Boiled Clean

Those sturdy old industrial boilers will have to undergo a makeover by Sept. 13, 2007, to comply with new federal emissions standards. That's not an easy task considering 80% of the boilers in the United States are nearly 30 years old, making them less likely to meet new Environmental Protection Agency regulations, according to Dan Willems, vice president of product development for boiler and boiler room products manufacturer Cleaver-Brooks Inc.

The Milwaukee-based company is working with its customers to meet EPA limits on four classes of pollutants. Cleaver-Brooks is doing this by investing millions of dollars each year into product development at its research and development center, where the company focuses on improving boiler emissions, efficiency, safety and reliability, Willems says. Emissions reduction is accomplished by changing the burner design to improve the fuel-to-air ratio in the boiler process or with higher-performing boiler controls. Both modifications can be retrofitted into an existing boiler system.

See Also Green Manufacturing: An Inconvenient Reality

The company's Thomasville, Ga., plant is also working in cooperation with the U.S. Energy Department and the Gas Technology Institute to design a "super boiler" that reduces emissions to record-breaking levels, according to Willems. The first super boiler has been in operation at a rubber plant for more than 4,000 hours, providing the customer with more than 93% efficiency.