Corning Honored By New York State For Pollution Reductions

Corning Inc. has received the New York State Governor's Award for Pollution Prevention. Corning was recognized for its voluntary redesign of a process that resulted in a significant reduction of hydrogen chloride (HCl) emissions. The process was redesigned by Corning scientists and engineers for the company's Canton, N.Y., plant, which is a supplier of high purity fused silica, a glass used in the semiconductor industry. The plant completely eliminated its HCl emissions from the forming process. Prior to the redesign, the plant was emitting more than 600 tons of HCl per year. In addition to the HCl emissions, the plant was able to reduce its particulate emissions by approximately 98% through the installation of baghouses. The nonhazardous particulates collected in these baghouses is then sold and used as a raw material in another industry.