plus 3, Museum will have you wanting the car keys - Boston Globe |
- Museum will have you wanting the car keys - Boston Globe
- A guide to recycling household batteries - News 8 KFMB
- Automotive Industries caught up with Antti Niinivaara, CEO & President ... - Automotive Industries Online
- Latvia, in Eastern Europe, is one of the emerging automotive ... - Automotive Industries Online
| Museum will have you wanting the car keys - Boston Globe Posted: 30 Jan 2010 07:03 PM PST The museum's piece de resistance is undoubtedly a 1928 Rolls-Royce Phantom built in Springfield and acquired by M. Allen Swift of West Hartford, Conn., on his 26th birthday. He owned the two-tone green car for the next 77 years, racking up 172,000 miles and performing most of the maintenance himself, before presenting it to the museum shortly before his death in 2005 at 102. Swift also donated $1 million to purchase the former Verizon building that the Springfield Museums transformed into the new history museum with a dramatic, three-story, barrel-vaulted addition. Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. |
| A guide to recycling household batteries - News 8 KFMB Posted: 30 Jan 2010 02:38 PM PST By Tray Granger In our increasingly mobile world, batteries serve quite a purpose. They power our cars, portable electronics and items we use every day. Batteries can even be made out of vegetables. Batteries are identified by the product they're used for ("car battery," "cell phone battery," etc.) or its size ( "9V", "button cell"). But for scientific purposes, batteries' names are based on the metals they contain. Concerning disposal, the name can be helpful because it lets you know what elements are wrapped up in that cylindrical or rectangular packaging. Battery recycling is not a matter of possibility. It comes down to the efforts you're willing to take. Availability will also depend on where you live, as states like California have designated all batteries as hazardous waste and require that they be recycled or taken to a household hazardous waste collection facility. Before we outline the different types of batteries and what to do with them, consider these two points:
Alkaline Manganese Batteries Where It's At: Alkaline batteries are used in everything from cameras and flashlights to remote controls. What to Do: If you talk to your local solid waste department, you may be instructed to put alkaline batteries in with your regular trash. This is partly due to the Mercury-Containing and Rechargeable Battery Management Act passed in 1996 that phased out the use of mercury in alkaline batteries, making them less of an issue when disposed in landfills. But this doesn't mean alkalines are not recyclable. If you're unable to find a local recycling option, you can consider mail-in recycling programs. They are also accepted for recycling at all Batteries Plus locations. If you do decide to put alkaline batteries in the trash, as in most cases this is legal, you can take extra steps to prevent leaking such as:
End Result: Recycling these batteries can recover steel and zinc, two valuable metals. In the case of steel, it can be reprocessed into rebar.
Nickel-Cadmium (Ni-Cd) Batteries Where It's At: Ni-Cd batteries are the inexpensive rechargeable form of alkaline batteries. They can be recharged hundreds of times to avoid disposing of batteries and are, for the most, part interchangeable with alkalines. A cadmium-free alternative to these batteries is Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH), which you'll now find more often with name brands of rechargeable batteries. What to Do: One little known fact about Ni-Cd batteries is that part of the built-in price is to cover proper disposal. Due to the presence of the toxic metal cadmium, these batteries are considered hazardous waste and are not allowed in landfills. In 1994, the rechargeable battery industry formed the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (RBRC), which provides collection locations for both Ni-Cd and Ni-MH batteries in thousands of retail stores and public agencies. End Result: In the case of both batteries, recycling involves using heat to separate the high temperature metals, such as nickel and iron, from the low temperature ones, like zinc and cadmium. Some of the metals solidify after they melt, while others are reprocessed as metal oxides. These metals all have value. Lithium-Ion (Li-ion) Batteries Where It's At: One of the newest forms of rechargeable technology is the Li-ion battery, which is commonly found in cellular phones and consumer electronics. These batteries are also being introduced as the power source for electric vehicles. What to Do: It's likely that you'll be disposing a Li-ion battery along with an electronic device, such as upgrading a cell phone or selling a laptop. In most cases, the company that handles your electronic device will accept the battery as well. The RBRC program also covers these batteries, so finding recycling locations should not be a challenge. End Result: These batteries are recycled in the same way as Ni-Cd batteries and produce valuable metals. One reason to not store Li-ion batteries or put them in a landfill is that they have the potential to overheat and explode when exposed to hot temperatures. If you're starting a collection of these batteries before you recycle them, it's a good idea to store them in a cool location. Silver Oxide Batteries Where It's At: This is the more common form of the button cell battery, which you'll usually find in calculators, hearing aids and wristwatches. In addition to their small size, button cells are known for a long storage life and the ability to work well in low temperatures. What to Do: Silver oxide and other button cell batteries also contain mercury, which makes recycling a must. But due to the fact that they aren't rechargeable, RBRC's program will not cover them. Luckily, you'll have less button cells to recycle since they aren't as common and last longer. In many cases, a professional will replace these batteries, so ask the business if it will recycle the battery for you. If not, often times these batteries are accepted as part of household hazardous waste programs sponsored by your state or county. Button cells have an alphanumeric code, and the first letter indicates what type you have ("L" for manganese dioxide, "S" for silver oxide). End Result: Silver oxide batteries are typically shredded during the recycling process to recover the valuable heavy metals. Lead-Acid BatteriesWhere It's At: These are the batteries that primarily power automotive units, such as cars, boats, golf carts, motorcycles and even lawn mowers. What to Do: Just keep doing what you're probably already doing. Lead-acid batteries have a 97 percent recycling rate, the highest of any consumer product in the U.S., which is good because they're one of the most harmful products in a landfill with a mixture of lead and sulfuric acid. If you buy a new car battery, ask about recycling options for the old one when it's installed. You can also participate in the AAA-sponsored Great Battery Roundup, which takes place every year in April. End Result: Lead-acid batteries are recycled by separating the battery into its three main components: Plastic, lead and sulfuric acid.
The Rest If you have other types of batteries, the first step is determining what chemicals they contain, which will tell you if they are classified as hazardous waste. The presence of cadmium, lead or mercury will indicate that you're dealing with hazardous household waste. Trey Granger is a staff member at Earth911.com. More articles by Trey Five Filters featured article: Chilcot Inquiry. Available tools: PDF Newspaper, Full Text RSS, Term Extraction. This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Posted: 30 Jan 2010 12:44 PM PST Issue: Jan 2008Automotive Industries caught up with Antti Niinivaara, CEO & President of the Ecocat Group.by Lenny Case Looking for answers to rising emissions across the globe is something the Finnish firm Ecocat Oy does all the time. Recently, the company developed a special mixer type catalyst that will further cut emissions from different types of diesels. In fact, Ecocat has gone on record that it is concentrating on developing better catalysts for diesels. "Ecocat has developed a special mixer type catalyst for urea hydrolysis in SCR, and a partial filtration unit POC for LD and HD diesels," said Antti Niinivaara, CEO & President of the Ecocat Group in an earlier interview to AI. Added Keijo Torkkell, general manager of the Ecocat Group: "Ecocat is focusing very much on the diesel exhaust after treatment. There are many global concerns regarding greenhouse effects. In this line, we are looking for opportunities which these concerns can provide for the catalyst business." The company offers various solutions for diesel-powered vehicles. This includes EcoCat® substrates for gasoline-powered vehicles in three standard cell densities - 200, 350 and 500 cells per square inch. Prior to the EcoCat® products, the company used conventional laminar flow substrates. Today, EcoCat® products are used for EURO 4 solutions. Apart from EcoCat® substrates, the company has EcoXcell®, mixer type of substrate, and POC®, Particle Oxidation Catalyst, offers various alternatives to provide customers with substrates and catalysts to meet demanding requirements. The company says that these products have a more favorable relationship between pressure drop and mass transfer rate compared to conventional straight channel substrates. Only with metallic substrates has it been possible to utilize inter channel communication in order to equalize flow and heat distributions within the matrix. Ecocat Oy can also supply its customers with silicon carbide based particulate filters; EcoFilt™. Says Niinivaara: "Our market share in metallic substrate business is sufficient. We will increase this market share by choosing selected core businesses with demanding technologies that Ecocat already today have and can provide. As we have done and will be doing we'll provide the best logistical infrastructure to our clientele with latest know-how in emission technology." Ecocat Oy took part last year in the 58th International Conference of Science and Technology held in Moscow, Russia. Issues discussed at the conference that was organized by the Association of Automotive Engineers of Russia (AAE) together with Research Centre for Automotive Vehicle Testing and Refinement, included ecology in European transport policy, measures of authoritative influence on factors of environmental safety and fuel economy of automotive vehicles during their development and operation. Other issues included how cooperation between ministries and departments while regulating ecological, energetic and hygienic properties of automotive vehicles works. Discussions were held as to whether future motor vehicles will be able to reach zero emission norms. And the future of alternative fuels and standardization of ecological properties (emission of harmful substances and noise) of automotive vehicles. Automotive Industries caught up with Antti Niinivaara, CEO & President of the Ecocat Group. AI: During the 58th International Conference of Science and Technology, issues were raised about zero emission vehicles and alternate fuels - how close do you think we are to these? Hydrogen industry takes decades. It is easier to influence to the quality of the air and greenhouse emissions by increasing the use of natural gas in the transportation and industry. The only obstacle for extensive exploitation is limited chain of distribution. AI: Please tell us a little about the innovations Ecocat Oy has made in the production of catalytic converters for passenger cars, heavy duty vehicles, motorcycles, small engines and industrial equipment, Open foil coating technology, which is very similar to spray painting, was devolepod in our company and and is very unique way of making catalyst substrates. That enabled us to introduce the high cell density substrates as the first company to the market. The first zone coated or gradient coated elements were also produced by that technology. It is also posibble to produce high diameter subsrates for industrial applications the largest ones which we have produced having diameter over 3 meters. The other products include for example the hydrolyzing mixers for SCR and efficient oxidation catalysts for diesel having swirling gas flow i.e. our Ecocat substrates. AI: Is Ecocat Oy helping in the ongoing search for alternative fuel sources? If so, how? Our focus today has been in natarul gas catalysts efficient enough for also methane conversion with reasonable precious metal loadings and also different alcohol-gasoline blends. In addition, we are working with various types of biobased diesel fuels, biogas and alternative lubricants for ensuring the compatibility and durability of our products also in the presence of these new materials. AI: What are some of the new products we can expect from your company this year? Among other items we are today putting our efforts to reduce the CO2 emissions by developing new type of substrate structure for improved fuel economy by reducing the product back pressure. For diesel, we are developing efficient and durable vanadia-free SCR product.
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| Latvia, in Eastern Europe, is one of the emerging automotive ... - Automotive Industries Online Posted: 30 Jan 2010 12:44 PM PST Issue: Oct 2007Latvia, in Eastern Europe, is one of the emerging automotive destinations for cost and quality.Automotive Industries spoke to Alvis Lecis, director, HCT Automotive. Latvia, in Eastern Europe, is one of the emerging automotive destinations for companies looking for countries where costs are relatively low and there is already an existing automotive industry. In the early 1990's, when Latvia gained independence, the automotive sector was already an important industry. The country had the Riga Bus Factory (Rīgas Autobusu fabrika, RAF) which manufactures minibuses and parts. Then there was the Sarkana zvaigzne (formerly G Erenpreiss) which made bicycles and motorized bicycles called motobikes. And there was component manufacturer Rigas Autoelektroaparatu Rupnica made parts for cars and Daugavpils which made drive chains. Only two have survived – Daugavapils (now called Ditton Pievadkezu Rupnica) and the Riga Bus Factory. After Latvia's independence, other automotive companies cropped up, many on defunct factory sites. One of the new companies that were born after the 1990's is HCT Automotive. The company was set up in 1992. The company specializes in the garage equipment. The company is today one of the leading manufacturers of garage equipment among the Baltic countries. The company also offers after-sales service for its equipment. HCT Automotive started exporting its products under the brand name of HCT Technology in 2003. While Eastern Europe may be its main market, HCT Automotive manufactures the bulk of its products in China. Some of the products it manufactures include two post and four post lifts. These lifts are used for small vehicles with the four post lift adequate for larger vehicles. It also makes full scissor lift, middle rise lifts, alignment scissor lifts, tire changers, wheel balancers, truck tire changers and wheel balancers, spray booths, motorcycle lifts, hose reels, oil lubrication equipment, grease equipment and many other garage-related products. HCT Automotive will be showcasing its products in Paris during the Equip Auto 2007 show being held there from the 15th to the 20th of October. Like other Latvian companies, HCT is trying to cash in on its low production costs and geographical proximity to the European market. The Latvian automotive sector mainly comprises small and medium sized companies. While it was still part of the erstwhile USSR, Latvia was responsible for 17 per cent of the USSR's total minibus production and 46 per cent of its total motorbike production. The collapse of the Soviet Union meant that the automotive market was shaken as enterprises simply were not competitive in terms of both quality and price. Today, companies like HCT, are different from their earlier counterparts in that they concentrate on a diversified product offering and have set up facilities in low-cost countries. Automotive Industries spoke to Alvis Lecis, director, HCT Automotive. AI: Why did HCT set up its manufacturing base in China? When we came up with an idea to make our own products, we did a lot of calculation of the costs to make, for example, a two post lift. We got to a point that we can not manufacture such high standard lift here in Latvia and furthermore to be competitive player with price in the market, so we had to look for other opportunities in other countries. We spent some time searching and testing many products from different factories in China before we began the cooperation with our partner. At the moment we have stable production lines in a completely new factory, which just opened this year in March. The same thing is also with other equipments we are dealing.
At the moment our main market is whole Europe including United Kingdom and Germany, we do also a lot of sales to Middle East countries and of course the Baltic States. We are also looking for many more markets all across the World. Our main object in this fair is to find some good contacts from African countries and perhaps other French speaking countries. AI: What are some of the new products HCT Automotive will be showcasing at this year's Equip Auto show? This time we are exhibiting the latest development of the HCT2.5AL30 our base-plate two post lift, which is number one sales item among our products. This model has the completely new design power unit, which is smaller, lighter, with better performance and reliability. There is a new design of chain protection system, that is improved safety system and it also makes the look tidier.
We are also showing the new wheel balancer HCTB35 with LCD screen. This model is completely new and it was launched only this year in the market. And there are also some more items which have gained a big popularity in our sales range, the tool carts and oil changing equipment. AI: How do shows like Equip Auto help HCT – i.e., do they help increase market-share in existing markets or do they open up new markets? Our main object for the shows like Equip Auto is to find new markets and new partners worldwide. I can tell honestly that most of the clients we have, we have found them in the shows like these. It is a pleasure to meet some customers from previous fairs and this is also a very great opportunity to us, because then we don't need to travel to all the countries separately. AI: Does HCT Automotive have plans to open any new manufacturing facilities soon? At the moment we are not looking to build a new factory, as we are have established very trustful cooperation with our partners in China. But if we find a good idea or some interesting and competitive offer we would consider that as an addition to our product range. We are always open for new opportunities and we never say never.
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