McNaughton-McKay Electric Company

Lamp, Ballast, Battery, and CRT Recycling: Solutions that Work

Batteries, lamps, ballasts, and computer equipment may contain mercury, lead, and other heavy metals, as well as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and battery acid, all of which are considered toxic and hazardous to human health and the environment. The federal government and all 50 states have enacted rules and regulations to manage the recycling and disposal of these materials. Proper recycling is easy. You can recycle large or small quantities and easily comply with changing regulations. McNaughton-McKay can provide prepaid packaging, which allows you to conveniently manage lighting waste. One price includes everything you need: packaging, freight, insurance, liability protection, and certificates of recycling. Following the rules and regulations of managing recycling and disposal of hazardous materials has become an additional step in doing business. The solution to that step has become easier and less costly. McNaughton-McKay has the information and expertise to help you comply with federal and state regulations on toxic and hazardous materials recycling... click to learn more

ECOLOGIC3: Environmentally Friendly Lighting Options from Osram Sylvania

Continuing with its commitment to innovative and sustainable lighting solutions, Osram Sylvania expands its line of industry-leading OCTRON T8 lamps with a premium subset, ECOLOGIC3. First introduced more than 25 years ago, the updated ECOLOGIC3 OCTRON T8 lamps feature improvements in their lifetime, efficiency, and hazardous materials reduction. The ECOLOGIC3 family of lighting solutions offers customers the opportunity to reduce their environmental impact by consuming less electricity and generating less waste, resulting in dramatic cost savings. Each ECOLOGIC3 light has a minimum rating of 91 lumens per watt (LPW) and includes 36,000 hours at 12 hours per start, resulting in the need for fewer lights overall and less light maintenance and replacement. The higher LPW rating reduces energy use by the lights, resulting in the consumption of fewer natural resources and lower emissions from power plants. Combined with a recycling program for used lights, these lighting solutions can help consumers feel confident in their commitment to environmental responsibility. Osram Sylvania’s commitment to the environment is evident with ECOLOGIC3 lighting; the ECOLOGIC3 family of lamps exceeds the requirements to pass the federal Toxic Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) test for hazardous waste determination. The ECOLOGIC3 family of lamps includes 25 varieties of Sylvania OCTRON T8 lighting solutions. Compared to other products that excel in only one category, each of the ECOLOGIC3 lighting solutions exemplifies all of the hallmarks of environmentally friendly lighting: longer life, higher efficiency through higher LPW, and Reduction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) compliance...click to learn more

Rockwell Automation and Endress + Hauser Partner to Increase Efficiency at Bio-Fuels Plant

Biodiesel as an alternative energy source is not a new concept. Today, thanks to rising energy prices, increasing dependence on foreign oil and heightened concern regarding the environmental impact of fossil fuels, biodiesel is now a viable, cleaner alternative to traditional diesel fuel. One company is doing its part to make biodiesel more readily accessible to consumers. In 1996, West Central Cooperative built its first biodiesel plant in Ralston, Iowa. The co-op was interested in bringing a new product to market using the oil byproduct of meal, one of its existing soybean products. The offering tapped into a new market of alternative fuel for mobile diesel engines, mostly for farming, industrial and fleet industries. Back in 2002, when the co-op was operating as a single, multiproduct plant in Ralston, now known as Renewable Energy Group automated most of its biodiesel-making process using a programmable controller (PLC). Pulling real-time data from a programmable controller and human-machine interface, the co-op used a basic reporting system that allowed the press plant to buy beans from the elevator in real time, while calculating the yield of oil meal to bushels used. However, the plant was producing biodiesel one batch at a time, which resulted in down time that required operators to wait for tanks to be emptied before continuing production. In addition, some steps of the process were performed manually, such as adding bags of catalyst chemicals to initiate the biodiesel-making process or moving hand valves to route each batch to the next tank during production. Renewable Energy Group® needed to increase operational efficiency...click to learn more