The advent of PI 92-500 has introduced unique problems which affect industry directly,
via discharge standards, and indirectly through constraints on municipalities. This law has
stimulated construction of new sewage disposal facilities and upgrading of existing ones.  Industries are therefore faced with a dUemma; to discharge to a stream and assume the responsibilities imposed by state and federal effluent limitations, or to discharge to the municipal
system and face local and federal administrative regulations.
This paper presents a case study of poUution control at a smaU wire fabric plant. The
paper attempts to illustrate the use of cost-effective analysis in decision-making related to
industrial waste treatment. Technical solutions to the problems outlined are fairly simple
and weU established. Changing legal and economic considerations have greatly complicated
the problems faced by corporate management.
MANUFACTURING
Wire cloth is traditionaUy thought of in terms of window screen. In practice, wire cloth
finds diverse applications which range from air fUter backings and laundry dryer lint fUters
to wire cage animal traps and fireplace screens.  Each application generally requires different
sized wire, different weave and, in many cases, a different coating on the fabric.
Production of wire fabric frequently involves shiftwork; an average plant employs between
100 and 200 workers. Production figures of 50 million square feet of fabric per year are not
uncommon. The manufacturing process generally comprises the five operations outlined below [ 1 ].
1. Weaving-Steel or copper clad wire is loomed on weaving machines. Each machine is
capable of producing 5-10 ft   of cloth per minute. Wire sizes range from less than 10
to greater than 40 gauge. Wire mesh sizes may range as large as 1/4 in. to smaUer than
100 mesh.
2. Cleaning-Wire cloth passes through a cleaning bath to remove oUs which may be
present on the fabric. These oils are deposited on the wire during the wire drawing
process and on the fabric during the looming process. An alkaline solution, such as
caustic, is used to remove the oUs, which may otherwise interfere with a subsequent
coating process. Spent solution is periodicaUy discharged as waste.
3. Coating-The end product determines the nature of the coating which wiU be appUed
to the cloth. For appUcations such as window screen the technique of powder electro-
coating has gained popularity. For many other appUcations a metal such as zinc must
be electroplated onto the fabric.
487