The Papermaking Industry: Recycled Pulping
Approximately forty percent of the fiber in U.S. paper products is recycled, or secondary, fiber. Re-pulping fibers that have already been processed shortens them and weakens their bonding capacity, so secondary fiber i..
The Semiconductor and Electronics Industry: History of the Microchip
The quest for a compact, solid state unit that could perform complicated operations quickly led to the development of integrated circuits (also known as semiconductors or microchips) in the early 1960's. The power of th..
The Semiconductor and Electronics Industry: Microchip Design and Production
The complex circuitry of a microchip appears flat and one dimensional but, in reality, it can have as many as twenty layers. The starting point for what ends up looking like a miniature electronic city is pure silicon, ..
The Semiconductor and Electronics Industry: Microchip Fabrication and the Environment
Semiconductor fabrication requires an ultra-pure environment. Delicate components are washed and rinsed at each stage, making this a water intensive process. Semiconductor manufacturing is also a chemical intensive ind..
The Semiconductor and Electronics Industry: Microchips, CFC's and the Ozone Layer
Because electronics manufacturing is set in sterile surroundings and requires the use of delicate components, it may be hard to imagine that is has global environmental consequences. But the industry's dependence on ch..
The Semiconductor and Electronics Industry: Obsolete Computers and the Environment
Throughout the 1960's and 70's, mainframe computers were expected to have long, useful lives. But with rapid advances in technology, and the phenomenal growth of the personal computer, yesterday's million-dollar compute..
Thermal Treatment Technologies: Hazardous Waste Incinerators
Because most hazardous wastes cannot be landfilled, incineration provides an alternative. Whereas municipal waste incineration must meet the requirements of the Clean Air Act, hazardous waste incineration must comply wi..
Thermal Treatment Technologies: Municipal Waste and Reciprocating Grate Systems
One of the thermal treatment technologies that strives to make the best use of time, temperature and turbulence is the reciprocating grate incinerator, used by nearly 250 municipalities.
Thermal Treatment Technologies: Plasma Arc Technology
Extremely high temperatures are needed to decompose the most persistent, harmful, and even radioactive materials. One solution is the Plasma Arc Torch, which achieves the highest temperatures yet attained for the therma..
Thermal Treatment Technologies: Pyrolysis
Pyrolysis is a process that uses heat in an oxygen starved atmosphere to treat wood pulp, paper, plastic and other hydrocarbons like the mountains of discarded tires that clutter hillsides.