Promoting Cleaner Production through Innovative University Research Methods

Using private and government funding, researchers at the University of New Orleans (UNO) designed and built an Emissions Test Facility (ETF) under their clean technologies initiative which is being used to train graduate and undergraduate students. The role of Emissions Test Facility (ETF) is very important in developing clean/environmentally-friendly technologies. The ETF at UNO is scalable to the needs of the processes to be optimized and allows monitoring of process parameters and the quantity/characteristics of waste streams. This ETF also contains a two-stage air pollution control system to prevent contamination of the site being used for the research. An exhaust fan with flow controller is equipped to study the emission variations under variable ventilation conditions. Exhaust rates can also be related to wind speeds in case of processes performed in open-air conditions. UNO’s ETF has been successfully used to optimize dry abrasive blasting process commonly used to remove paint, rust and other surface contaminants before new paint application of metallic surfaces. Blast pressure, abrasive feed rate, type of abrasive, level and type of contamination, and many other process conditions influence (1) energy consumption, (2