77    POLLUTION PREVENTION AND WATER
CONSERVATION IN METALS FINISHING OPERATIONS
James O'Shaughnessy, Professor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
William Clark, Associate Professor
Department of Chemical Engineering
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Worcester, Massachusetts 01609
Raymond P. Lizotte Jr., Senior Environmental Specialist
Donald Mikutel, Senior Environmental Specialist
Texas Instruments Incorporated
Materials & Controls Group
Attleboro, Massachusetts 02703
INTRODUCTION
Attleboro, Massachusetts is the headquarters of the Materials & Controls Group of Texas Instruments Incorporated (Texas Instruments). The facility's major manufacturing activities consist
of the pressure-temperature bonding (cladding) of various metals and the assembly of various
electro-mechanical devices based upon the clad thermostatic material. Texas Instruments is a
leading manufacturer of motor and precision controls that are used in automotive, electronic, industrial, appliance and aerospace markets. In support of these activities, Texas Instruments operates a number of metal finishing and electroplating processes.
The total site area is 250 acres, and manufacturing activities occur throughout 150 acres of developed land. There are a total of nine buildings that require specific water supply for manufacturing processes and also produce industrial wastewaters. The water supply and the wastewater
treatment requirements are supplied throughout the facility from a central location. Water supply
quality requirements varies with each manufacturing operation. As a result, manufacturing operations are classified as either high level or a lower water quality.
The facility has two methods of wastewater treatment and disposal. The first method involves
hydroxide and sulfide metals precipitation prior to discharge to a surface water. The second
method involves metals precipitation, filtration, and discharge via sewer to the Attleboro WTF.
The facility is limited to a maximum wastewater discharge of 460,000 gallons per day to surface
water under the existing National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit.
There is also a hydraulic flow restriction on pretreated wastewater that is discharged to the Attleboro WTF. Both of these restrictions combined with increased production could cause the facility
to reach the treatment capacity. The net effect is that wastewater discharge problems are becoming restrictive to the company's growth.
This paper reviews Texas Instruments efforts to overcome these restrictions through pollution
prevention and reuse practices rather than expansion of end of pipe treatment methods.
BACKGROUND
The cost of pollution abatement has risen steadily over the past decade. As an example the data
plotted in Figure 1 shows the steady increase in the cost of hazardous waste disposal over a six
year period. While stressing environmental compliance efforts Texas Instruments has undertaken
a number of pollution prevention, waste minimization, and toxic use reduction efforts. A sample
50th Purdue Industrial Waste Conference Proceedings, 1995, Ann Arbor Press, Inc., Chelsea. Michigan 48118.
Printed in U.S.A.
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